South Kingstown committee approves FY2027 budget request, asks town for $2.5M increase

The South Kingstown School Committee voted to forward its proposed FY2027 budget to the town manager, asking the town for a $2.5 million (about 4.46%) increase while using $1.0 million from the district’s fund balance toward operating expenses.

Superintendent Bridal Prodasla told the committee the proposal responds to an "approximately $4,000,000 shortfall" driven by roughly $1 million in salary, $1 million in benefits, the loss of state aid and the end of one-time local transfers. He said the budget preserves existing programs and extracurriculars but will leave the district’s capital improvement plan (CIP) constrained if $1.0 million of fund balance is devoted to ongoing operations.

A public speaker raised concerns about the size of the increase and the share paid by taxpayers, saying the district was "asking for a 2 and a half million dollar increase" and pointing to rising benefits and purchased services as drivers. The superintendent and committee members responded with details about state aid mechanics, benefit assumptions (the health-insurance trust recommended a 10% medical increase), and the districts’ out-of-district tuition and transportation costs as principal budget pressures.

The budget document shown to the committee lists total proposed revenues and expenditures of $68,520,822. Key assumptions in the presentation include: governor’s recommended state aid with no legislative adjustments; level federal aid; negotiated teacher contract increases implicitly budgeted (teacher step/contract assumptions were discussed); and a projection that salaries and benefits account for roughly 68% of the proposed budget. The superintendent said personnel reductions included in the plan amount to $613,052 and that the proposal does not eliminate student programs.

Committee members asked that future presentation materials explicitly: show the district’s fund-balance policy (the committee’s policy requires unassigned fund balance of no less than 1–2% of operating expenditures); list encumbered CIP projects and the reimbursable share; present historical level‑funding context and prior cuts; and include a clear slide tying the $1.0 million fund-balance transfer to operating rather than to capital.

A motion to approve and forward the FY2027 proposed budget to the town manager passed by voice vote. The committee agreed staff should deliver the submission by the end of the week and seek follow-up conversations with the town council and manager if the town manager’s response indicates partial funding. The superintendent identified next procedural dates for the town manager’s submission and town council work sessions.