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Finance director presents five‑year forecast showing structural shortfall; staff reductions likely in FY26–27
Summary
Finance director Mr. Bull told the Warwick School Committee the five-year projection requires sizable salary-and-benefit savings in FY26–27 and recommended asking the city for a 3% allocation increase in the first year to stabilize the plan.
Warwick Public Schools finance director Mr. Bull presented a five-year projection on Jan. 30 that showed current assumptions produce recurring deficits without both expense control and additional city support.
Bull outlined four scenarios that assume different city allocation growth rates (2.0–3.0 percent annually) and said the model includes assumptions about pension-treatment options. He told the committee the district could save roughly $5 million in salary and benefits in fiscal years 2026–27 under an aggressive headcount-reduction plan and tighter non-staffing controls. "We need savings in headcount in fiscal year 26 and '27," Bull said, and he said non-staffing expenditures rose about 35% from FY21 to FY24, a level he described as unsustainable.
Bull said the memo he drafted recommends the city increase allocations by 3% in FY26 to improve the five-year outlook; under lower city-allocation assumptions the projection worsens and could leave the district deeper in the hole in later years. He emphasized that the FY26 budget process and a comprehensive staffing plan are necessary to meet the savings targets and avoid larger long-term shortfalls.
Committee members asked detailed questions about state-aid assumptions (Bull treated state aid as flat after an expected FY26 bump) and sought more granular staffing-level analyses. Member Testa and others said the district needs structural staffing changes and urged administration to include all possible options in planning. Bull acknowledged assumptions are subject to revision and said he will share the projection narrative with the city and the auditor general for feedback.
The forecast frames next steps for the committee: prepare a staffing plan for FY26 that identifies specific positions and savings, continue to control non-staffing expenditures, and coordinate with the city on allocation assumptions.
