Warwick School Committee approves FY26 budget with staffing cuts after heated public comment

The Warwick School Committee on Thursday approved the superintendent-recommended FY26 budget, voting 3–2 to send a $198,162,060 spending plan to the city and the budget commission after making several committee-level amendments.

The approved package includes a recalculation of the teacher/admin pension contribution that reduced the initially proposed line by $3,000,000, a subsequent reallocation of $1,000,000 back into private-pension payments, and a $100,000 reduction to the class-overage line. Committee members said the moves balance immediate fiscal pressure with some caution against underfunding obligations later in the year.

The budget carries forward a five-year deficit-reduction plan presented by Interim Superintendent McCaffrey that forecasts steps intended to eliminate the district’s structural deficit by FY29. McCaffrey said the presentation showed a “budget built with a structural surplus” in the draft and that state aid figures recently updated the district’s calculations.

Why it matters: The budgetmakers and administration framed the steps as necessary to move the district out of the special budget commission oversight created to address the deficit. Several parents, union leaders and school staff said the cuts — especially to teacher-assistant (TA) positions — risked undermining services for students with IEPs, language needs or behavioral supports.

Public comment and committee debate focused heavily on special education and staffing. Parent Bridget Camacho told the committee she could not imagine her kindergarten son learning without two TAs in his classroom: “We have a teacher and 2 aids in our classroom, and it’s been unbelievably helpful … We need them desperately.” Teacher assistant Trace McDermott pushed for more transparency in staffing line items and asked that the district restore the old binder listing positions and salaries for budget hearings: “It is a public document. I’m a taxpayer. I want to know what every single employee makes.”

Several committee members said they had tried to balance competing obligations. One member noted the FY26 recommendation followed a round of difficult choices and that any motion the committee passed still must clear the city’s authorization and the newly established budget commission: “Understand this is the school committee … there’s another layer of authorization,” the Chair said, cautioning residents not to treat tonight’s passage as final budget adoption.

Key amendments and votes - Pension recalculation: Motion to reduce UCOA 52203 (teacher/admin ERSRI contribution) by $3,000,000, moved by the Chair and seconded; passed unanimously earlier in the meeting. Committee members said the cut was based on recalculating the contribution base and included a $500,000 reserve to cover year-to-year variation. - Reallocation to private pension: Committee member David Testa moved to reallocate $1,000,000 of that reduction into private-pension payments (UCOA 5204); the motion passed with the committee recording a 3–0 vote with two recusals/abstentions noted. - Class-overage trim: Mr. Testa moved and the committee approved a $100,000 reduction to UCOA 51336 (class overage/waiting), which members described in discussion as a defensible trim based on administration projections. - Final adoption: After amendments the committee moved the superintendent’s proposed budget to the city and budget commission in the amount of $198,162,060; the motion passed 3–2.

Committee members acknowledged the real-world effects of personnel reductions. The administration explained the difference between FTE reductions and actual layoffs: some projected FTE reductions may be met by retirements, reassignments or scheduling changes rather than immediate terminations. A district administrator walked members through the seniority-based process and said the list of people affected may shift as retirements or reassignments occur.

What critics said: Several speakers and union representatives said removing TA positions risks violating students’ legal entitlements under state special-education rules if the district cannot staff required services. Mary Townsend, president of the WISE union, reminded the committee that “when a student needs a 1-on-1, we have a legal obligation” to meet that service and that positions cut during the budget cycle have frequently been rehired later when student need required it.

Next steps: The budget now goes to the city for its authorization and to the budget commission created to oversee deficit remediation; the committee noted that if the city or commission makes further changes, the committee may revisit the budget or staffing needs when fall enrollments and student IEP demands are clearer.

The committee scheduled follow-up subcommittee meetings (policy, buildings, fiscal) and noted the budget commission was meeting the following Wednesday at the Sawtooth Building. The school committee adjourned at 8:11 p.m.