Cranston officials say schools face layoffs, closures unless more funding is found

Summary

School leaders told the council at a special public-comment and finance hearing that long-term underfunding and rising costs leave Cranston Public Schools with a multi-million-dollar shortfall; superintendent and schoolcommittee leaders warned of staff cuts, school consolidations and service reductions if city and state aid fall short.

Council members and school officials spent a large portion of the April 16 special meeting and finance committee hearing focused on the Cranston Public Schools budget and a widening funding gap.

At the opening public-comment session, Anthony Malillo, vice chair of the Cranston School Committee, told the council the district had not expanded since the pandemic but had “reduced their staff by 95 positions” over recent years and asked the city to stop assuming staffing costs could be absorbed without consequence. Dominic Fusco, the school committee chair, emphasized the district's scale: “We employ just under 1,200 workers, we maintain 20 buildings, and most importantly, we educate 11,000 students,” he said, urging added support.

Superintendent Joseph Balducci delivered the school department's budget presentation to the finance committee and framed the problem as long-term underfunding. He said the city contribution had risen about 18% since 2009 while inflation over the same period effectively required roughly a 38% increase to maintain…

Cranston officials say schools face layoffs, closures unless more funding is found

Summary

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