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Students, parents and coaches urge South Kingstown officials not to cut sports, music and middle-school teaming
Summary
Dozens of residents, including many middle-school students, told the joint Town Council and School Committee public hearing that cutting sports, band and teaming would harm students' mental health, sense of belonging and long-term community vitality and urged the council to find sustainable funding.
Dozens of speakers filled South Kingstown's auditorium on April 15 to urge town and school leaders to preserve athletics, music and middle-school teaming as they finalize the FY2026-27 budget.
Students from Broad Rock Middle School repeatedly described sports and band as critical supports that fostered friendships, confidence and mental-health benefits. "Through sports, I made friends... and make me feel like I matter," one student told the meeting. Several student speakers said losing those activities would reduce engagement and make school feel less like a community.
Parents, coaches and community members echoed that message. Coach Matt Robinson said the programs create "the future of this community," and parents such as Becky Mulholland and Mary Kutcher urged the council to pursue long-term funding solutions rather than repeated, year-to-year crises that threaten core programs.
Public commenters also asked officials to prioritize certain roles if tight choices remain, calling attention to mental-health supports and a substance-abuse/student assistance counselor position at Broad Rock that several parents called essential.
Speakers highlighted two broader constraints shaping the debate: rising long-term debt service tied to a new high school bond and increasing benefit costs. Several residents urged structural, multi-year planning rather than one-time budget adjustments. Others warned that reliance on one-time items (OPEB reallocation, use of surplus or reserves) could leave schools vulnerable in future years.
Town and school officials acknowledged the public's concerns and said they prefer to avoid programmatic cuts. They emphasized the options now before them (short-term reallocation of OPEB contributions, limited use of unassigned fund balance) are finite and stressed the need for a durable plan to address structural budget pressures. The council will take final action on the budget April 27.
