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Superintendent warns of roughly $1.2M FY27 gap; committee faces potential personnel adjustments
Summary
Superintendent presented a multi-line FY27 budget gap after state and federal adjustments and maintenance-of-effort increases, describing a remaining shortfall the committee may address through a mix of non-personnel cuts and potential personnel notices before the June 1 statutory deadline.
Superintendent Mr. Paza told the South Kingstown School Committee the district is facing a sizeable operating gap for FY27 and outlined possible adjustments that could include personnel reductions if additional revenue or state aid does not arrive.
Mr. Paza said the district confirmed an adjustment that reduced anticipated funding by $153,554, including roughly $37,000 from one federal grant and $44,000 from ESSA (Title) allocations; he also cited a facilities maintenance-of-effort requirement of about $75,000 tied to the increased appropriation. After non-personnel savings and estimates, Mr. Paza characterized one figure discussed in the meeting as a remaining gap of approximately $530,872 and described a set of proposed personnel adjustments that would reduce liabilities by roughly $554,940, leaving a possible net shortfall of about $174,524 if no other funds materialize. "We have confirmed another... definitive adjustment of a, uh, of a loss of $153,554," he said in the presentation.
Committee members pushed for more specific line‑item detail on the technology and other large sums and asked administration to provide a clearer breakdown at the scheduled special budget meeting. Several members urged the district and town to coordinate earlier in future budget cycles to avoid last-minute shortfalls; one member recommended removing a Council 94 position from the list of potential cuts because of contract timing.
The administration reiterated the statutory timing constraint: personnel reductions subject to the June 1 notice requirement must be identified before that date. The committee set a special budget meeting for next week with an executive session at 5:00 p.m. and an open session at 6:00 p.m. for further specifics; administration said public comment will be allowed at that meeting.
Members also noted the upcoming transportation bid opening on Friday at 10 a.m. and said any savings from the procurement could affect FY27 calculations. The superintendent said he will bring a more detailed position-level matrix and updated projections to the special meeting.
The committee did not take final action on personnel at the meeting but directed administration to prepare the detailed proposal for the next meeting and to coordinate with the town on capital and reimbursement accounts.
