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Council conditions FY27 support: certification to rehire laid‑off teachers and new finance reporting
Summary
Council approved a second resolution that authorizes up to roughly $2.69 million in FY27 support (including a ~$1.19M loan and a $1.5M restricted reserve) but added amendments requiring the school committee to certify that city funds will be used to reinstate laid‑off teachers and to establish reporting from the school finance director to the city finance director.
The council approved a FY27 package to address continued projected funding needs, but only after adding firm conditions tying the additional city funding to staffing and oversight requirements.
The resolution as amended authorizes up to $1,191,523 (approx.) in a zero‑interest loan from the city’s unassigned fund balance to be reimbursed with future housing aid receipts (projected from school construction reimbursements) and authorizes establishment of a restricted reserve of up to $1,500,000 for special‑education and out‑of‑district tuition overruns. Chair read the resolve as authorizing up to $2,691,523.23 as the estimated FY27 need.
Councilor Jean Napolitano offered and won an amendment requiring the Newport School Committee and superintendent to certify in writing that any additional city funding for FY27–28 would be used to reinstate and rehire teachers laid off because of the shortfall and that the funding would maintain continuity of instruction. The amendment also added a requirement that the Newport Public School finance director report directly to the city’s director of finance on matters involving city appropriations and financial reporting for the period covered by the supplemental support. The amendment passed, and the transcript records the Napolitano amendment vote as 5 to 1.
Councilors debating the amendment pressed for stronger guarantees that rehiring would prioritize teachers rather than administrative positions. Legal counsel and the city solicitor explained that the resolutions were conditioned on the Department of Education approving the payments as non‑maintenance‑of‑effort if that determination is needed, and that the council would require written certification before additional appropriations were released under the amendment’s terms.
School committee members who spoke in the meeting said they would comply with the certification and requested time to implement the rehiring and oversight measures. “We need the money,” said James String, chairman of the school committee (S12). “As long as I’m chairman, I’m sure I can get three other people to agree with me that we will do whatever you need us to do.”
