Coventry Residents To Vote On New Budget June 13

COVENTRY, RI — On Thursday, Coventry voters will once again have the chance to approve a town budget for the 2020 fiscal year. The all-day referendum will be held in locations across each other five districts from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Town officials are begging voters to attend the referendum and voice their opinions with a ballot, since only a fraction turned up to the original vote. Ahead of the vote, a special town meeting will be held on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Coventry High School auditorium.

The town has been in chaos since the first budget was defeated on May 14. Hundreds of residents came to the Town Council meeting on May 22, demanding answers after both the town and school department threatened massive cuts to programs to reduce the budget. Two days later, the vast majority of Coventry teachers received "precautionary" layoffs, which the school department said was needed to allow for major restructuring of the district, including moving the high school to double sessions.

"A lot of people are saying this is just a scare tactic, but it's not," Coventry Superintendent Craig Levis told Patch. "We're preparing for the worst."

On May 29, the Town Council voted to adopt a $108 million budget, which the voters will vote on on June 13. While cuts will likely still happen if this new budget is approved, they are not expected to be as drastic as level-funding or other austere options that were considered.

READ MORE:

• Coventry Town Council Adopts New Budget, Residents To Vote
• Breaking Down The Numbers: Coventry's Four Budget Options
• 385 Coventry Teachers Receive Precautionary Pink Slips
• Coventry Community Irate As 500 Teacher Layoffs Loom
• Double Sessions, Teacher Layoffs Planned For Coventry Schools