Town Council Wants to Trim School Budget Increase by $150,000

In ongoing budget conversations, the East Greenwich Town Council is looking everywhere it can to trim expenses in the hopes of keeping next year’s tax increase below 2 percent.

One way to do it is by cutting the school department’s funding request by $150,000, which Town Council members on Monday suggested could come from the district’s nearly $4 million in reserves.

Town Manager Thomas E. Coyle III’s proposed budget called for a $925,000 increase in the town’s annual appropriation to the district, which would have landed the total school budget for next year at $33.39 million.

The Town Council in April asked the school district shave $70,000 from their request. On Monday, the council discussed a cut of $150,000, which many in the school district feel came from nowhere.

Isaacs said at the meeting that the figure was based on an effort to keep the tax rate below 2 percent. The $150,000 figure, along with other adjustments, has the council now looking at a tax rate just below 2 percent.

In an e-mail that has been circulating to parents, the $150,000 figure is described as potentially devastating for the district.

“ Taking from reserves for such purposes could create a structural deficit that would put the fiscal health of the school district in jeopardy,” the e-mail stated.

If the district instead opts to trim from its operating budget, cuts could come in the form of staff or program reductions, such as the elimination of librarians, nurses, middle school music, maintenance projects and possibly the senior project coordinator at the high school.

“There needs to be a discussion about the fund balance. But not at the last minute. Not just days before the budget vote. Not when the Town Council initially asked EGSD to either cut $70,000 from their proposed budget or contribute that amount from the fund balance...and now that number has drastically changed. Let’s start that conversation next week - for the next budget cycle. In the meantime, let’s pass a budget for next year that supports and invests in our schools and our children,” the e-mail continued.

Editor’s note: quotes and more detail from Monday’s meeting will be added to this story at a later date. Patch is undergoing major maintenance beginning Friday night through Saturday so updates might not occur until Sunday.