Finance Subcommittee Requests Input On School Budget Cuts

Tasked with recovering $1.6 million from the Woonsocket Education Department's 2011-2012 proposed school budget, Superintendent Robert Gerardi released a list of potential cuts at last week's School Committee meeting which included the change to a six period day, and reductions in staffing for kindergarten teaching assistants, four middle school teachers, three elementary school principals and two assistant principals. 

More than 50 students, parents and educators attended last Wednesday night's meeting, each seemingly in defense of a different position or program. Elementary school principals told the committee the job could not be done with decreased staff. Students and parents showed how a six period day would limit their learning opportunities and potentially hurt their chances of entering four year colleges.

Early childhood educators for the necessity of kindergarten TAs and were retained in the 2010 budget only through a last minute discovery of additional state funding. The 2011-2012 budget is even tighter, leaving little room for such exceptions.    

The department's finance subcommittee is looking at options to recoup shortfalls which will be created with the passage of Governor Lincoln Chafee's state budget. Although the governor has committed to fully funding the current education formula, he has recommended the state claim more than $2 million back from the city which was spent to balance the department's 2010-2011 budget.

The finance subcommittee meets weekly to debate possible cuts and was recently expanded to encompass a broader spectrum of educators and concerned residents.

The current members are School Committee Chairman Marc Dubois, Vice-Chair Eleanor Nadeau, Woonsocket Taxpayer Coalition (WTC) President Steve Lima, President of the Woonsocket Teacher's Guild (WTG) Richard DiPardo, Parent Advisory Council (PAC) Co-Chair Cindy Stepanian, Special Education Local Advisory Committee (SELAC) Chair Lynn Kapiskas, Parents of English as a Second Language Organized (PESLO) Representative Lebron; Finance Director Stacy Busby, Special Education Director Carole Lerner and Gerardi.    

"We have no choice," said Committeewoman Anita McGuire-Forcier of the cuts. "The state underfunds us by $13  million a year. What you can do is write your representatives." The attached graph shows sources Woonsocket Education Department funding for the past decade.

As the group looks to find acceptable solutions for the shortfall, Dubois emphasised their willingness to listen to public input.

"I think it's ironic that for every single one of these things, someone came up and said 'don't do this," said Dubois. The School Committee Chair has requested that residents suggest which programs and positions could be eliminated. Suggestions can be emailed to rgerardi@wedmail.org and Dubois said residents can call him with anonymous requests at  (401) 765-7675.

The a special School Committee meeting on April 7 will include a public forum from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will include discussion of the budget, and second passage of the change in grading and credit requirements. The meeting will be held at the Middle School at Hamlet.