Woonsocket School Budget To Be Ready By May 14

Tom Sweeney of B&E Consulting reported he'll have a draft FY 2012-13 budget ready for the Woonsocket School Committee early on May 11, too late to meet a new deadline for delivering the document to the city.

Instead, the School Committee is planning to have the budget ready for the city by May 14.

The May 11 deadline was agreed to on Monday by City Council President John Ward and School Committee Chair Anita Forcier-McGuire. Ward asked the School Committee on Monday to fire Donoyan if she didn't deliver a budget by that time. The School Committee didn't do that, and didn't acknowledge that part of Ward's resolution during the meeting.

After, neither Forcier-McGuire nor Committee Vice Chair Vimala Phongsavanh said they were considering asking for Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan's dismissal.

"No," said Forcier-McGuire, "We're going to discuss it with the Mayor and the City Council."

Phongsavanh also said she's not interested in asking for the superintendent's dismissal. "We have a definite date now," she said.

Nevertheless, Forcier-McGuire and Donoyan struggled to find a way to make the timing work for the May 11 deadline.

"We need it approved on the 10th to get it to the city council," said Committee Chair Anita Forcier-McGuire. Getting it on May 11 provides no time for the Committee to review it before sending it to the council, she said.

Instead, she said, the Committee would review the budget after receiving it May 11, and vote on it at a special meeting Monday, May 14, giving the Committee the weekend to review it before voting.

Donoyan asked if there was any way to get the budget on May 8 or May 9 instead. "No," Sweeney said.

City Councilman Dan Gendron was in the room. "If you give it to us on the fifteenth, we can get it on the agenda," for the Council's next earliest meeting May 21, he said.

"Am I happy with it? No," Gendron said. But there's little for him or the council to do except wait for the School Committee, he said.

Sweeney, who was hired by the Committee, said the FY 2011-12 spending will likely total $70.2 million out of a budgeted $62.8 million, leaving an $8 million deficit, Donoyan said.

Dina Dutrembles, hired by the city, estimates the spending at $66.7 million out of a budgeted amount of $59.3 million, leaving a $7.3 million deficit, Donoyan reported.

According to the documents on the School Committee's website, the approved FY 2011-12 budget was $60,284,784. The proposed FY 2012-13 budget was $59,348,142.

Figuring out which spending assessment is accurate is complicated by missing documents and poor record keeping, Sweeney said. (The School Department's Business Director left on administrative leave in February) For instance, he said he's missing an ammended budget after the School Committee was asked to cut their budget request last year. Forcier-McGuire said she had that document and would give it to him.

Donoyan said it's prudent to ask for a minimum budget of $70.2 million for FY 2012-13, a budget in line with last year's spending under the worst case scenario.

Forcier McGuire asked if that meant the Committee will be asking the Council for $10 million to $11 million more than was budgeted last year. Sweeney said that was accurate.

"It would take a miracle to come up with another $10 million," Forcier-McGuire said.

At the end of the meeting, Donoyan said her three options for reorganizing the school department will likely have to wait until next year, when she can do more planning.