Budget cut by 4-3 vote after the town funds about a tenth of what the district asked for

What happened

On June 11, 2026 the committee voted 4-3 to amend the 2026-27 budget to match the money the town actually provided. The district had asked for a 4 percent increase worth more than $2 million; the mayor proposed $243,123 plus a $90,000 technology lease, leaving the schools roughly $903,000 short. The superintendent's package includes 7.5 positions already reduced, among them four essentials teachers, a grade 2 teacher, a grade 5 teacher, a high school clipper block teacher, a carpenter's assistant and a greeter, and moves half a guidance counsellor position from Community School to B.F. Norton. Andrew Bacon, Keri Smith and Jason Dean voted against.

Why it matters to families

These reductions land on classroom and student-facing staff in a district that already spends the least per pupil in Rhode Island. Families at Community School, which had just been named a Blue Ribbon School, will share a guidance counsellor with another building, and the essentials programme that supports students who need extra help is smaller.

The evidence

The approved June 11, 2026 minutes record the roll call 4-3 vote, list the 7.5 reductions, and record the finance director saying the budget is very tight and might have to return in October to be balanced. The May 14, 2026 minutes record the $243,123 town offer and the $903,000 shortfall.

The source