City of Providence and Providence Public Schools clash over budget requests
by TEMI-TOPE ADELEYE, NBC 10 NEWS
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Budget conversations are raising tensions between the city of Providence and Providence Public Schools.
Providence Public Schools said it has a budget gap of more than $10 million.
The state-run school district is asking for the cash, but the Mayor Brett Smiley said its approach was “alarming” and irresponsible.”
Smiley held a news conference Thursday morning addressing a $10.9 million additional funding request from Providence Public Schools Superintendent Javier Montañez.
“I’m deeply frustrated with the way about which they continue to try to extract additional funds from the city,” said Smiley. “Warning of dire cuts if they did not produce additional funding and he gave me a 24 hour deadline, an ultimatum as I viewed it.”
But Smiley says it is not possible.
“Once that budget is passed, that is all of the money that I am responsible and able to spend in a given year,” said Smiley.
Providence Public Schools sent NBC 10 a presentation from last night’s budget update outlining its financial challenges and where cuts would be made.
The presentation listed spending, overtime, administration hiring freezes, furlough days, layoff of non-union staff at schools elimination of winter and spring athletic programs, and more.
Smiley claims the school district is operating on an “unbalanced budget,” making it difficult to understand expenses and how much funding is needed.
“I don’t balance my budget on what I asked for. I balance my budget on what the legislature passed and if we passed a budget for some aspirational ask and then found ourselves in January with not enough money and I blamed the governor for that everyone would say it’s not the governor’s fault you’re the one that’s being financially irresponsible,” said Smiley. “That’s exactly what’s happening here.”
Smiley said he can come up with an extra one million dollars, but only if the state contributes three million dollars and school officials agree to an independent audit.
The two new but unbudgeted sources of funds include $750,000 from Lifespan negotiations and $250,000 from a parking agreement with Rhode Island School of Design.
Providence Public Schools accused the city of failing to meet funding obligations despite requirements under state law, saying:
“It should not be controversial to invest in Providence’s children. Superintendent Montañez, as the leader of the District, has long advocated, as he should, for the City to meet its legal obligation for local funding contributions to address the financial strain PPSD is facing.
With an unprecedented growth in student needs and an insufficiency of funding resulting from the City’s failure to comply with its statutory obligations, the Superintendent alerted the Mayor that a budget presentation would be made at Wednesday’s School Board Finance Committee meeting that would cover the District’s pressing financial challenges and additional measures PPSD would be forced take as a result of the insufficiency in funding from the City.
Although the Mayor purports to be concerned about communication and collaboration, the fact that his office held a press conference addressing the Superintendent’s advocacy, without providing the Superintendent with any notice, says otherwise.
That said, PPSD remains steadfast in its position that the City must invest in Providence’s children in accordance with its statutory obligation. It’s worth noting that, since the intervention, the non-PPSD portion of the City budget has increased by $88M for other City departments while the contribution to PPSD has gone up by just $5.5M.”
There’s no telling whether an agreement will be met between the two parties anytime soon.
But both agree that a solution must be in place to ensure the well-being of students and staff.