Providence set to boost funds for public schools after superintendent accuses mayor of ‘shortchanging’ kids - The Boston Globe (2024)

The district did get a boost last week when legislative leaders opted not to implement a school funding cut proposed by Governor Dan McKee, which resulted in increases to school districts across the state, including $11.7 million to Providence.

But school district officials said they had already accounted for much of that money because enrollment went up, and said a roughly $11 million gap remains.

Much of the belt-tightening is due to expiring COVID relief funds, which have to be spent in the next three months. The district used some of the money to hire social workers and pay teachers to work a longer school day, but the funds can’t be used for personnel after Sept. 30. (The longer school day is not expected to continue.)

But even as they warned about the fiscal cliff, district officials have also shifted blame in recent weeks to the city, pointing to repeated years of level-funding by previous mayors and councils.

In a late-night YouTube video posted by Superintendent Javier Montañez last week, he pointed the finger directly at Smiley.

“The mayor’s proposed budget shortchanges Providence public schools by more than $27 million,” Montañez said. “This is on top of years of chronic underfunding by the city. It threatens vital school programs and services that put our students’ success at risk.”

Smiley‘s office said Montañez’s demands were “unproductive,” and the district should have been planning for the fiscal cliff caused by the expiring federal funds.

“The video was not the way that adults negotiate major budgets,” Smiley told the Globe in an interview. “It felt like it was not a serious attempt to try and sit down and work out how we can better support students.”

He criticized the district for budgeting for a $14 million increase in city aid, an amount he says was “an impossible number to get in one year.”

“One of the most frustrating parts of the situation has been the lack of transparency about their budget,” Smiley said. “They’re pointing the finger at us when it was an unbalanced, irresponsible budget in the first place.”

Previous city leaders including former Mayor Jorge Elorza and former Council President John Igliozzi also frequently sparred with school officials over funding, balking over requests for additional money when the district was running a surplus.

The district is also in the middle of a court fight with Smiley over the school funding issue. The district argues it is owed an additional $27 million from the city this year under the requirements of at law called the Crowley Act that governs state takeovers. (Providence has been under a state takeover since 2019.)

Despite the war of words, Smiley and Montañez took a smiling selfie together Tuesday night on stage at Central High School’s graduation.

Dozens of parents and students testified at a City Council finance committee hearing Tuesday night urging the city to increase funding to schools. The additional funds being proposed on Thursday were negotiated between the council and the mayor.

In order to allocate the additional $2.5 million, the council’s revised budget assumes a higher tax collection rate (94.25 percent instead of 94 percent), and will cut several new positions and raises proposed by Smiley, according to June Rose, the council chief of staff.

Among other changes, the council’s revised budget also proposes to delay next year’s 16-week Providence police academy to begin in May or later, resulting in savings in this budget because the new fiscal year starts July 1.

The additional $2.5 million will be a separate line item from the city’s annual “maintenance of effort” appropriation to the district, Rose said, which is $133 million this year. State law makes it difficult for districts to decrease the annual appropriation the following year once it is increased.

“By not adding it to the maintenance of effort, it gives us the flexibility to make sure whatever we appropriate next year, we can afford to do so,” Smiley said. “As you know, the MOE becomes the new floor, and I’m concerned about the city’s ability to increase recurring support at a level that is historic.”

Council President Rachel Miller said the $5.5 million increase is “the largest in at least 15 years,” and “reflects our councilors’ deep investment in the success of our students and our schools.”

In an interview with the Globe, Miller noted that the school department has surplus money in a reserve account, and needs to be operating in “good faith.”

“I was pretty shocked to hear that they were talking about some really drastic cuts for student services while holding on to a reserve account,” Miller said. “Between the reserve account, the state funding, and the increased allocation from Providence, that’s well over $11 million.”

Miller said the expectation is that the district will use the $2.5 million to restore some of the staff cuts, particularly in the area of social-emotional supports for students. The exact language of the budget amendment has not yet been released.

District officials acknowledged they have $12 million in the reserve account, which was set aside during the pandemic when schools were closed. Spokesperson Jay Wegimont said it’s being used to cover a budget deficit in the current year, in addition to part of the upcoming year’s deficit.

State education commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, who controls the Providence schools, thanked the council for increasing funding, but said it is not enough.

“The proposed increase is a step in the right direction towards meeting the city’s legal obligation, but it does not fully close the funding gap created by city underfunding,” Infante-Green’s spokesperson Victor Morente said. “We look forward to getting additional details on this proposal and RIDE and PPSD are committed to continuing to work collaboratively with city leaders to reach a fair compromise for the city and the students, families, and staff of PPSD.”

The district has told nearly 60 teachers they will lose their jobs at the end of the 2023-24 school year, including social workers, physical education and health teachers, social studies teachers, early educators and more.

Zack Scott, the deputy superintendent of operations, told the Globe last week that if the budget gap isn’t closed, further cuts could include additional staff layoffs, a teacher hiring freeze, and canceled athletics and extracurricular activities.

It’s not yet clear when the city will get control of the schools back; an independent review is currently underway to assess how the takeover is going. Smiley said he believes the city could be ready by January, but it would be disruptive to transition back to city control mid-school year.

“The summer of ‘25 would be the earliest responsible date,” Smiley said.

This story has been updated with comments from Rachel Miller, Brett Smiley and Angélica Infante-Green.

Steph Machado can be reached at steph.machado@globe.com. Follow her @StephMachado.