Town Receives Petition To Slash School Budget, Another To Increase It

Some residents are not happy with the North Kingstown Town Council's decision to level-fund the school department. The Town of North Kingstown has received two very different petitions regarding the budget – one to give the department $500,000 and another to cut it by $1.6 million.

The former petition was submitted by Sandra Blankenship, president of the Nortt Kingstown ESP, who has spoken out at recent meetings against cuts that would outsource custodians, food service staff and other clerical workers. Earlier this month, the Town Council decided to .

For the North Kingstown Taxpayers Organization (NKTO), the $713,000 in cuts is not nearly enough. In its petition, NKTO cites the 124-student drop in enrollment, the department's $2 million in undesignated funds and the Jamestown tuition issue as reasons for why the department should be cut.

The deadline for submitting these petitions closed at 4 p.m. today. According to the Board of Canvassers, Blankenship's petition has received 360 signatures (eight more than the required 352) while the NKTO petition has received at the end of day today and is expected to be tallied tomorrow.

According to Town Manager Michael Embury, the budget referendum vote will be held on June 7 at the Cold Spring Community Center and .

The school department proposed a budget with $2.5 million increase, with $1.2 million of that increase coming from the aforementioned surplus funds.

The School Committee meets tonight to discuss, among other topics, cutting the to meet the Town Council's level-funding requirement.