School Committee Focuses on Budget, Not Policy

The North Kingstown School Committee was almost united at its Apr. 26 meeting: nearly every committee member present voiced frustration with the Town Council and some council members’ reported views on school spending.

Reacting to reported comments by council members that the town’s proposed budget was already "trim" and that additional cuts should come from the schools, School Committee member Kimberly Page pointed out that school employees, unlike town employees, have undergone pay freezes and made benefits concessions, now paying 20 percent or more of their health insurance.

Chair Richard Welch agreed, noting that town administrators have received raises. In contrast, on Tuesday night the school committee renewed seven contracts for school principals and other administrators with no pay increase after Page made a motion to renew the contracts with a one percent pay raise. Page's received no seconds from the committee and failed.

Joe Thompson said that, instead of criticizing the schools, council members should accept his offer of joint brainstorming to reduce waste in both town and school budgets.

Larry Ceresi said that while the town is poised to raise property taxes and generate an additional $3 million, only one third of that would go to the schools, which face losses in state and federal aid. Lynda Avanzato brought a magazine article that said North Kingstown’s per pupil costs, once among the state’s highest, now rank lowest in southern Rhode Island.

But Councilwoman Melvoid Benson said committee members will gain nothing by criticizing the Town Council.

“The council has the power to raise taxes, not the schools,” she observed. William Mudge was absent.

School Superintendent Phil Thornton said that, barring unexpected expenses, the school system is on track to end the fiscal year within its budget, though the cafeteria budget faces a $150,000 gap. Thornton also suggested a variety of options for cutting next year’s budget if the schools get no tax dollar increase.

The School Committee then approved these spending items:

• $121,880 for bathroom renovations at , funded by previously approved bond revenue.
• $18,983 to purchase iPads and associated network devices to enhance special education instruction
• $22,159 to purchases specialized software for special education instruction
• $7,000 to purchase jerseys for the North Kingstown High School football team, half of which will be paid by donations to the football team activity account

Thornton and Director of Administrative Services Ned Draper reported that school staff have consulted the governor’s Council on Disabilities to help shape bids
for revamping a playground that would be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Committee members approved a new agreement to educate students from Jamestown, and they received but did not publicly discuss a proposal to issue parking permits to high school students.

The committee accepted the retirement of Edie Dunn, principal at Fishing Cove Elementary School, effective at the end of the school year. It also accepted the resignation of Charles Smith, the for allegedly making a bomb threat at the school.

Thornton said the decision was made in a closed executive session, but he noted that Smith belongs to a union. In such situations, he said, the school system releases employees as expediently as possible. In this case, that meant accepting a resignation.

The committee heard a presentation from senior Andrew Cavanaugh on his senior research project, which included a survey of NKHS students. His findings supported national research indicating that high school students would improve their grades and behavior if they got more sleep. He urged the committee to change school hours accordingly.