After the city’s adoption of a budget plan for the coming fiscal year that falls short of Cranston Public Schools’ local funding increase request – and excludes a projected $4.1 million increase in state aid due to lingering uncertainty – the district’s administration has started identifying potential cuts to bridge the gap.

“This is really dependent on what happens in the fall … We need to be responsible, but we don’t have all the facts. So it’s really hard,” Superintendent Jeannine Nota-Masse told members of the School Committee during a work session on Monday.

The amended city budget recently approved by the City Council and signed by Mayor Allan Fung provides an increase of approximately $470,000 in the city’s contribution to the district for the fiscal year that begins July 1 – well short of the roughly $1.7 million increase sought in the school system’s budget proposal.

Additionally, the council backed an amendment that removed roughly $4.1 million from both the revenue and expenditure sides of the district’s initial $169.2 million spending plan – a move precipitated by the lack of clarity from the General Assembly over how the state will proceed.

The $4.1 million increase in state aid to the district had been projected based on Gov. Gina Raimondo’s budget proposal, which was released prior to the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the state faces a combined shortfall approaching $900 million between the current and coming fiscal years – and it is uncertain whether all, or any, of the added aid will ultimately materialize.

Nota-Masse said between the lower local funding increase and the lack of additional state aid, the district currently faces a combined shortfall of approximately $5.3 million for the coming fiscal year.

As a result, the district’s administration has identified approximately $1.16 million in cuts. Nota-Masse described the reductions as “significant” but said more drastic measures remain off the table for now.

“We haven’t talked about staffing. We haven’t talked about layoffs or furloughs or anything of that magnitude yet … We’re trying to do it literally line by line,” she said.

The $1.16 million figure includes reductions in the substitute budget; leaving a technology position unfilled; halving a planned school lunch debt contingency account from $200,000 to $100,000; delays in the rollout of new curriculum; and reductions in areas such as professional development, transportation and furniture purchases.

Nota-Masse said she is also recommending a freeze on unapproved overtime, while the district may be able to save additional money on transportation costs depending on how much distance learning is incorporated for the school year that begins in September.

“We’re starting to believe that there will be a component of virtual learning next year,” she said, although she added: “It’s very hard to predict a budget for September when we don’t know what school’s going to look like.”

Citywide committee member Michael Traficante noted that the figure presented by Nota-Masse represents roughly the gap between the district’s requested local increase and what the city actually provided in terms of additional funding. That provides some home that if the $4.1 million in additional state aid does materialize, more significant cuts can be avoided.

Nota-Masse also spoke about preparations of the coming school year. She said a committee is being formed to guide the reopening process, and she hopes to establish subcommittees representing a range of stakeholders as well.

“I continue to be very nervous about making a plan in June when things change so much … It seems like from day to day, we don’t know what the landscape is going to look like,” she said.

She added: “It’s really hard to change on the fly when you’re talking about 11,000 kids … Working families want to know, what do I need to plan for in September? And that’s where it gets difficult.”