Cranston’s School Committee on Monday night adopted a $189-million budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, seeking an increase of 3.24% after two years of level funding.

Committee members adopted the budget with no amendments – but not for lack of areas where changes might be made. Committee member Keith Catone said that if any amendments were to be made, they would be to increase some lines where there have been decreases.

One of those areas of proposed decrease is in the School Department’s asset protection capital funds, used mostly to maintain school facilities. In the proposed fiscal year 2025-2026 budget, district-wide asset protection may see a cut of $500,000.

The consensus among members of the School Committee is that the superintendent and her office have done their best to present a budget that is balanced and are doing what they can with what they have.

Nota-Masse said they have worked hard to put together this budget but says yearly cuts have brought them to the end of the line. She went on to say these cuts have included staff and programming to keep it as far as possible from students.

“Maybe people didn't really notice and they just kind of figured that, ‘Oh well, the School Department didn't need all that money, or the School Department will figure it out,’” Nota-Masse said.

 “We're at the end of the line with that way of thinking. There are no magic rabbits. There are no rabbits, there are no hats. There is no magic that can happen. We are at a bare-bones proposal with this budget …” 

The tough budget situation was more starkly evident after a resolution for certified layoffs was passed last night by the committee.

“Two years of level funding has resulted in a lot of damage that people don't realize,” School Committee Chairperson Domenic Fusco Jr. said. “…What we have to do tonight is a result of what could potentially come [from] not being properly funded. And I don't want to see that happening.” 

According to Nota-Masse, 51 employees this year received layoff notices. Although some were for procedural reasons, overall, she says, this is not the way to do business.  

“We are competing with other districts in this state that pay more, that have cities and towns that respect and support their school departments,” Nota-Masse said. “And we are going to lose a lot of those folks to go to other districts because they feel that they are more secure there and that they will have longevity there.” 

“The last couple of years was so lean that this budget is making cuts that I don't fully agree with,” Fusco said. “Like Mr. Catone said, I wish I could put money back, but I have no idea where we could find the funding to correct that.”

Catone said that the district is on a tightrope with the budget. Echoing the superintendent’s sentiments, he said budget cuts and layoffs tell employees that the department may not be able to invest in them.  

He said the School Department needs adequate investment in its schools, the people who work in them, the students and their families, all the way down to the community that benefits from it all. 

“We're teetering on the edge. That's the kind of balancing act that we're currently doing,” Catone said. “We're balancing and juggling at the same time on that tightrope, on the edge of the precipice; all the things and what we need is barely reflected in this budget.” 

The budget heads next to the City Council for final approval. 

Both the superintendent and the committee are calling on the community to come out and support the department as they defend the budget they are asking for.  

 “I would encourage you to plan on coming to support the School Department and the students that we serve and the families that we serve every day,” Nota-Masse said. “We are not in a good place. And it's not for lack of trying. It is not for mismanagement. It is because the funding has not been adequate to address the increasing costs that we all face. And we have been working diligently to produce a budget that will provide the service that this community expects from us in a fiscally responsible way.” 

One of the new faces on the committee, Kathy Crowley commended the department for its work and education despite its challenges with cuts to funding. She highlighted the building projects with Garden City School, the work that teachers have put in and the policies/procedures of the department.  

“And it is a shame, and I'm sorry as a citizen prior to being on here that I didn't come forward at a City Council meeting,” Crowley said. “But I am really ashamed as a citizen of Cranston that this department has been level-funded for two years and you can't possibly go on like that. So I will be at that City Council meeting, I assure you.” 

The next School Committee meeting is a work session scheduled for Monday, March 3, at 6 p.m. The next regular meeting will be the following Monday, March 10 at 6 p.m.