Newport School Committee voted Tuesday to reduce a $2.8 million tuition budget by $776,932, in order to balance the budget. The motion passed 5-2, with Thomas Phelan and Robert Leary opposed, citing the need for committee members to review the budget in more detail.
After the vote, total school expenses are estimated at $36 million for the 2013-14 school year. The original $2.8 tuition budget was up 22 percent over last years budget, and 18 percent higher than the actual tuition expenditures for 2013.
Committee member Rebecca Bolan said the decision was a "stop gap measure" to balance the budget, which is required by state law. "We can go line-by-line another time," she said.
Last week, despite urging from Superintendent John Ambrogi, the committee voted against withdrawing the money from the OPEB Trust to make up the gap.
Chairman Charles Shoemaker said even though the committee elected to reduce the budget, most school expenditures are contractual obligations or state mandates such as special education.
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“I know individual school committee members are very concerned about those affected,” said Shoemaker. “We ask you to direct your energy to contact city councilors and asking them to restore the money."
In June, city council voted to level-fund the school for the third year in a row.
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“Some councilors are sympathetic to our cause,” said Shoemaker. He added others have criticized the school for not accepting the city’s offer to take over the school’s finance office, which the city said could save $500,000. Others have complained Newport schools have one of the the highest costs per pupil in the state, said the chairman.
In response to this criticism, Shoemaker provided the following points:
Newport has a high cost per student, due to the lifetime healthcare for retirees. The school committee has been able to negotiate steps to reduce some of this cost, but the cost is still high, said Shoemaker.
The school committee has been in talks with the city of Newport and the Middletown School Committee about cost sharing. Shoemaker said cost sharing probably does not result in significant savings, but should be explored.
Every year the school has a budget surplus, in part due to the fact the school calendar is not aligned with the city budget cycle, said Shoemaker.
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