Committee OKs $190M Warwick Schools FY25 Budget

WARWICK, RI — The School Committee voted 5-0 Tuesday approving the Warwick Schools FY25 school budget of $190 million,  $5 million more than last year, requiring an increase of $.4.4 million in municipal funding.

The full Warwick School Committee meeting can be viewed on the district’s You Tube channel.

“We made tough decisions but we always had the students in mind,” said Superintendent Lynn Dambruch. “It is very important to remember that we staff according to need. As we build two new high schools and look to the future, it is so important to continue to invest in the people and the program in our district today.”

The appropriation to be requested from the city is estimated to be $142.3 million, a 3.25 percent increase over the FY’24 Warwick Schools budget of $137.8 million.

Even so, 15 teaching positions will be cut in the proposed budget.

Member Karen Bachus said she was “very concerned” about the cuts and believes the district should be requesting more money from the city.

“The majority of these are not true layoffs,” said Brandon Bohl,  director of finance for the district.

Bohl said 10 or 11 of the positions are retirements and will not be replaced.

There is a 0.53 percent increase in state aid over the FY’24 allocation. Bohl noted that’s almost level-funded.

Bohl cited budgetary constraints, including the loss of ESSER funding. About $6.2 million of expenses will need to be moved to the General Fund. Additionally, the district is running a lunch fund deficit ranging from $250,000 – $300,000 per year.

School Department FY25 Budget Details

The majority of the budget, $150 million, is designated for salaries and compensation. That figure is $3.69 million, or 2.52 percent, higher than the current fiscal year’s allocation of $146.4 million.

Non-staffing expenses are $40.3 million, a 2.48 percent increase over the current fiscal year’s total of $39.4 million.

“The schools are underfunded,” said School Committee member Michele Kirby Chapman. “We do need more money from the state.”

“We all need to work together,” said Darlene Netcoh, President of the Warwick Teachers Union. “The state needs to properly fund us. The city needs to properly fund us.”

Dambruch was pleased about the successful negotiations with the WISE and WTU unions.

“The two collective bargaining agreements were more than reasonable,” said committee vice-chair David Testa.

Committee Chairman Shaun Galligan said the School Committee will appear before the City Council at their May 20 meeting.

“Unfortunately the city can only raise so much in taxes each year,” Galligan noted. “The kids of this city deserve so much more. The teachers of the school district deserve so much more. The administrators who are so creative and innovative could probably elevate this school district significantly if they were given a blank check.”