By Liz Boardman/Independent Staff Writer
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Rep. Donald Lally (D-Dist. 33) told the School Committee Tuesday that while the House leadership has said everything is on the table when it comes to closing the state’s $357 million budget deficit, fellow legislators have told him they will try to avoid municipal cuts.
“We may have to raid the rainy day fund, but the last thing we want to do is cut what we have promised,” Lally said.
Being allowed more flexibility to deal with the budget crisis topped the wish list at the annual meeting of local legislators and the School Committee. The governor’s staff has signaled that municipalities should expect mid-year cuts, and in radio interviews, the governor has floated the idea of consolidation of school districts.
“We know the financial picture is bleak. We are planning what we need to do and are looking for discussion, advice and ideas that might help us adjust to changes,” Superintendent Robert Hicks told the assembly, which included Lally of Narragansett, South Kingstown and North Kingstown, Rep. Donna Walsh (D-Dist. 36) of Charlestown, New Shoreham, South Kingstown and Westerly, Rep.-elect Michael Rice (D-Dist. 35) of South Kingstown and Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37) of South Kingstown. Rep. David Caprio (D-Dist. 34) of South Kingstown and Narragansett did not attend.
Hicks asked if mandates could be reviewed and lifted, to give districts more flexibility to deal with potential cuts.
Committee member S. Scott Mueller agreed, saying since “there would be pain to be experienced, all players must share in it.” He asked for private schools to share in the cost of out-of-district busing and for charter school funding to be examined.
Committee Chairman Anthony Mega pointed out that “49 other states can keep students safe on buses without monitors.”
Walsh said mandate relief was discussed briefly in a recent meeting at the state Department of Education, and she agreed that such issues needed to be looked at.
Rice concurred. “Fundamentally, education is the foundation and bedrock of state and local government and it has to be looked at carefully,” he said. “But we should be looking at the very, very expensive state mandates, and other areas that could be done with more functionality and less cost.”
Sosnowski said that Senate President-elect Teresa Paiva-Weed has said she hopes to give districts and municipalities the tools they need to go forward.
“When we get news of the supplemental [budget], we will have to get back to you,” Sosnowski said. “But I think there is good news in terms of flexibility.”
The governor is expected to release a supplemental budget for the current fiscal year as early as next week.
As for consolidation of districts, committee members pointed to Maine, where consolidation has taken longer and cost more than originally anticipated.
“However we realign, we will have to live with it a long time,” Hicks said. “I urge you to go about it in a thoughtful, rational way.”
Rice pointed out that Carcieri is not the first to discuss consolidation – former Gov. Bruce Sundlun, who campaigned for Rice, has been an advocate of it for years. He pointed to places like Michigan, where it has been considered successful, though it took time to accomplish.
“We have the expertise around to do this analysis,” Rice said. “Mr. Frostic [of the School Committee] did this work at the Department of Defense.”
Walsh, Rice and Sosnowski said they would recommend a panel to study consolidation before changes were made. They agreed it was unlikely consolidation would be a reality in the next year or two.