Tiverton Budget Committee recommends $31.4M school budget

TIVERTON — A school budget half million dollars less than requested by the School Department will be recommended by the Budget Committee to taxpayers at the May 18 financial town referendum.

The amount was approved by a majority of the committee following a meeting where several different funding options were proposed, including giving the schools just $1 more than the current $30.2 million budget.

Instead, proposed funding in the amount of $31.4 million for fiscal 2020 begining July 1, which is 4 percent more than the current budget, was approved on a vote of 7-4 last Thursday night during an hours-long meeting that at times became combative.

While acknowledging the town will have a few million extra in revenue from the six-month-old Twin River Tiverton Casino Hotel, Committeeman Jay Edwards, who made the motion for the 4 percent budget increase, said the town needs to “put the brakes on this a little bit,” adding that he expects the School Department “to get more efficient and the School Committee to pay attention to contracts, regardless of what other towns do.” Edwards said was “very amazed” at the salary levels of teachers, with over 100 of them on the top step and earning more than $80,000 a year, an amount he said he and his wife together did not realize during their working lives.

The big-ticket item increase in the school budget for fiscal 2020 is funding teacher salary and step increases of $1.1 million.

Superintendent Peter Sanchioni said the town’s teachers are the lowest paid in the region and for multiple years they did not get any salary increases. “How many years do you expect someone to take no raise?” he asked.

Committee Chairman Jeff Caron called that amount of an increase “an issue created by a vote of the School Committee.”

The $31.9 million fiscal 2020 budget requested by Sanchioni last week was less than his initial request of $32.5 million at a budget session in February. He amended the proposal by taking out all new positions he wanted, or the equivalent of nine full time jobs, new technology and new programs.

“Town support needs to rise” to maintain current services in the School Department, Sanchioni said after showing a chart with a list of contributions from the town to the schools that were actually less in fiscal 2019 than in fiscal 2015. Increased state aid and money from the school department’s surplus fund helped to fund operating budget increases.

A shorter list of capital needs, amounting to $316,000, was approved by an 8-3 vote — Caron, Joseph Sousa and Thomas Haley voted against — and will provide funding for new bathrooms at the high school and middle school, new front doors at the middle school, an intercom system at the high school and repairs to high school tennis courts.

It was Sousa who proposed a $1 increase over the current budget, but only he and Caron supported it.

Committeewoman Jennifer Rashleigh made a motion to fund Sanchioni’s requested $31.9 million budget, saying it’s a compromise budget and with the casino revenue now available “we are no longer a town that can cry poor.” She said casino revenue can be used to lower taxes and fund needs. “Why would we race to the bottom?” she asked.

Committeewoman Jennifer Joslyn also made a motion, for a 3% increase, or $31.1 million, but then withdrew it in favor of Edwards’ motion for $31.4 million. It passed 7-4, with Sousa, Caron, Rashleigh and Deborah Janick opposed.

“We have a lot of taxpayers who are being completely taxed out of their houses,” Committeewoman Sheri Aakre said during discussion of the different options.

Committeeman Justin LaCroix said his vote “will help a family in a similar situation” to his “stay in Tiverton rather than pack up and leave.”

The demographic often left out of the discussions are young families who moved to this town for the educational opportunities for their children, said Joslyn. “Our needs are not considered,” she said.

Joslyn said casino revenue offers “a revenue stream without hitting taxpayers’ pockets.”

“We need to support our schools,” said Janick. ’We have a lot of young families. It is our job to make sure they have a quality education.”

Committeeman Brendan McNally said he was “a little distraught” over the “us versus them” discussion and said the schools are “our schools, our community. It’s critical we offer a good education.”