SOUTH KINGSTOWN – South Kingstown Schools Superintendent Mark Prince today released a deep set of cuts, including all fall sports for the middle school and high school, as well as eliminating teachers from primary school music, in response to a referendum on shaving. $1.5 million from the school budget.
Opponents of the current school budget have successfully petitioned for a vote scheduled for June 6.
“The referendum will be devastating to academic, athletic and arts programs,” he said Friday afternoon after announcing cuts totaling $1.8 million.
“The school administration met with the principals, the administrators and the superintendent,” Prince said. “I stressed that we have to do what the law requires. If we have to release the list, that’s what we’re going to do. We’re not going to do that. I’m going to do that for effect. This is not a show.”
“What is being cut is essential for what the community deserves and what the community demands of us,” he added.
The following is a list of proposed cuts he will present at Tuesday’s School Committee meeting:
Assistant Director, $148,216; custodians, $110,416; high school guidance administrative assistant (size 12-10 months) $10,880; early childhood teacher aides, $157,640; early childhood teacher, $84,446; high school music teacher, $137,554; elementary string and elementary general music teacher, $163,717 and vocational technical education construction teacher, $71,470.
Also, nurse practitioner, $74,665; speech therapists, $126,828; elementary school librarian, $133,733; high school English language teacher, $137,038; high school social studies teacher, $114,774; high school guidance staff member, $137,646; all middle and high school fall sports by eliminating coaches, $153,220; operating expenses: closing Wakefield Elementary School, $80,000; and reduced technology expenses, $16,250.
Dorald Beasley, a frequent critic of local government, led the charge to collect the necessary 200 signatures that the city’s Board of Collectors validated on Tuesday this week. Former City Councilman Jim O’Neill is also helping with the effort.
Beasley offered about his effort to cut funds: “Is this (cutting $1.5 million) going to make things better in the classroom, no, but if we do it from now on, as long as our tuition goes down, at least have we done anything to slow the tax rate? it goes up.”
He also said: “There has to be a point where the cost-benefit is no longer worth it, even in education, and now SK is there. Our only recourse is to starve the beast and give some relief to the taxpayers.”
