Voters, town councils have yet to weigh in on proposed charter change

By Shawna A. Arnold
Special to the Courier

WEST GREENWICH — The Exeter-West Greenwich School Committee will move forward with a proposal to amend the district’s charter which could change the way that the towns of Exeter and West Greenwich contribute to the school budget.

The committee approved the decision Tuesday night in a 5-1 vote, with member Gregory Coucher dissenting.
A number of Exeter residents shared their grievances with the committee over changing how funding for the school district is apportioned between the two towns. Many of the residents present Tuesday expressed their disapproval of any such proposal, as they did not see it as fair to town of Exeter.

Residents expressed concern that the town of Exeter paid a much higher amount in school funding than the town of West Greenwich in previous years, and now West Greenwich seems to be getting a break when the tables have turned.
The proposal that the committee approved provides a new calculation as to what each town will contribute to the school budget. Each town has a base amount of money that is contributed to the school budget. Rather than that amount being based on the aggregate, it will be based on the amount of money each town contributed the previous year. Once the budget for the school year is configured - including cuts, state funding, etc. - the remaining balance will be what the two towns will need to provide in addition to what they provided in the previous year. This amount will be divided between the towns in regard to the percentage of the total student population as of Oct. 1 of the previous year and added to the base amount of what the towns paid in the previous year.

The committee’s proposal to change the base amount of what each town is providing, while keeping that the increase in funding each school year is based on the total student population from each town.  Originally the school committee planned to present the proposed charter amendment to voters at an all-day referendum but members of the Exeter Town Council have questioned if that is the correct procedure.

Presently it is unclear whether the proposal can go to voters in the form of an all-day referendum or if residents from both towns will be required to vote on the amendment at their respective financial town meetings.
Although the Exeter residents who attended the meeting opposed the proposed amendment, Chairperson Susan DeSack said this is not a town issue. According to DeSack, if the school budget configurations continue with the cap on town spending in accordance with Senate bill 30-50, a few years down the line there may be nothing left to fund the district, causing major cuts and loss of programs in order to flat line the budget. Although the Exeter town budget might suffer if this proposal passes, DeSack said the schools will suffer a much greater cost if it does not.
If the proposal should pass, Exeter will end up paying more than they would under the current charter for the 2009-10 school year. However, DeSack said the change would help provide more funding for the school district years down the line.

“This is not about Exeter versus West Greenwich,” DeSack said, “it’s about how to best provide for students from both communities.”  The amendment would require more funding from Exeter than the current charter requires, however it is proposed that this will lead to more even funding overall and less cuts to the school district. The committee stressed to the outraged residents of Exeter that although their concerns are understood, there must be a change in the charter or the school district will have no money left for things like extra-curricular activities, especially if state funding dwindles down to nothing.

Although no agreement was reached between the committee and the residents of Exeter, the committee touted this proposal as the best for both the students and the schools. Funding for the school district from each town will remain based on population, however the base amount will be the amount spent by each town the previous year. In the end, each town will pay what they paid in the previous year plus the percent increase of the budget divided by the student population from each town.

The committee will have a joint meeting with the Exeter and West Greenwich Town Councils on Monday, Feb. 23, where the charter discussion will continue.