GLOCESTER – A complaint alleging that the town has not complied with Rhode Island’s maintenance of effort laws in funding the Glocester School District has been rejected by the Rhode Island Department of Education, with officials saying they do not have jurisdiction over the matter.
The complaint, submitted in July on behalf of the school committee by Attorney Gregory Piccirilli, claimed that over at least the past six years, the district suffered a shortfall of more than $1,000,000 as a result of the practice. The attorney requested state intervention in the matter in the form of a ruling from the Commissioner of Education.
But RIDE recently informed Glocester officials that that won’t happen.
“The School Committee will have to decide if they want to proceed in a different venue,” explained Town Solicitor David Igliozzi, noting that RIDE has denied jurisdiction over the complaint.
The gripe related to one time payments made to the district over the years outside the regular budget process under the condition that the money would not count toward the town’s future financing obligation. Piccirilli alleged that the procedure for the one time payments was a “budget gimmick,” violating state law by allowing the town to skirt maintenance of effort, which requires communities to contribute at least as much to the school system as it did the previous year.
“The School Committee alleges that you improperly funded them,” explained Igliozzi. He added that if the committee still wishes to pursue the matter following the ruling, “they need to go elsewhere – in a different venue.”
The decision is the latest news in an ongoing dispute between town and school officials over funding that has put the two town factions at odds. Voters passed a $35.5 million budget in a town referendum in May, but district officials said the allocation for town elementary schools fell short of what was needed for the year.
The district has run a deficit for the past two years, and Town Council President William Worthy said last week that he fears they’re on track for another, noting the school committee recently approved raises for non-certified personnel.
“It seems like it’s going to continue – another deficit to next year’s budget,” said Worthy. “I personally feel like the School Committee’s derelict in their duties, and we’re going to just be back here again.”
“I think the people of Glocester really need to take a look at what’s happening with the School Committee and what they’re doing to our taxpayers,” Worthy added. “They overspent last year. They’re doing it again right now. We all talk about how we don’t want our taxes increased. We need to keep an eye on this.”
Resident Walter Steere said he attended the committee’s recent meeting where the raises were approved in executive session – seemingly without an impact study.
“They wouldn’t tell us anything about it,” Steere said. “When they came out, they announced the vote.”
“This is the type of incompetence that we have with this committee in this town,” responded Worthy.
Finance Director Elizabeth Beltram said that she’s recently been meeting with Supt. Renee Palazzo to work on the budget.
“We did agree that we’re going to meet every couple of weeks to keep abreast of what’s happening,” Beltram told the council at their meeting last week. “They had a structural deficit going into this current year.”
Beltram said she has received a copy of the document with passage of the recent raises, but that it wasn’t signed, and does not become public information until it’s fully executed. The raises are an item, she noted, not accounted for in the district’s approved budget – and each change made requires cumbersome calculations to ensure it stays within the allotted funding.
“They have to work within the budget that the town voted for them,” Beltram said.
Beltram’s involvement – or lack thereof – with district finances was another subject in the recently rejected RIDE complaint from the Glocester School Committee against the Glocester Town Council. Under a savings arrangement put in place decades ago, the town finance director is also supposed to act as the district’s business manager. But Beltram stated she would not be attending the School Committee’s meetings when she first agreed to take the job last year.
Councilor Walter Steere noted that the district recently advertised to hire a new business manager.
“I think we’ve all agreed that’s what they really need,” said Steere, noting that the problem is that town officials only heard about the potential hire after the fact. “That kind of goes back to the lack of transparency. That’s really disturbing. You can’t get any information. You can’t have a discussion with people that’s logical. It’s very frustrating.”
Worthy suggested that a recall – the only known way to remove elected officials from office – could be the answer.
“Let’s do the work,” said Worthy. “Let’s look into it. They’re not working for the residents of Glocester.”
As a tax payer the sooner our elected officials get this sorted out the better. Please be transparent and explain all as we all don’t work in this environment like our officials do.