Barrington school officials are anticipating a 23 percent increase in state aid next year. 

That is not a typo.

During the school committee meeting on Feb. 17, Barrington school officials shared a presentation on the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2023. Doug Fiore, the district’s director of finance and administration, told school committee members that state aid to Barrington will increase from the current year’s contribution of $7.9 million to $9.78 million (a 23.4 percent jump) next year.

Barrington School Committee member Dr. Megan Douglas asked Mr. Fiore if the state increased the total amount of money for aid to all schools in Rhode Island, or if Barrington is getting a bigger piece of the pie.

Mr. Fiore said the total amount of aid to schools statewide is actually going to shrink — down about $45 million from the current year. He said the reason is a drop in student enrollment statewide. Mr. Fiore said there are about 6,000 fewer students going to public schools in Rhode Island. 

But in Barrington, student enrollment is remaining level, he said. 

The result is a $1.85 million increase in state aid to Barrington schools. Mr. Fiore said the level of expected state aid to Barrington next year is “unprecedented.”

Proposed staffing increase

Barrington officials already have a plan for spending some of that increased state aid. 

According to the budget presentation, the district is expecting a $1.44 million increase in salaries for the existing staff, and another $531,713 for an additional nine FTEs or “full time equivalents.” Some of the staffing increases are for a full-time educator, while other increases are part-time, such as a .20 increase for a music teacher at the K-3 level, and a .60 increase for a math teacher at the high school. 

Included in the proposed additional staffing is a full-time pre-kindergarten teacher, another K-3 teacher, an eighth grade math teacher, a certified behavior specialist, a psychologist, multiple K-3 reading specialists, and a human resources administrator in the central office. 

Mr. Fiore said the district plans to fund some of the positions — those deemed more permanent — through the operating budget, and some of the less permanent positions it will fund through grant money. 

Mr. Fiore said that if those proposed positions were eliminated from the budget, the total increase would look very similar to previous years’ school budgets, reflecting an increase of about a $1.4 million. 

Instead, officials are requesting a $2.8 million increase in the budget. The increased state aid to Barrington will lessen the immediate impact on local taxpayers — Mr. Fiore said the total impact on the tax levy will be $897,451, or a 1.8 percent increase. 

“That is an incredibly low number,” said Barrington School Committee Chairwoman Gina Bae. “That’s amazing.”

Ms. Bae said she was more accustomed to seeing a tax levy increase of closer to 4 percent, but increases in state aid have changed that situation.

“I was used to seeing close to 4 (percent),” she said. “I was like, ‘Wait, is that right?’ I remember being shocked last year.” Barrington schools had a significant increase in state aid in the current year also.

Given the projection in state aid, Ms. Bae suggested officials add one more staffing position to the proposed budget: someone to handle communications for the school district. Ms. Bae said officials have discussed the need, and she wanted to support the central administration. She said that having a person dedicated to communication might be worth considering. 

Dr. Douglas agreed with the idea, and Mr. Fiore said the budget could accommodate the position. Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore said other district have incorporated the communications role into the Human Resources position. 

The proposed school budget will go before the Barrington Committee on Appropriations for review on Tuesday, March 8. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m.