One week after school officials proposed closing the Fort Barton Elementary School to save money, more than 150 parents and other concerned citizens, many of them angry, crowded into the high school Tuesday evening to speak their peace and learn more about the plan.

Last week, superindent Peter Sanchioni said the district may have to eliminate staff members from all grade levels, or close the school, as officials try to resolve a $4.8 million deficit caused primarily by rising expenses, a structural deficit carried over from prior years, and a dramatic reduction in next year’s state education aid.

Some parents who came out Tuesday were outraged, criticizing the district for a perceived lack of transparency and for what they called an unreasonable delay in presenting the bad news to the community.

Others fought back tears as they spoke of their high regard for teachers and staff and their fear of major disruptions to their children’s elementary school experience. Several said the reason they moved to Tiverton was because of the quality of the schools, and said they wouldn’t hesitate to pull their children out of the district if current plans are carried out.

Still others spoke of the need to scrutinize every item in next year’s proposed budget and come up with alternatives to the two options now being considered.

Reacting angrily to some of the opening comments made by Sanchioni, Fort Barton parent Jordan Reilly was the first parent to speak. She expressed skepticism over the accuracy of the superintendent’s statements and referenced his proposed solutions to the budget dilemma.

“We are now being faced with made-up facts regarding the schools’ performance, made-up facts regarding the budget allocation, and two bogus options leaving horrific choices that will negatively impact our children and affect the economic status of the town indefinitely.”

Sanchioni, who throughout the meeting pointed to detailed charts displaying budget numbers as well as historical trends, responded to Reilly and other critics, saying, “There is no myth to these numbers, no magic. There’s no deception. These are real numbers.”

Repeatedly, he spoke of the need for appropriate funding and the district’s priority to focus on the best interests of the students.

“When Tiverton Public Schools are appropriately staffed, we produce great results. Our North Star is always our students. We are in this predicament because of years of under-funding, not because of any malfeasance.”

Tiverton native Ray Forrest echoed the sentiments of nearly everyone in the room when he said he opposes closing Fort Barton and is also opposed to the  alternative cost-savings plan, to cut specialist positions district-wide. He urged school officials to advocate for a town appropriation in excess of the current state-mandated four percent cap.

“I believe the shortest path to try to get to a better outcome is we, as town constituents, need to speak to our town council members ... to allocate more than the four percent increase in funds. This would keep Fort Barton open and reduce the number of specialists that would be cut. We need to make sure that our town council members are appropriating the funds to keep these services available to the town.

Shannon McNamara, a Ranger School parent who was acting as a spokesperson for other parents, said she had a message for teachers and staff:

“The reason we are here is because we value you guys so much and we are here to fight for you. We’re here to fight to keep the schools open, and we’re here to fight to keep the positions open.”

Although the town charter mandates that the deadline for school officials to present their budget to the town council was March 19, budget discussions will continue at the Tuesday, March 26 school committee meeting. Additionally, a gathering of school and town officials, to include state legislators and RIDE financial officials, is planned for April 1 to discuss the proposed $1.2 million reduction in state education aid proposed for this coming year — the biggest reduction of any district in the state.