Rhode Island
Judge takes state’s side in budget battle over Providence schools • Rhode Island Current
A Rhode Island Superior Court judge on Friday ruled in favor of the state education department, which has withheld $8.5 million in aid from Providence for failing to meet funding obligations for city schools, widening the rift between city leaders and state education officials.
Rhode Island Superior Court Associate Justice Jeffrey A. Lanphear issued two rulings in favor of the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), backing the state-run Providence Public School Department (PPSD)declaring that the city is not paying its fair share to the school department.
“This court, in everything that it does, somehow always seems to apply principles of fairness,” Lanphear said at an afternoon bench motion that followed the release of written decisions Friday morning. “But frankly, balancing the equities is simply not an element of this motion…Here, the only issue is whether or not the city can pay its obligation to the state department. Otherwise, the state can freeze the money.”
Providence School Board makeover is halfway there after Tuesday’s election
The first ruling partially denied the city’s appeal to stop RIDE from withholding over $7 million in state aid from the Distressed Communities Relief Fund in fiscal year 2024. The judge’s decision underscored the state’s authority over municipalities when they fall short of fulfilling the Crowley Act — the statute that authorized the 2019 state takeover of Providence schools and also prescribes how much funding a state-controlled district must receive from local sources.
Lanphear’s second ruling concerned an October request from RIDE Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green to state Treasurer James Diossa to withhold $8.5 million in car tax payments, claiming Providence owed nearly $30 million to the district overall. The city then filed a legal complaint. The disputed funds remain in escrow — which is where they’ll stay for the time being, as just how much the city will owe is still unclear.
Lanphear scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 9:30 a.m. to help complete what he called “a simple mathematical calculation” that will determine the city’s debt to its schools. Lanphear said he didn’t trust his own mathematics and would be leaving that to experts at next week’s hearing.
I am disappointed that the wasteful, irresponsible spending of the Providence Public School District and the historical lack of sufficient State funding for our highest need students has led us to this point today.
– Providence Mayor Brett Smiley
While the judge didn’t trust his math, he was more confident in his reading of the Crowley Act. The state could probably fund the entirety of the budget shortfall on its own, Lanphear thought, but the Crowley Act compels the city to increase financial support for the school district each year, regardless of the state’s financial health. RIDE and the city’s wildly different interpretations of the act have formed the terra firma of the ongoing legal contest.
Lanphear rejected the foundation of the city’s argument: That the act requires municipal aid to state-run school districts to mirror the increase in state aid to that particular district.
“Since the statewide total school aid increased, the City must increase the amount of funding to the PPSD with an equal percentage increase,” Lanphear wrote in his first decision. “The increase in aid to the particular district is not a factor in this calculation.”
Infante-Green’s request to withhold funds followed Providence Mayor Brett Smiley’s public feud with Providence Superintendent Javier Montañez. Montañez called Smiley ahead of a school board subcommittee meeting on Oct. 9, and requested nearly $10.9 million in emergency funding. Without the money, there could be cuts to winter and spring sports, student bus passes and numerous other areas, the superintendent warned.
Smiley responded with a $1 million offer the following day, promising to use money from not-yet-finalized payment in lieu of taxes agreements recently struck with nonprofits in the city. The City Council promised an additional $1.5 million from the final reserves of pandemic relief money. Both mayor and council agreed that the school district would be subject to a third-party audit before they could get any funds. The school department has yet to take any action on the offers, and the City Council earlier this week canceled a meeting that would have authorized the funds, due to the court battle.
Consequences may be very costly
A “deeply disappointed” Smiley issued a statement Friday, arguing that the decision could have expensive consequences for residents across the capital city, including students and their families.
“This decision puts the City’s finances at risk and in the days ahead, we will need to make difficult decisions that we had hoped to avoid, including the potential to increase taxes, cut programs and stop future borrowings, the largest of which is for the future development of new school buildings for our students,” Smiley wrote.
The mayor then echoed his previous skepticism about the district’s budgeting skills: “I am disappointed that the wasteful, irresponsible spending of the Providence Public School District and the historical lack of sufficient State funding for our highest need students has led us to this point today,” Smiley added.
Providence City Council President Rachel Miller issued a statement Friday lamenting the judge’s “striking decision,” saying it may endanger the city’s financial health. RIDE, Miller argued, sacrificed collaboration and transparency to pursue “an adversarial route” that ignores city needs beyond the school department.
“While RIDE does not have to consider the impacts of cuts to critical city services or tax increases on a struggling community, we do, and the families of PPSD students do as well,” Miller wrote. “Why should Providence taxpayers be forced to bankroll an opaque and irresponsible budgeting process that treats students and families as collateral damage?”
On the greener side of the grass were the victorious Infante-Green and Montañez, who celebrated the ruling in a joint statement.
“Today’s Court ruling is a win for our kids,” they wrote. “Our priority throughout this legal dispute has been clear: making sure Providence students, teachers, and school communities have the proper resources they need and deserve.”
Jennifer Wood, executive director of Rhode Island Center for Justice, said after the bench motion that she would be meeting with Providence students and parents to consult further about the new developments.“Even from preliminary conversations I know that they are tremendously relieved that further immediate cuts to their schools may be avoided based on the two rulings today,” Wood said.
Wood also highlighted Lanphear’s argument focusing on “the harm to students and their families” without a “‘great’ school system.”
“There are so many small decisions that can make a difference in what a student learns and how they develop and become adults,” Lanphear said at the bench motion.
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Rhode Island
Rhode Island leaders say they will not support Trump's plans for 'mass deportations' | ABC6
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island leaders will not be supporting president-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
Trump has mentioned plans of carrying out mass deportations of people during his second term by invoking the military and bringing back the Alien Enemies Act.
However, both Governor Dan McKee and Mayor Brett Smiley were both similar in their statements of ensuring that Providence remains committed to being a safe and welcoming city for all neighbors of “all immigration status.”
“Mayor Smiley has affirmed that the Providence Police Department will not and should not be immigration officers,” said a spokesperson for Smiley.
“Our policy remains the same. If an individual is in the Providence Police’s custody, that information has always been available to ICE. However the City has not and will not proactively collaborate with ICE to provide this information and will not change this policy.”
In a statement from McKee shared by Communications Director Andrea Palagi, the Governor’s office said that the Rhode Island State Police “is committed to ensuring the safety of Rhode Islanders and prioritizes investigating and preventing violent crimes.”
“While RISP cooperates with ICE on the lawful detention of violent criminals, they are not immigration officers and will not expend any time and resources to support mass deportation efforts,” the statement continued.
Governor Dan McKee, Veterans Services Director Kasim Yarn, and members of Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation joined state and local leaders in honoring the selfless service of Rhode Island’s veterans at a special Veterans Day ceremony held at the Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol. The event was a heartfelt tribute to the men and women who have served the nation in uniform.
“Rhode Island is forever indebted to the brave men and women who have served our country selflessly and have allowed us to enjoy the freedoms and rights we have today,” Governor McKee stated in his remarks. “Our veterans represent the best of Rhode Island, and we must commit ourselves to showing gratitude today, tomorrow, and every day. On behalf of our state, we thank our veterans, active-duty military, and guard members for their service and for showing us the true spirit of our country.”
The ceremony was held outdoors at the Rhode Island Veterans Home, the state’s leading facility for nursing and residential care for wartime veterans, located on the scenic Mount Hope Bay. Veterans from across the state gathered for the event, which also featured remarks from Kasim Yarn, Rhode Island’s Director of Veterans Services. Yarn emphasized the state’s duty to honor and support its veterans, not only on Veterans Day but every day.
“Today, we pause and reflect to honor the sacrifices and service of our men and women who courageously defended our great nation,” said Yarn. “Veterans Day humbly reminds us that we must support our heroes every day, but also ensure our service members and their families receive high-quality health care and access to state benefits they rightfully deserve.”
The ceremony also included a moving presentation by Rhode Island student Seth Fontenault of Smithfield, who read his winning essay from the 2024 Patriot’s Pen contest, a scholarship initiative sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
With more than 60,000 veterans, active-duty personnel, and members of the National Guard and Reserves calling Rhode Island home, Governor McKee and state leaders have pledged to prioritize the well-being of these individuals and their families. Earlier this year, the Governor signed legislation designating April 5 as Rhode Island Gold Star Spouses Day, a day to honor the families of fallen service members.
For information on programs, benefits, and services available to veterans and military families, residents can visit the Rhode Island Department of Veterans Services website at vets.ri.gov.
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Saturday’s loss to Delaware hurts Rhode Island football’s ranking; where the Rams sit now
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Journal Staff
The end of a football winning streak for the University of Rhode Island led to a drop in the FCS polls.
The Rams suffered a defeat at Delaware on Saturday and slipped four spots to No. 15. The release on Monday morning still left URI among the four Coastal Athletic Association teams inside the national elite.
The Blue Hens built a lead thanks to 17 unanswered points and held on for a 24-21 victory, finally slowing the Rams after seven straight victories. That was their longest stretch of success since 1985, which was also the last time URI reached the FCS playoffs. The Rams still have real hopes of ending that drought entering their last two games, including Saturday’s home matchup with Albany.
“We wanted that game and we thought we had opportunities to win it,” URI coach Jim Fleming said during a Monday conference call. “We just weren’t able to get it done. We took it pretty hard.”
Delaware enjoyed a 203-89 advantage in rushing yards and took the lead for good on a Nate Reed field goal with 0:23 left in the first half. Jake Thaw’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Nick Minicucci late in the third quarter made it a 24-14 game, and URI couldn’t make up the difference. Hunter Helms threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Greg Gaines with 6:23 left, but the Rams came no closer.
“They know we’ve got to bounce back and go to work,” Fleming said. “When you really look at it, all of our games have been tight. They could have gone one way or the other based on a couple of plays.”
The Rams played the majority of their matchup against the Blue Hens without quarterback Devin Farrell, who finished just 2-for-4 passing and left in the first quarter. Fleming declined to specify Farrell’s injury but said he would be day to day leading into the 1 p.m. kickoff against the Great Danes at Meade Stadium. Helms came off the bench to go 15-for-23 and toss a pair of touchdown passes.
“He got a little banged up,” Fleming said. “We went through some medical stuff on Saturday and thought it was best just to keep him out.
“He’s day to day. We think he’s probable for the weekend.”
URI (8-2, 5-1 CAA) will honor its 22 pending graduates prior to the game against Albany (3-7, 1-5). Fleming made an appeal for a fifth sellout in six home dates this season, with the Rams playing in front of a full house in each of their last three. URI hasn’t won as many as nine games in a season in 39 years and has never won more than five CAA games since joining the league in the 2000s.
“It means an awful lot,” Fleming said. “It’s something we’ve been chasing since I walked on campus here 11 years ago.”
No. 9 Villanova, No. 11 Richmond and No. 16 Stony Brook were also included in this week’s rankings. The Spiders lead the CAA race at 6-0, one game ahead of the Rams, Wildcats and Seawolves. Delaware is also 5-1 against CAA opponents but is ineligible for a playoff berth or league title due to its ongoing transition up to the FBS ranks.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
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