Proposed School Spending Shows 2.5% Boost

A proposed school budget that shows a 2.5 percent increase was introduced to the East Providence School Committee Monday evening, Sept. 24, at a special meeting.

First-year Superintendent Kim Mercer presented her first spending plan to the School Committee in the Council Chamber in City Hall. It totals about $72.86 million. 

The proposed spending plan shows a middle school sports line item -- wiped out the past two years -- of $75,000. 

Mercer told the school board she wanted to present the proposed budget before it meets in a joint session with the City Council on Tuesday evening, Sept. 24. 

As most school spending plans do, most of the proposed budget goes to salaries and benefits: 75 percent or about $55.2 million.

The next largest line item is special education: about $8.7 million.

District expenses, which includes items such as capital expenses ($615,000), instructional supplies ($500,000), legal fees and claims ($1,000,000), insurance ($230,000) and equipment ($192,500), takes up the next biggest chunk: $3.1 million. 

Transportation costs are not far behind at $2.98 million.

The cost of water, heat, electricity, telephones and rubbish removal totals almost $1.42 million.

Technology expenses, including $350,000 for hardware and software, total $680,000.

Facilities repairs and maintenance expenses total about $598,000. 

The cost of athletics, including middle school sports, is proposed at $195,600.

The School Committee will now spend a few weeks looking over the budget before it goes before the City Council.