Latest news with #CrowleyAct
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
R.I. Senators float alternatives for a decades-old school takeover law
Sen. Sam Zurier, a Providence Democrat, wants to radically revise the Crowley Act, which regulates school district takeovers in Rhode Island. The current law does not offer much detail on how the takeovers should operate. (Screengrab/CapitolTV) Providence's public schools may remain under state control until 2027. Three senators who represent parts of the city want to change the state law that made the takeover possible. The Crowley Act was first introduced in 1997 and lets the state education department seize control of underperforming school districts. The act's sparse instructions for state intervention — about 380 words in all — is not exactly adored by present-day lawmakers, its unpopularity concentrated in the capital city of Providence, where the school system's many stakeholders continue to lament the state's 2019 seizure of its schools. 'I am one of three councilors back in 2019 that actually testified against the takeover by the state,' said Providence City Councilor Helen Anthony at a meeting Wednesday of the Rhode Island Senate Committee on Education. 'One of the reasons that I was strongly in opposition to the takeover was because of the Crowley Act itself. It was woefully inadequate, in my opinion still is, in what it does [and] doesn't do.' Anthony was testifying in support of two bills, S0860 and S0861, by Sen. Sam Zurier, a Providence Democrat who previously visited city councilors to discuss his plans to codify a better receivership model should state takeovers happen again. The bills belong to a suite of four pieces of legislation crafted during a special legislative study commission led by Zurier in 2023 and 2024 that sought new ways to structure the relationship between the many stakeholders in the Providence public school system. Zurier's tweaks to the state's framework for intervention are based on the Springfield Empowerment Zone in neighboring Massachusetts, where a school district staved off state control through a radical revision of teachers' union contracts. 'That vision, I am pleased to report, is union friendly,' Zurier said of the Springfield initiative, noting that 96% of the district's unionized teachers approved of the most recent contract. Zurier's bills would apply to Providence only, and would create a statute authorizing a third-party receiver to manage the district, rather than the state doing so directly. The state would appoint the receiver, who would be 'a nonprofit entity or an individual with a demonstrated record of success in improving low-performing schools or districts or the academic performance of disadvantaged students,' according to one of the bill texts. The receivership would be authorized for up to three years, and allow the third-party to oversee staffing and budget decisions, teacher renewals and a turnaround plan with clear metrics to determine the takeover's success. The receiver would also have some power to modify collective bargaining agreements, and Zurier's bill specifies time periods for contract and dispute arbitration. The current Crowley Act fails to specify much in its regulation of state takeovers in its two paragraphs on the process of state intervention, compared to the 10 pages of regulations in one of Zurier's bills. 'I know it's strange to be thinking about amending the Crowley Act when the city of Providence is considering returning to local control, but I think it's absolutely critical,' Anthony said, arguing that the bills have value for school districts statewide. 'Even though this is Providence specific, they will ensure future interventions are more effective, more accountable, and ideally less necessary.' Former Providence schools superintendent Susan Lusi told senators that Zurier's bills 'will create legal clarity regarding the state's authority moving forward.' One example of the Crowley Act's ambiguities: Last year's protracted legal battle between the state and Providence in which a judge agreed the city owed at least $15 million to plug up deficits in the state-controlled budget. The parties had contradictory interpretations of the city's statutory obligations for school funding under the Crowley Act. Rather than dismiss the possibility of state control, Zurier's bill is actually meant to codify a stronger form of receivership, should it happen again. 'None of this could have happened in Springfield if they weren't scared of a state takeover under the rigorous Massachusetts law,' Zurier said. 'The argument is that you need to have a structure like this in order to…incentivize people to do the right thing.' Jeremy Sencer, testifying on behalf of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers, disagreed. 'We can do many of the things, if not all, of the things that they do in the Springfield Empowerment Zone,' said Sencer, who was part of Zurier's study commission. 'It is possible, but that requires building trust, and we are not going to have trust at the end of a threat. It's just not going to happen after this takeover…You cannot legislate trust.' Two other Providence Democratic senators on the education committee offered alternate visions of state takeovers. Sen. Jake Bissaillon's S922 would permit state takeovers but only for individual schools, not entire districts. Union representatives spoke in favor of this approach, which stemmed from Bissaillon's utter dissatisfaction with the state takeover. 'What grade would you give the takeover over the last six years?' Bissaillon asked Anthony when she spoke on Zurier's bill. The city councilor gave the takeover a 'C,' but when Bissaillon spoke on his bill, he graded it without a curve: 'The takeover in 2019 completely foundered…I think I would give it an F for abject failure.' Sen. Tiara Mack also offered a school-based solution, with legislation that would require Providence schools to 'form local elected school-based councils' at each of the district's public schools, according to the bill text. All four bills were held for further study, which is standard practice. The same day state senators mused on the mechanics of receivership, the collective voices of Providence public school students were compiled in a document released by OurSchoolsPVD, an assembly of youth-led activist groups that began in 2019 in response to the state takeover. The 11-page 'community needs' document details the trends and prominent concerns about the city's schools shared by students themselves at a December event,. The students' collected opinions reflected a ground-level vantage point, describing a number of more material and social issues like poor school buildings with mold and falling ceilings, subpar transportation and curriculums that don't make space for students of different backgrounds or center people of color. The report noted that 'People are not satisfied with school leadership broadly…They are frustrated by a lack of progress, transparency, accountability, and care for students.' But the biggest complaint was a general lack of support, which was mentioned 54 times by students who attended the event. 'There is overwhelming agreement that students feel unsupported in school,' the report states. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Providence City Council agrees to back property tax hike above state cap, but within limits
Providence City Councilors are seen on Nov. 22, 2024, at an event which saw the release of the city's comprehensive plan at the West Broadway Neighborhood Association. The terms of the city's settlement with the state's education department were released the same day and the city is currently determining how to meet the $15 million payment it needs to make. From left to right are Majority Leader Pedro Espinal, President Rachel Miller, President Pro Tempore Juan Pichardo and Councilman Oscar Vargas. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) The Providence City Council unanimously passed a resolution Thursday night supporting the possibility of a property tax hike above the 4% state cap for the next fiscal year as the capital city looks to meet its legal obligation to its public schools under the terms of a settlement reached last fall with the state. But the council is viewing the measure as a last-ditch maneuver and wants a ceiling to stop any possible increase from soaring too high. 'It was amended in committee,' Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan, the resolution's sponsor, said at Thursday's meeting, sounding hoarse. 'We had a healthy discussion. That's why I lost my voice.' Under state law, Rhode Island municipalities may not raise property taxes by more than 4% in any given year, forcing towns and cities to seek approval from the General Assembly for any increases beyond that threshold. Middletown, New Shoreham and Warren all applied for and were granted cap exemptions for fiscal year 2025. Both New Shoreham and Middletown saw tax cap increases of over 9%, while Warren was allowed to raise its tax cap by a little over 5%. Providence's resolution was shaped by the City Council's Committee on Finance during its March 13 meeting, and it would specify a maximum 8% raise if enacted. 'Some people were uncomfortable with no cap on that,' Ryan said. A bill introduced Feb. 7 by Rep. Scott Slater, a Providence Democrat, seeks to authorize the city of Providence to increase the levy beyond the 4% cap, but it did not specify any limit to the increase — a point of contention at the council's Finance Committee meeting, which influenced Ryan's resolution. Slater's bill was slated for a House committee hearing on March 3, but was postponed and has not been rescheduled since. Slater is collaborating with city officials to iron out some changes in the language, House spokesperson Larry Berman said via email Friday afternoon. Slater did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. The omen of an atypically higher tax increase is a sour reminder of the legal battle between the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and the city that ended in November with a settlement in which the city must pay $15 million to cover deficits in the school department's budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The city must budget additional money through fiscal year 2027, per an arrangement molded by the Crowley Act — the same statute that gave RIDE control of the city's underperforming schools in 2019. 'I think it's good that we are paying the students of our city the money that they deserve because of past actions,' Councilor Miguel Sanchez said in the council chamber. 'We can't change that. We've got to deal with the reality that's before us.' Multiple stakeholders in the city, including city councilors and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, have voiced their desire to see the schools return to local control by June. RIDE has proposed but not committed to a timeline of 2026 instead, one year shorter than a takeover extension approved last year. A return to local control, however, would not nullify the $15 million debt the city owes its schools, RIDE Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green noted in February. 'What I want to be very clear on is that this is not an 8% tax increase on our residents,' Sanchez said. 'This is something that is allowing our state legislature to approve a resolution on behalf of the mayor's office, and now going to be on behalf of us, to have a little bit more flexibility going into budget season.' Sanchez underscored that, even if the hike is approved, the council's 15 members will need to work together to avoid enacting too high an increase. 'We are going to be seeking other sources of revenue in order to balance this thing out,' Majority Leader Pedro Espinal said of the upcoming budget, usually released by the mayor in April. 'This to me today, this is just an additional step as we look for solutions to balance our budget.' Councilwoman Althea Graves co-sponsored the resolution but did so with some reticence. 'The people in the city know that we too are going through the same thing that they are. We live here in this city, our tax rate is going to go up just like everybody else's,' Graves said, adding that she was not too keen on even the 4% levy. She added she didn't want to see rec centers closed, community programming cut, or garbage picked up biweekly. 'Those are some of the dire things that could happen if we don't go down this road,' Graves said. 'So sometimes we have to decide what is best in the long run.' In her comments on the council floor Thursday, Ryan painted the wider context of the city's budget troubles. 'Every time you read the paper, there's another unknown coming out of Washington. It's chaos in Washington,' she said. 'Funding for so many programs are being cut. That is going to impact our budget, that is going to impact the people of providence that we are committed to serve. So there's a lot at play here, and I know I've spoken with just about every one of you that we're all committed to doing the hard work that's necessary to come out with a balanced budget that eases the pain on the residents of the city.' The mayor's budget is expected to land in April, and needs to be approved by the council. Ryan reaffirmed to her colleagues that 'the mayor does not have a blank check' and that the important work of finalizing the budget rests with them. 'So it is our charge now to move forward knowing what we know, doing the hard work, asking the difficult questions, to vet the budget and to come up with a fair budget that that is workable and isn't obsessive and oppressive for the lowest members of our community, for everyone, quite frankly,' she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Providence panel OKs Smiley proposal, but puts a limit on potential tax hike
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Providence finance officials painted a grim picture of the city's budget projections Thursday, as councilors advanced a measure that could force taxpayers to pay hundreds of dollars more per year. Krystle Lindberg, the city's deputy finance director and budget officer, explained how the city's finances were coming into focus in a meeting of the Providence City Council's Committee on Finance to examine a proposal to exceed the state-mandated tax cap of 4% annual increases. 'The 2026 budget will be tough, but 2027 will be even tougher,' Lindberg said. Providence is facing a budget gap primarily as a result of a $15 million settlement the city reached last fall with the R.I. Department of Education, which still controls the Providence Public School District. The city has already paid $4 million to the schools, but owes the remaining $11 million in the next fiscal year. The agreement also requires that school funding be increased in the city's annual budget in the years ahead. In 2026, Providence will earmark $147 million for schools, an $11.5 million increase over 2025. The following year's increase would be determined by the requirements of the Crowley Act, the state law on school takeovers, as long as the district remains under state control — a point of contention between the city and RIDE. 'This is a fixed cost that will reside in our budget in perpetuity,' Lindberg said. 'We are making a generational investment.' In addition to the money obligated through the schools settlement, the city has increases to other fixed costs, including an additional $4.7 million to pension payments, $3.7 million in contractual raises for city employees, and $1.9 million in increases to medical insurance. Mayor Brett Smiley began warning about potential tax hikes and budget cuts to offset the budget gap as early as last fall. 'That has to come from one of three places: either property taxes, other revenue, or cuts to city budgets,' Smiley told Target 12 last week. 'And in my plan that I'll introduce to the City Council when I introduce the budget at the beginning of April, we'll have a combination of all three of those things.' The current fiscal landscape brought Smiley to ask for support from the General Assembly to go over the state-mandated 4% annual cap on tax hikes. A hearing before the House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing scheduled for last week was postponed so the Smiley administration could first earn the support of councilors. Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan introduced an amended resolution Thursday night in support of the city exceeding the cap, but putting the maximum increase at 8%. 'We need to have this levy cap option,' Ryan said. 'It's another tool in our toolbox to help us achieve a balanced budget.' Last week, Council President Rachel Miller called for an upper limit on the overall levy increase, but also emphasized the importance of identifying 'alternative, sustainable, new, non-residential property tax revenue.' 'There's other items that we can be talking about in the next few weeks, [that] we should be talking about together with the General Assembly,' Miller said at Thursday's meeting. The city said for every 1% increase in the tax rate, that would mean the average homeowner's annual property tax bill would increase by $42. If the city's tax rate increased by 4%, for example, that would mean an average increase of $168 more per year. But if the city were to use a maximum increase of 8%, it would be an increase of $336. Several councilors in attendance argued the impact could be devastating for residents already struggling to make ends meet. Councilor Miguel Sanchez said even a $20 increase is 'extremely harsh,' and would be difficult for some city residents to manage. 'People are really worried,' Councilor Sue AnderBois said. 'People are hurt with the chaos at the federal level. People's budgets are even more strapped than they were before that.' Councilor John Goncalves, the senior deputy majority leader, asked if the city could assist residents who can't handle an extra burden. Chief Financial Officer Larry Mancini said 'every consideration' was in motion. 'I think it's vital that we really, really dig down on other revenue sources,' Finance Committee Chair Helen Anthony said on Thursday. 'This is going to be an impossible situation for a while.' Lindberg said the city is looking at 'every departmental cut' possible, in addition to examining all municipal fines and fees. But she warned some revenue sources may not be immediate. 'It may take a couple of years,' Lindberg said. Lindberg explained if the city does not get approval to go over the cap, there are several options on the table for cuts, like transitioning from weekly trash pickup to biweekly, or eliminating all community grants — a measure that would pose major problems for the city's libraries. RELATED: Providence libraries on the chopping block amid school funding fight Lindberg also said the city is considering a 10% reduction in city employees, eliminating youth summer jobs, reducing snowplowing operations and recreation programming, or even eliminating PVDFest. 'We are pursuing every single possibility,' Lindberg said. One thing the city cannot do, Lindberg said, is dip into its so-called rainy day fund. Finance leaders explained that use of the funds would mean the city would be in a deficit for the year. 'Using the Rainy Day Fund is almost like applying a one-time solution to a perpetual cost,' she said. 'Once that Rainy Day Fund is used, it's gone.' Councilor Shelley Peterson said with uncertainty about the city receiving additional federal funding, the city should also consider renegotiating existing voluntary payment agreements with nonprofit organizations — like hospitals and private colleges — that are exempt from paying property taxes. RELATED: Providence reaches first-ever proposed PILOT agreement with Lifespan 'I do believe that meds and eds should be contributing far more,' Peterson said. The five-member committee unanimously approved the amended resolution, which now heads to the full City Council for consideration. In a statement following Thursday night's decision, Smiley said his administration would continue to work alongside the council to find solutions. 'Tonight's action does not set the tax rates but rather gives us the ability to move forward in crafting a budget that weighs all the difficult choices ahead,' Smiley said. Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
