Appeal to those who care about our children's future

To the Editor:

I am writing to ask that all parents and residents of Cranston who care about the city’s children and their future attend the Cranston City Council meeting on Wednesday, May 3 at 7 pm where the council will be considering amendments to the budget Mayor Fung submitted. Cranston schools face a potential shortfall of $1.7 million in next year’s budget and the Mayor and Cranston City Council need to know that you support our city’s schools.

If you can not make the meeting, call or email the City Council member for your ward and our at-large City Council members. Your City Council members only know you care about quality education in Cranston if you talk to them. It will make a difference.

As you may know, Mayor Fung increased funding for Cranston schools by $700,000. While I’m grateful for the increased funding this still leaves the Cranston School District with a shortfall of $1 million that will have to be made up somewhere. Combined with a $763,000 reduction in state aid for the free and reduced lunch program due to decreased enrollment, the proposed increase by the Mayor is a wash and our schools will be left with a shortfall of $1.7 million, virtually equal to the request the Cranston School District made in the first place.

The Cranston School District made a modest request for a 1.8% increase in the school budget. In Mayor Fung’s proposed budget, the average increase for every department of the city was 11.41%. The $700,000 the Mayor offered is equal to .76%. The Cranston School District deserves to be treated the same as any other department of the city.

There is hope, though. A hearing on the city contribution to the school budget was held last Thursday, April 27. Well over a hundred residents (as many as two hundred according to one estimate) showed up to support Cranston schools and let the City Council know that they want increased funding for schools in the city budget. The turnout was so big that the meeting had to be moved from the City Council chambers to the Cranston East Auditorium.

After hours of testimony were held, almost every member of the City Council, both Republican and Democratic, said they would do what they can to increase funding to the school budget. Now is the time to hold them to their word.

Jeff Gale

Cranston School Committee, Ward 1