City and State Reach Agreement on Providence School Funding

The city of Providence and the Rhode Island Department of Education say they’ve agreed on how much the city owes the state in unpaid education funding

“We know that families and businesses in Providence are strained, and additional taxes only add to the cost of housing, the cost of rent, and the cost of doing business,” said Mayor Smiley. “Our taxpayers should know that city government is doing its part to tighten its belt as well.”
“We know that families and businesses in Providence are strained, and additional taxes only add to the cost of housing, the cost of rent, and the cost of doing business,” said Mayor Smiley. “Our taxpayers should know that city government is doing its part to tighten its belt as well.”
Olivia Ebertz / The Public’s Radio
Share
“We know that families and businesses in Providence are strained, and additional taxes only add to the cost of housing, the cost of rent, and the cost of doing business,” said Mayor Smiley. “Our taxpayers should know that city government is doing its part to tighten its belt as well.”
“We know that families and businesses in Providence are strained, and additional taxes only add to the cost of housing, the cost of rent, and the cost of doing business,” said Mayor Smiley. “Our taxpayers should know that city government is doing its part to tighten its belt as well.”
Olivia Ebertz / The Public’s Radio
City and State Reach Agreement on Providence School Funding
Copy

The city of Providence likely owes Rhode Island somewhere between $11 million and $55 million to help fund its schools. In a press conference on Wednesday, Mayor Brett Smiley said Providence homeowners will have to reach into their pockets to help pay for the money owed to the state.

Smiley said he is likely to ask the state legislature to approve higher-than-normal property tax increases next year in order to fund the amount. The parties plan to share the amount and other details, which are still being worked out, on Friday.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

Rhode Island and the rest of the Northeast sweltered through record-breaking heat, with temperatures soaring into the 90s and beyond—before a sharp cool-down is expected to bring dramatic relief by week’s end
A U.S. House vote to rescind funding threatens about 10% of the operating budget for The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS—jeopardizing local journalism, education programs, and community coverage
As fish stocks slowly recover, tighter regulations, climate change, and corporate consolidation are transforming the once open-access, family-run world of commercial fishing
Complaint centers on meaning of five-word clause in federal regulations
Funded largely by the CDC, the new Providence facility will track everything from STIs to PFAS to wastewater pathogens — with more space, better tech, and room to respond to the next health crisis