MINUTES FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CUMBERLAND TOWN COUNCIL

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2026, at 6:30 P.M.

JOSEPH L. MCCOURT MIDDLE SCHOOL

45 HIGHLAND AVENUE, CUMBERLAND, RHODE ISLAND

 

CALL TO ORDER

Council President called the meeting to order at 6:34p.m., noting that Councilor Beaulieu and Councilor Magill are absent.

 

2.  PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 

3.  PUBLIC COMMENTS 

 

4.  OLD BUSINESS

     A.  ORDINANCES FOR PUBLIC HEARING  

1.       #26-12 – An ordinance establishing the Operating Budget for the Town of Cumberland's General Fund for  Fiscal Year 2026/2027 (First Hearing)

 

The public hearing on Ordinance #26-12 was opened at 6:36 p.m.  Council President Kinch read into the record the proposed revenue and expenditure figures for the General Fund for FY 2026/2027. Key figures included total revenues of $129,514,911, comprised of general fund receipts of $84,691,234, library receipts of $395,928, school receipts of $33,252,017, and total state aid and grants of $11,175,732. On the expenditure side, total town departments were proposed at $15,841,162; total public safety at $11,641,349; information technology at $368,984; total fringe at $5,163,300; total town council at $124,121; boards and commissions at $27,835; community outreach at $123,000; town general expenses at $1,431,225; total debt service at $9,562,622; total school department at $85,231,313; and total town expenditures of $44,283,598, for a total General Fund proposed budget of $129,514,911.

Superintendent's Presentation on School Budget

Superintendent Thornton presented four slides to provide context for the school department's budget request. He began with enrollment projections, noting that Cumberland is one of only four districts in Rhode Island gaining students year over year, with approximately 30 additional students this year translating to roughly $2,000,000 in additional state aid. He projected continued enrollment growth over the next decade and noted that state aid may be updated as soon as the end of the week, with potential increases in the student success and high-cost special education categories.

The Superintendent then addressed per pupil expenditure (PPE), noting that Cumberland has consistently ranked last in Rhode Island and is falling further behind. In 2020, Cumberland's PPE of approximately $15,200 was close to the second-lowest district; by 2024, Cumberland was approximately $2,000 behind the second-to-last district, and roughly $6,700 below the statewide average. The current PPE stands at approximately $16,887 per student, down from $17,000 projected earlier in the year, as the growing student population divides the same funding across more children. He illustrated the gap by noting that Cumberland would require an additional $15,000,000 to match the funding level of the East Providence school district, and $35,000,000 to reach the Rhode Island average.

Superintendent Thornton also presented a statewide scatter chart plotting test scores against per-pupil expenditure, noting that Cumberland occupies the upper-left quadrant — high academic performance at low cost — but expressed concern that with the current PPE now at $16,887, Cumberland's position on that chart may have moved further left, signaling a precarious situation.

He described the district as being at a "tipping point," having previously relied on fund balance, deferred retirement payouts, and lean staffing to sustain operations. He noted that Cumberland employs one adult for every 11 students, compared to the statewide average of one per 9.5 students — a gap of approximately 72 adults district-wide. Administrative staffing is similarly lean, at one administrator per 1,200 students compared to the state norm of one per six.

Prior to the budget being submitted to the Mayor's office, the school department had already cut 7.5 positions. If the budget were to proceed as proposed without additional funding, an equivalent of 9 more positions would need to be eliminated. The Superintendent's specific ask of the Council was to fund the Essentials program — a tier 2 intervention program operating at both middle schools — at a cost of approximately $93,000 per teacher position. With 6 positions remaining at risk, the total ask was $558,000. Combined with the $243,000 already proposed in the town budget, this represented a 1.6% increase over the prior year's school appropriation. He also called for a multiyear local funding plan to bring Cumberland's PPE more in line with the rest of the state.

Councilor Shaw asked for clarification on the Essentials program's origins, confirming it was launched in 2021 as a post-COVID learning loss initiative and has since demonstrated measurable, ongoing academic impact.

Public Comment on Ordinance #26-12

School Committee Chairwoman Amy Vogel, 10 Wampum Trail, Cumberland, addressed the Council, noting that she does not typically advocate in this manner but felt compelled by the depth of community concern. She described the Essentials program as a critical tier 2 intervention that has materially changed students' academic trajectories, and not a discretionary budget line. She acknowledged the difficult financial conditions facing the town, and noted that even the school department's current proposed budget already represents a 33% reduction to the Essentials program through the elimination of 4 of 12 positions. She requested the Council consider providing an additional $558,000 to preserve the remaining 8 Essentials teachers.

School Committee Vice Chair Keri Smith, 133 Bear Hill Road, addressed the Council's budget figures, noting that the proposed $243,000 increase to school funding did not even cover the cost of educating 56 new students at $17,000 per child, and that the master lease payment of approximately $890,000 being covered by the town is not part of the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) calculation and will not solve the underlying structural shortfall. She also cited a pending state-level proposal — developed with input from the Rhode Island Foundation, Brown University, and various community stakeholders — that would increase the state's share of school funding to 58% while requiring towns to contribute a prescribed local share based on assessed taxable capacity. Under that formula, Cumberland would need to increase its local school contribution by $8,200,000 by 2030. She argued that the town must begin planning incrementally now to avoid a severe levy spike later.

Mayor Mutter responded, clarifying that the master lease is intended to be a perpetual revolving instrument, noting that similar leases have been executed in 2015, 2020, and now 2026, and that the town has never reneged on a master lease commitment. He also pushed back on the suggestion that the town could fund a $7,000,000+ increase to schools without exceeding the state's 4% levy cap, stating that a 4% levy yields approximately $3,100,000, making it mathematically impossible to reach that level of funding without a dramatically higher levy or elimination of other major departments.

Dominic Chea, 25 Clark Street, addressed the Council, speaking about personal experience in the Essentials program and the confidence and academic growth it had provided.

CTA President Faye Enright, 19 Vista Drive, Lincoln, referenced dropout data, noting that Cumberland High School had 60 dropouts in 2019 and only 16 in 2025, and attributed part of that improvement to tier 2 middle school interventions. She described middle school as the "absolute crossroads of a student's academic life" and argued that investing in tier 2 supports is both educationally responsible and fiscally prudent, as students who do not receive early intervention often require more intensive and costly services later.

Cheyenne Terrien, 15 Branden Road, Rehoboth, described her experience teaching the program for four years, including transition from teaching ninth grade English. She shared data indicating that 55% of her seventh grade Essentials students gained proficiency and were promoted out of the program within one year, and that among those who remained, 50% showed RICAST score growth — many rising between 10 and 20 points.

Lori Lang, 459 Rocky Hill Road, Scituate, an ELA teacher at North Cumberland Middle School for 18 years and an Essentials teacher for the past three, spoke about the program's small class sizes (12–15 students) and the confidence and academic engagement those settings foster. She cited data showing that 50% of Essentials students at North Cumberland achieved high growth on RICAST, compared to statewide norms, and that 42% of sixth grade Essentials students crossed the proficiency threshold by year-end.

Christine Homan, incoming principal at McCourt Middle School, 133 Russell Drive, Tiverton, addressed the compounding effects of eliminating tier 2 supports. She emphasized that students who do not receive timely intervention are more likely to require more intensive and costly support later, and that preventive investment is "both educationally responsible and fiscally prudent."

Math Essentials teacher Katelyn Prosnitz, 7 Sylvia Lane, Lincoln, at North Cumberland Middle School, presented aggregated RICAST data from 2022 through the present. She reported that over three years, 52% of math Essentials students achieved high growth, compared to 37% of non-Essentials students, while only 16% of Essentials students fell into the low-growth category, versus 29% of their peers. ELA Essentials students showed similar trends: 49% achieved high growth versus 39% for non-Essentials students. She also noted, as a parent, that she has considered transferring her own child to North Cumberland from his current district specifically to access this program.

Jillian Belanger, 55 Miller Ave, East Providence, the district's Multilingual Learner Coordinator, expressed support for both Superintendent Thornton's immediate ask and his long-term multiyear funding plan. She offered a snapshot of the breadth of school programming happening across all nine buildings in any given week, and argued that eliminating 12 student-facing positions would not only harm those students directly served, but would further stretch an already lean staff — one operating with 72 fewer adults than other districts of comparable size.

Tanya Rio, 7 Wollen Drive, Cumberland, a 43-year resident and 34-year educator who currently serves as assistant principal at North Cumberland Middle School, spoke both as a taxpayer and an educator. She framed tax contributions as a community investment, noting that strong schools stabilize property values and attract families. She emphasized the importance of small-group instruction at the middle school level for social-emotional development, and reiterated the Essentials program data.

Fil Eden,1692 Kingstown Road, South Kingstown, representing the National Education Association, expressed that Cumberland gets exceptional value from its school employees, custodians, paras, and clerical staff — all doing more with less — but warned that this is "precarious" and "not sustainable." He urged the Council to begin making incremental progress, suggesting that if it means reaching the state's 4% levy cap every year for several years, that is what the town needs to do.

Dillon Ang, 4 Curran Road, a school psychologist at B.F. Norton Elementary and the preschool, reflected on the broader mission of public education: raising students not just to master academic content but to become engaged citizens. He described personally witnessing the passion of students involved in community programs and argued that the Essentials program gives students the academic foundation necessary to pursue those broader ambitions.

Cumberland High School senior Audrey Lambert, 26 Norman Street, who recently published an article on the budget debate, spoke as student government president and NHS president. She described the cumulative effects of underfunding on student programs, extracurricular activities, and recognition opportunities such as honor society stoles and graduation cords. She called on the Council to invest in students, teachers, and the potential of Cumberland schools.

Cumberland High School senior Sophie Thibault, 100 Canning Street, spoke about her younger brother, who is a current freshman and who credited the Essentials program with teaching him to write his first complete sentence — a moment that moved their mother to tears. She described the Essentials program as providing not just academic skills, but confidence, voice, and belief in one's own capabilities, and asked the Council to invest in students, teachers, and the future of the school community.

Cumberland High School junior Flynn Holmander, 5 Bishop Drive, speaking extemporaneously after setting aside a prepared speech, described his brother's experience in the special education program and how academic coaches throughout his brother's schooling — programs he equated with the Essentials model — made a lasting difference. He praised the teachers, school committee, and all who work in Cumberland schools for caring about students as whole people, and urged the Council not to cut the program.

Mayor's Presentation on Budget Options

Following public comment, Mayor Mutter provided an overview of the town's fiscal situation and presented several levy increase scenarios. He noted that the town has a self-imposed 3% tax rate cap ordinance in place since 2004, which differs from the state's 4% levy cap. He explained that the ordinance contains a provision allowing the cap to be exceeded when debt service increases, which is the case this year, with debt service up approximately $1,000,000 — equivalent to roughly 2.8% on the levy — meaning a 1% increase above the ordinance's 3% floor is technically compliant.

He described how the current structural deficit was created by the cumulative use of fund balance, underperforming housing aid projections, and strained cash flow, which has resulted in the town borrowing $22,000,000 in Tax Anticipation Notes — the maximum amount the town can service. He noted that the school department's current budget proposal is structurally balanced with no use of fund balance, while the town's general fund budget is not.

The Mayor presented levy scenarios ranging from 4% to 6%, showing the net additional revenues available at each level (assuming a modest improvement in the tax collection rate from the FY2025 low of 47.62%):

●       4% levy: Net increase of approximately $683,023

●       4.5% levy: Net increase of approximately $871,141 (would require Department of Revenue approval)

●       5% levy: Net increase of approximately $1,059,000

●       5.61% levy: Net increase of approximately $1,287,761 (approximately the level needed to eliminate the structural deficit entirely)

●       6% levy: Net increase of approximately $1,435,492

He noted that at 4%, there would be sufficient funds to cover most or all of the $558,000 Essentials ask, but cautioned that the structural deficit must also be addressed. He stated that simply allocating all new levy revenue to programs without reducing the structural deficit would make the town's finances progressively worse, potentially resulting in a double-digit levy increase in future years. He also emphasized that the town's general fund budget already includes layoffs and early retirements for the first time in history, and contains no new positions on the municipal side.

In response to a question from Councilor Sweet, the Mayor discussed the role of rising health care costs, noting that between the town and the school department, health care alone accounted for over $1,000,000 in new costs this year, driven by high claims under the self-insured plan. He contextualized this by noting that comparable municipalities across Rhode Island — including East Greenwich, North Providence, and Warwick — are all facing significant levy increases or unusual budget maneuvers to manage similar pressures.

Councilor Sweet urged residents watching at home to engage with their elected officials if they believe additional investment in schools and town services is warranted, emphasizing that what the Council is asking for is a modest tax increase, and that it is important to be transparent about that. She noted that even at 4%, the structural problem is only partially addressed, and that without community support for a larger increase, the Council's ability to act is constrained.

Councilor Shaw thanked all speakers, singling out the young adults who came to speak. He stated unequivocally that he will not vote for a 3% budget levy, citing the structural unsustainability of that path and the need to address the deficit now rather than face a significantly larger levy increase in future years. He expressed support for funding the Essentials program to the extent possible within a higher levy increase, while being clear that the primary rationale for exceeding 3% is correcting the town's structural fiscal imbalance, not solely the school funding request. He also noted the importance of educating the public on how the municipal budget process works.

The public hearing on Ordinance #26-12 was closed at 8:20 p.m.. No vote was taken, as this was the first hearing. The first vote on this ordinance was announced for June 3, 2026.

 

 

2.      #26-13 – An ordinance establishing the Operating Budget for the Town of Cumberland's Sewer Fund for Fiscal Year 2026/2027 (First Hearing)

 

The public hearing on Ordinance #26-13 was opened at 8:31 p.m. Director Mendes was noted as available for questions. The public hearing was closed at 8:33 PM. No vote was taken. The first vote is scheduled for June 3, 2026.

 

3.      #26-14 – An ordinance establishing the Operating Budget for the Town of Cumberland's Water Fund for Fiscal Year 2026/2027 (First Hearing)

 

The public hearing on Ordinance #26-14 was opened at 8:33 p.m. Water Department Director Ray was available for questions.

In response to a question from Councilor Shaw regarding infrastructure needs, Director Ray described several priority areas, including pipe replacement in the Berkeley, Ashton, Forestdale, New Clark, and Lippitt neighborhoods. He noted that the department is awaiting hydraulic modeling updates expected over the summer to guide a data-driven replacement plan. He described the water meter replacement project as one he intends to move forward on, noting that by self-performing the work with existing staff rather than contracting it out, the town stands to save a seven-figure sum over the course of the project, albeit on a longer timeline.

Director Ray also noted that rate increases approved in prior years remain in effect and are helping to sustain service levels, and that the department is pursuing cost-control measures including chemical supply stabilization agreements and competitive bidding for laboratory services and on-call emergency contractors that have not been bid out in some time.

The public hearing was closed at 8:40 p.m. No vote was taken. The first vote is scheduled for June 3, 2026.

 

4.      #26-15 – An ordinance establishing the Operating Budget for the Town of Cumberland's Recreation Fund for Fiscal Year 2026/2027 (First Hearing)

 

The public hearing on Ordinance #26-15 was opened at 8:40 p.m. The proposed Recreation Fund budget for FY 2026/2027 was noted, with both revenues and expenditures proposed at $171,000. The public hearing was closed at 8:41 p.m. No vote was taken.  The first vote is scheduled for June 3, 2026

 

5.  PUBLIC COMMENTS

 

6.  ADJOURNMENT

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR SWEET, AND IT IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ADJOURN AT 8:41P.M.  VOTE 5/0.