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

November 21, 2024

“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.”

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.

Olivia Ebertz Olivia Ebertz comes to The Public’s Radio from WNYC, where she was a producer for Morning Edition. Prior to that, she spent two years reporting for KYUK in Bethel, Alaska, where she wrote a lot about how the warming climate is forcing local Indigenous communities to change their traditional lifeways.

Prior to her career as a journalist, Olivia worked in film. Her documentaries have screened at festivals worldwide.

Olivia likes to pursue stories inspired by questions from community members.
Ella habla español, lei parla italiano, и она говорит по-русски.