Providence Mayor Smiley Threatens Budget Cuts

The city is waiting on a Superior Court judgment that could require it to kick in additional millions in school funding

Mayor Brett Smiley warned the city could significant budget cuts if forced to pour millions into school funding.
Mayor Brett Smiley warned the city could significant budget cuts if forced to pour millions into school funding.
Nina Sparling / The Public’s Radio
Share
Mayor Brett Smiley warned the city could significant budget cuts if forced to pour millions into school funding.
Mayor Brett Smiley warned the city could significant budget cuts if forced to pour millions into school funding.
Nina Sparling / The Public’s Radio
Providence Mayor Smiley Threatens Budget Cuts
Copy

Libraries. Parks. Summer programming for kids. The latest phase of the legal battle between city and state over funding the Providence School Department could mean significant reductions in these and other essential city services, Mayor Brett Smiley announced at a press conference on Tuesday.

“We’re going to have no choice but to have harmful, harmful cuts,” Smiley said. “(They) are going to impact the very same children and families that the school department says that they’re trying to help.”

City employees could face a furlough, Smiley said. New hires and discretionary spending are already on pause. Tax increases are on the table, Smiley warned.

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

As we head into a new year, the Possibly team decided to think about all of our episodes, and how they might inspire our resolutions for 2026. Here’s what some of us had to say
Thousands of Rhode Islanders insured by HealthSourceRI face steep premium increases expected to take effect in 2026
A few weeks ago, Rhode Island lost beloved musician and teacher Rory MacLeod. As we close out 2025, we’re sharing some excerpts from a studio session earlier this year with Rory and his wife, fiddle player Sandol Astrausky
Rhode Island’s senators say the Trump Justice Department bypassed a bipartisan process in appointing Charles ‘Chas’ Calenda, calling him unqualified for the top federal prosecutor role
‘I don’t have an additional $900 lying around in my family budget to pay for this’
Research from Salve Regina University shows many libraries across southern New England are dealing with employee burnout and high rates of turnover as they try to adapt to modern-day patron needs