360 Coventry Teachers Back On The Job After Budget Approval

COVENTRY, RI — Two weeks to the day after Coventry voters passed the town's amended budget by a vote of 3,660 to 2,771, the town's schools are getting back on track. Since the budget's approval, nearly all of the 385 teachers laid off amid discussions of major program cuts and double sessions at Coventry High School have been recalled, Superintendent Craig Levis said.

Under the amended budget, the Coventry School Department ultimately lost $450,000 from their originally proposed budget, which was voted down during the first budget referendum. Following the vote, the town was thrown into chaos. Town and school officials said extreme cuts would be needed if a compromise couldn't be reached, with the elimination of several town programs and extreme cuts to school staffing all on the table. To allow the district the flexibility to restructure programs as needed, 385 teachers were laid off with the caveat that as many as possible would be recalled once a final budget was approved.

On Thursday, Levis said nearly all of Coventry's teachers will be back on the job come September. 363 teachers have been recalled at this time and seven resigned, leaving just 15 who are still laid off. Levis said more recalls could be possible after the July 11 school committee meeting, when more concrete decisions will be made.

"We'll know better then," Levis said. "We want to minimize layoffs as much as possible, because the less money we're paying for unemployment benefits, the more we have for programs and activities."

Several positions have been eliminated or adjusted to help balance the budget deficit, including cutting back on kindergarten classes due to low enrollment, changing some full-time positions to part-time and leaving seven open positions unfilled: one dean and six part-time supervisory positions for monitoring students in hallways and in between classes.

While most teacher jobs are secure and Coventry High School won't be operating on double sessions, the fate of student clubs and activities are still up in the air. No concrete decisions have been made at this time, Levis said, but cuts to elementary and middle school extracurriculars are being considered and teacher stipends for supervising activities have been halved.

"People need to support education as a whole," Levis said, adding that the cuts are centered around middle and elementary school programs because the funding to high school programs has already been cut in recent years. "We're trying to be equitable here."

While the district will need to tighten its belt to accommodate the cuts to the budget, Levis said he is pleased that the community came together to make a decision and that the school department and town government were able to work so closely throughout the process.

"I'm happy that this community rallied together and supported not just the school, but the municipal government as well," Levis said.

For the first time in a long time, Levis added, the town council put money aside to be used for capital improvements to Coventry's schools, which are sorely in need of repairs and improvements.

"All of our schools are in need of repairs," Levis said. "Many were built in the 1960s, and no money was allocated for upkeep and maintenance."

Over the upcoming months, the district will take the first steps towards creating a plan for school improvements. Levis said it's important to involve the community as much as possible, establishing a priority list before planning concrete steps.

Besides fixing crumbling infrastructure, Levis said Coventry needs to update schools to meet updated educational needs and standards.

"Environment affects the quality of learning," Levis said. "In 1972, the labs in our high schools were state-of-the-art. Today, you could say they're a little outdated."

In the long term, Levis said he would like to see the high school and the middle school, which is actually a former career-technical center, administrative offices and high school combined into one building, renovated to meet students' needs, before tackling the issue of rebuilding, repairing or possible consolidating the town's aging elementary schools.

"Today, I feel that there are so many things on the table moving us in the right direction," Levis said. "The best part is we're starting [the process.]"

Learn more about Coventry's budget crisis:

• Second Time's The Charm: Coventry Voters Approve Amended Budget
• Emotions Run High Ahead Of Second Coventry Budget Vote
• Coventry Town Manager: 'Very Real Impacts' If New Budget Fails
• Coventry Residents To Vote On New Budget June 13
• Coventry Town Council Adopts New Budget, Residents To Vote
• Breaking Down The Numbers: Coventry's Four Budget Options
• 385 Coventry Teachers Receive Precautionary Pink Slips
• Coventry Community Irate As 500 Teacher Layoffs Loom
• Double Sessions, Teacher Layoffs Planned For Coventry Schools