Faye Enright, president, Cumberland Public Schools Union
Cumberland schools are a gem of our community. Our students thrive and go on to college, military service, and rewarding careers. The Cumberland school department has consistently exceeded state averages for ELA and Math on State RICAS testing. Our test scores are 21% above the state average in both ELA and Math, comparable to Barrington and East Greenwich, despite serving a far more diverse student body.
Families are noticing. Unlike most districts, our enrollment is growing as new families move to town. Renovated schools are already nearing capacity in many instances. Yet Cumberland spends far less per student than any other district in Rhode Island. They have been dead last, in fact, in per-pupil spending in RI for decades now. In the most recent release of PPE, Cumberland has spent $16,887. The state average is $23,580. We succeed because of our teachers and school support staff. We provide targeted interventions for struggling students, challenge high-achieving students to excel, and have built a culture of excellence.
But that culture is at risk.
I have been teaching in Cumberland for 30 years, and morale has steadily declined. Workloads continue to grow while staffing levels shrink. Educators and support staff are working harder than ever to maintain the high standards our community has come to expect, often sacrificing time with their own families to do so.
Underfunding has real consequences for students. Schools operate with skeletal maintenance and custodial staff. Funding for books and classroom supplies is limited. Many of our school support staff professionals who keep students safe and schools running earn wages that are far too low for the important work they do.
This cannot continue.
For decades, funding from our Town Council has failed to keep pace with the true cost of delivering a high-quality education. Cumberland has consistently ranked last in per pupil spending statewide, while annual budget increases have remained below average. You do not have to be a math teacher to understand that a smaller percent of a smaller base, compounded over decades, will lead to a crisis.
That crisis is here. Due to budget cuts, the district is slated to lose full-time teaching positions, including educators who deliver targeted interventions to students struggling to meet grade-level expectations.
The School Committee has requested a budget of 4 percent for this year. I understand the Town Council is thinking very carefully about this request. I’m a homeowner and a taxpayer too, and I know taxes can be a burden. But our Mayor and Town Council have been good stewards of taxpayer money; our residential tax is 26 percent below the state average, far less than communities like East Greenwich or Johnston. We can afford to pay a little more to keep our schools thriving.
Our teachers and school support staff continue to provide outstanding educational opportunities and outcomes with fewer resources than any district in Rhode Island. We cannot keep it up. To preserve the quality of education our students deserve, the Town Council must properly fund Cumberland schools.
