AdvertisementIn the complex school funding formula, McKee had also proposed a cut to the “core instructional amount,” which increases based on education spending in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire. House leaders declined to make that change in their updated plan, boosting overall funding for public schools.“That was a priority of everybody here,” House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi told state representatives while briefing them on the new budget proposal Tuesday. “This House recognized the importance of education and made it a priority.”Tim Duffy, the executive director of the R.I. Association of School Committees, said McKee’s original proposal was “reneging” on a pledge to keep pace with other New England states. He said school committees were happy to see the cut reversed.Public school enrollment has also gone up by more than 1,000 statewide since McKee’s original proposal, accounting for some of the increase in school funding in the new budget plan.Related: Nearly 60 Provid...
