WPRO News
The House Finance Committee is poised to reject Governor Gina Raimondo’s proposed money-saving cuts in funding for cross-district busing and textbook loan programs for private and parochial schools.
Powerful House Finance Committee Chairman Raymond Gallison told WPRO’s Buddy Cianci Monday that his panel will continue to fund the programs.
“We will be funding that, we will be restoring the monies as necessary so that children who attend the private schools will be able to have the cross-district busing and the textbooks that they need,” said Gallison, (D-Bristol, Portsmouth)
Gallison said the decision was made after consulting with House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and Majority Leader John DeSimone.
“You can’t hurt children, that are what we don’t want to do,” said Gallison.
Raimondo’s controversial proposed cuts came under harsh criticism from the Diocese of Providence and Bishop Thomas Tobin.
In an editorial in the diocesan newspaper, Bishop Tobin said that cutting cross-district busing would hurt middle class families who sacrifice to send their children to private schools. Raimondo said the cuts were necessary to fund other portions of her budget.
