Some would look at the complicated situation faced by the East Providence School Department — facing a $3.7 million deficit for the coming fiscal year — and understandably strive to avoid dealing with such a headache.

Antonio de Simas, on the other hand, is already rolling up his sleeves to get to work.

“I’m a big picture kind of person,” he said in a recent interview as he looks ahead to seeking re-election for the Ward 2 seat on the East Providence School Committee. “I don't tend to focus on the small things. I want to look at the root causes, the real problems behind everything, and see if we can do something to help it.”

Elected in 2024 in an unopposed race, de Simas said he first ran for a seat on the committee due to his frustrations with the district’s handling of special education.

“I've put two children through the district. I have three currently in the system, two of which are special needs. So, I'm very passionate about that. I've had to very strongly advocate for what's in their best interest, unfortunately,” he said. “That was very frustrating to me as a parent. So, part of me wanting to become involved was to try to change some of that culture and make it a little a bit easier for families to navigate that process.”

Throughout his time being on the school committee, de Simas said that it has been revealing how many of the district’s problems seem to be rooted in structural issues often outside of the district’s direct control.

For special education, that means the high cost of educating students or transporting them and paying for their education at a school that can fulfill their needs; a financial burden placed squarely onto communities without much assistance from state or federal sources.

“Ultimately, a lot of it comes down to funding. That's just the harsh reality of it,” he said. “And most of it's an unfunded mandate.”

That foundational problem extends to other issues that ultimately helped create the large budget deficit now faced by the district. Issues, de Simas said, like inequity in the state funding formula that results in East Providence taking on an inordinate amount of out-of-district placements from DCYF.

“Let's just take DCYF out-of-district placements. On average that might cost a district $9,000 per student. So that's over $100,000 a year, and that's state mandated. We have no say in it but yet we're responsible to absorb that cost,” de Simas said. “Another problem that we currently have in is when DCYF places children in these different different districts, apparently there's different reimbursement rates for different districts, and East Providence happens to be one of the higher ones. So we're getting a higher amount of DCYF placements because they're getting a higher reimbursement rate. But that's not fair to us.”

These are the types of issues he hopes to work on solutions towards in conjunction with East Providence’s elected state representatives.

“Rhode Island underfunds education compared to our neighboring states. That's one thing. But the other problem is all these unfunded mandates and the funding formula,” he said. “I'm hopeful that they [the legislature] would adopt the Blue Ribbon Commission's recommendations. That would greatly greatly help the districts.”

At the same time, de Simas said he is focused on enacting smart policy locally to ensure that East Providence can make better decisions within their own control to avoid the situation they find themselves in now.

“Currently I'm developing a financial oversight policy. I've drafted it. [School district legal counsel] Andrew [Henneous] has reviewed it now,” he said. “I sent it over to Dr. Perry and the interim financial director to get their input because I want it to be a collaboration.”

Active on the committee’s policy committee, de Simas said he wasn’t someone who loudly trumpeted grievances or tried to make a big splash with long speeches at meetings.

“I kind of work behind the scenes. I don't like being in the limelight,” he said. “That's not my personality.”

A native East Providence resident who still resides in the home he grew up in, de Simas works professionally in research and development at Acushnet Company, the parent company of popular golf brand, Titleist. Specifically, de Simas works as a technician designing and developing new golf balls and their associated production requirements. The work is technical and demanding, but he said it has also helped sharpen his mind for endeavors like being on the school committee.

“One of my greatest strengths is my ability to analyze, troubleshoot, and solve problems,” he said. “These skills have helped me throughout my professional career, and I bring that same approach to my work on the school committee.”

Asked why he wanted to pursue re-election, de Simas said that the district was moving in good direction overall, and he wanted to continue to be a part of that momentum.

“These children are our future, and I want them to be as successful as possible and whatever we can do to facilitate that, I think is important,” he said. “I have the perspective of being a parent, having special needs children, putting children through the district. I have a career that I've been fortunate to be successful, and I think all of that helps me be in a position where I could you know affect that change and help the district.”