EAST PROVIDENCE — District Finance Director Craig Enos led the School Committee at a special session of the body held Monday night, July 22, at City Hall through a second workshop on the proposed Fiscal Year 2019-20 budget.

He told the body the administration is budgeting on a presumed total sum of $88,830,196 for FY19-20, up from the $84,871,107 it worked with in FY18-19.

The added monies for next fiscal year would be derived mostly from a request for city funds of approximately $51 million, about $3.2 million more than was earmarked this past year, and state aid in the neighborhood of $36 million, about $600,000 more year-to-year though still a relatively flat figure from years before.

“If the School Committee feels that there are changes you would like to make to it, you can certainly make changes,” Mr. Enos said of the budget plan. “You can lower items. You can add. That’s certainly up to you.”

Mr. Enos noted two weeks prior the group held its initial budget discussion, which focused on a review of the personnel salaries and benefit portions of the proposed outlay for the next fiscal year starting on November 1, some $47.6 million total which accounts for about half of the increase it’s seeking from the city.

Monday, Mr. Enos told the committee his remarks were to “highlight some specific areas I wanted to bring your attention to.”

Among the key aspects Mr. Enos elaborated upon were: slight increases of $50,000 apiece for psychologists and to improve math scores; a $1.250 million increase in the school construction line item for various improvements needed at elementary and middle school buildings; some $200,000 more for Special Education; and $150,000 specifically earmarked for masonry work required at school sites.

“There is work that we need to do on our school buildings. And if we don’t do it, we’re going to pay more for it as the years go on. So that’s why we’re really committed to that,” Mr. Enos said of the infrastructure expenditures included in the administration’s budget.

Of note as well, in the midst of construction of the new East Providence High School, Ward 4 Committee member Jessica Beauchaine asked if more expenditures were needed to transport athletes to fields around the city. Mr. Enos said after consultation with District Athletic Director Gregg Amore, $25,000 extra has been set aside for additional bussing, but it is being augmented by the reduction in maintenance costs of fields on the grounds there.

Asked by Ward 2 Committee Tony Ferreira if the administration has already prepared for the potential of cuts to its proposal by either the office Mayor Bob DaSilva or the City Council, in his words “strip us,” Assistant Superintendent Dr. Sandra Forand said, “We can put together a list. We have some ideas if we were to get cut. We just won’t know exactly what we get cut until the City Council gets back and we present (the proposed school department budget to the council) in September.”

The school administration is scheduled to make its budget presentation to the council at the latter’s September 3 meeting.