PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Providence Mayor Brett Smiley has informed ABC6 that the superintendent of the Providence Public School District called him Wednesday night with a 24-hour ultimatum of providing the district an extra $10.9 million. This came with a warning of dire cuts if funding could not be met, and the mayor described this interaction as alarming and irresponsible. Based on the way this was handled between Superintendent Dr. Javier Montanez and the mayor, Smiley felt he needed to respond on an accelerated timeline. The mayor says the city will continue to pass financial budgets, but the school district needs to do the same. According to the Smiley, the city increased funding this year for the school district, giving it its largest increase in 17 years. The budget was passed, and as the mayor explains, that’s all he can spend in the fiscal year. Smiley said he is committed to giving an extra $1 million to the district under two conditions. The state must increase their contribution to the district in the same proportion. They’re responsible for 71-percent of the district’s funding, so if the city increases its contribution mid-fiscal year, the state would need to pay $3 million to the district. The other request is that the district needs to accept an outside financial audit. The mayor says he was taken aback when he received the call from Dr. Montanez yesterday. “This is the latest chapter, sadly in a longer discussion we’ve been having with PPSD about their current budget and financial challenges,” said Smiley. “I am deeply frustrated the way about which they continue to try to extract additional funds from the city.” The mayor told ABC6 the Providence Public School District has a $550 million budget. Mayor Smiley also said he has reached out to Governor McKee about the issue, and only reached his chief of staff, but they plan to speak about this in the future. Categories: News, Rhode Island