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The Debt Service is an interesting component of the budget. In February of 2016, Eugene Nadeau he was quoted, "Warwick Schools agreed to pay debt service on the bonds at the time, Nadeau said, to ensure their release when the State Fire Marshal threatened to close down schools if the department failed to bring school buildings up to new fire code standards. Three, $3.1 million installments in 2012, 2013 and 2014 to pay for fire code upgrades required by the state in the wake of the 2003 Station Nightclub Fire." (https://warwickpost.com/city-schools-to-split-debt-service-for-5-2m-bond-release/)

It has been noted that the bond issue was contentious because the language of the bond question approved by voters put the debt service squarely on the shoulders of the City, not the School Committee. The school buildings are owned by the city and upkeep belongs to the city so the WSC didn't necessarily have to take over half the debt service.

I think that along with the 90% of the proposed budget going to salaries and benefits, another 1% goes to the 1.8M for the bond debt. That leaves 9% of this years budget in the "other" column. Important information before stones start getting thrown. In March it was reported that the city had a combined city-school surplus of 9.5M so I would imagine that some money could be freed up to chop away at the debt service.