PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Instead of going to school Monday, several students gathered outside Providence City Hall to demand action.

"I think it's a shame that I even have to be here," Providence Career & Technical Academy junior Nya Isom-Agazie said. "My education matters, and I shouldn't have to constantly fight and pull teeth just to get funding that all of the students deserve."

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley is now warning community members that those cuts are "inevitable" as negotiations between the city, state and school district for the $10.9 million funding gap remain at a standstill.

Students see what the lack of funding over years has already done to the district, pointing to overcrowded hallways to deteriorating school buildings.

"I'm out here fighting for my education," Classical High School sophomore Issah Pereira said. "I just don't understand because us young people, we are the future, so why not invest in our future?"

The students are demanding the city pick up the tab to avoid major budget cuts, which could include nixing sports programs, eliminating bus passes and mass layoffs.

"How do you expect kids to go into school with a smiling face when you're firing their favorite teachers?" Pereira asked.

"You've been underfunding us from the beginning," Isom-Agazie added. "Give us our money."

Providence City Council President Rachel Miller reassured the students that they are working on a solution.

"We cannot solve decades of underinvestment in public education overnight, but the city council is moving with urgency," she said in a statement.

Though the students gathering was a heartwarming show of support for Providence Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez, it was quite the opposite for Mayor Brett Smiley.

"It's heartbreaking to hear kids say, 'We're afraid about these cuts that have been threatened by the school department,'" Smiley said. "We have offered more money."

SEE ALSO: State votes to continue Providence schools takeover through 2027

Just last week, the city council offered the district $2.5 million in extra funding to avoid cuts to sports and bus passes.

"I believe there are cuts that will not hurt students and families and I hope that the school department prioritizes those cuts instead of some of these other things that they're doing, I think, for the purpose of grabbing headlines," Smiley continued.

Montañez said the district needs every penny to ensure those cuts won't happen.

"What we need in order to function, basically, is the $10.9 [million]," he said.

But the district called the offer "insufficient" and both sides have been in court over the matter. Students are worried that time is running out and something needs to be done before it's too late.

"Enough is enough. I don't care who did what. We need our money. It's that simple. That's the bottom line," Isom-Agazie said.

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