NORTH PROVIDENCE — Giovanna Guadagno Donyan, a 48-year-old educator who was a middle school science teacher and director of professional development for Coventry public schools, was appointed assistant school superintendent last night.

She will fill the vacancy created earlier this month when Robert J. Gerardi Jr. resigned to become school superintendent in Woonsocket. The School Committee voted unanimously on the recommendation of Supt. Donna Ottaviano.

Ottaviano said Donyan, who was one of nine finalists for the position, is very strong in the areas of curriculum assessment, professional development and instruction, and is known as one who worked very well with her employees.

With a master’s in business administration, Donyan had worked in banking before moving into education 10 years ago, serving as a teacher for gifted and talented youngsters, as a sixth grade teacher and as a science teacher at Coventry’s Alan Sean Feinstein Middle School.

She said last night her first priority will be to get to know the teachers and assess the school district’s needs.

In other business, School Committee member Stephen Palmieri unveiled a proposal to create before- and after-school programs in all of the town’s elementary schools as a way of producing new revenue for the schools.

Palmieri’s proposal, which drew praise as something that should be explored, envisions a program in each of the schools in which parents, for a fee, would be able to drop off their children as early as 7 a.m. and pick them up as late as 5:30 p.m. to accommodate those who have to work.

He acknowledged that there are many details that would need to be looked at, such as whether the program should emphasize academics, athletics or both, the extent of the demand, what fees would be charged and how much the teachers would be paid.

He observed that many parochial schools have before- and after-school programs and said the program could generate additional revenue.

Committeeman Roderick DaSilva suggested the program begin as a pilot project in one school, saying it’s very likely that the School Committee would be able to get grant money to fund it.

Committeeman Ronald Iannetta said the proposal should be looked at.

“I don’t want it to be a baby-sitting service, but [rather] an enrichment program with academics and/or athletics.”

The committee approved the formation of an exploratory panel to study the issue.

A heated debate ensued over whether $1 million in budget cuts approved last night will be sufficient to avert a deficit in the current fiscal year.

The committee approved $1.33 million in spending cuts to accommodate $1.6 million in cuts recommended by the mayor and Town Council last spring that reduced the department’s overall budget to $44.4 million.

Committeeman Donald Cataldi said his chief concern was that the cuts — which proposed reduced spending in a wide range of areas including gas, electricity, salaries, medical insurance, books, legal services and athletic and pupil supplies — were unrealistic. According to his calculations, the School Department is going to close out the fiscal year that ends next June with a deficit of between $500,000 and $600,000.

He said assertions by Committee Chairman Vito Martinelli that the committee was able establish a full-day kindergarten without running a deficit is false.

Committeeman Anthony Marciano said the reality is that ending the year with a surplus can be the luck of the draw.

“Sometimes, you don’t know you are going to run a surplus, and then find out that your insurance costs are not as much as anticipated. And sometimes, we’ve had to deal with difficult situations when we didn’t get the money that we were supposed to get.”

rdujardi@projo.com