AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS (Establishes stabilization fund for Central Falls and for Davies and Met schools for student education funding.)

H8429

2026 -- H 8429
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LC006323
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS

Introduced By:
Representatives Giraldo, Shekarchi, Voas, and Alzate

Date Introduced:
April 10, 2026

Referred To:
House Education
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 16-2-34 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-2 entitled "School
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Committees and Superintendents [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education
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Act]" is hereby repealed.
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16-2-34. Central Falls School District board of trustees.
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(a) There is hereby established a seven (7) member board of trustees, which shall govern
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the Central Falls School District. With the exception of those powers and duties reserved by the
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commissioner of elementary and secondary education, and the board of regents for elementary and
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secondary education, the board of trustees shall have the powers and duties of school committees.
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Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the commissioner of elementary and
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secondary education, as the executive agent of the board of regents for elementary and secondary
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education, is authorized to exercise in whole or in part care, control, and management over the
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public schools of the Central Falls school district within the scope of authority of the board of
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trustees and board of regents, whenever the commissioner deems such intervention to be necessary
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and appropriate.
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(b) The board of regents for elementary and secondary education shall appoint the members
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of the board of trustees from nominations made by the commissioner of elementary and secondary
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education. The chairperson shall also be selected in this manner. The board of regents shall
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determine the number, qualifications, and terms of office of members of the board of trustees,
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provided however, that at least four (4) of the members shall be residents of the city and parents of

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current or former Central Falls public school students. The remaining three (3) shall be appointed
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at large.
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(c) The board of regents shall provide parameters for overall budget requests, approve the
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budget, and otherwise participate in budget development.
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(d) The commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall recommend parameters
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for overall budget requests, recommend a budget, and otherwise participate in budget development.
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(e) The commissioner shall approve the process for selection of the superintendent.
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(f) The board of trustees shall meet monthly and serve without compensation. The board
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of trustees shall have broad policy making authority for the operation of the school, as well as the
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following powers and duties:
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(1) To identify the educational needs of the district;
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(2) To develop educational policies to meet the needs of students in the school district;
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(3) To appoint a superintendent to serve as its chief executive officer and to approve
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assistant and associate superintendents from nominations made by the superintendent;
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(4) To provide policy guidance and otherwise participate in budget development; and
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(5) To develop staffing policies which ensure that all students are taught by educators of
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the highest possible quality.
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(g) The superintendent shall serve at the pleasure of the board of trustees with the initial
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appointment to be for a period of not more than three (3) years; provided, however, that the terms
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and conditions of employment are subject to the approval of the board of regents for elementary
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and secondary education.
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(h) It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent to manage and operate the school on
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a day-to-day basis. The superintendent's duties shall include the following:
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(1) To be responsible for the care, supervision, and management of the schools;
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(2) To recommend to the board of trustees educational policies to meet the needs of the
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district, and to implement policies established by the board of trustees;
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(3) To present nominations to the board of trustees for assistant and associate
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superintendents and to appoint all other school personnel;
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(4) To provide for the evaluation of all school district personnel;
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(5) To establish a school based management approach for decision making for the operation
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of the school;
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(6) To prepare a budget and otherwise participate in budget development as required, and
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to authorize purchases consistent with the adopted school district budget;
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(7) To report to the board of trustees, on a regular basis, the financial condition and

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operation of the schools, and to report annually on the educational progress of the schools;
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(8) To establish appropriate advisory committees as needed to provide guidance on new
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directions and feedback on the operation of the schools;
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(9) With policy guidance from the board of trustees and extensive involvement of the
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administrators and faculty in the school, to annually prepare a budget. The board of trustees shall
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approve the budget and transmit it to the commissioner. The board of regents for elementary and
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secondary education, upon recommendation of the commissioner of elementary and secondary
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education, shall provide parameters for the overall budget request. Based on review and
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recommendation by the commissioner, the board of regents shall approve the total budget and
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incorporate it into its budget request to the governor and to the general assembly. Line item
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budgeting decisions shall be the responsibility of the superintendent; and
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(10) To negotiate, along with the chairperson of the board of trustees and his or her
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appointed designee, all district employment contracts, which contracts shall be subject to the
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approval of the commissioner of elementary and secondary education with the concurrence of the
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board of regents.
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(i) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to limit or otherwise interfere with the rights of
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teachers and other school employees to bargain collectively pursuant to chapters 9.3 and 9.4 of title
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28, to exercise rights afforded under any statute including, but not limited to, Title 16, or to allow
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the commissioner, board of trustees or the superintendent to abrogate any agreement by collective
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bargaining.
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(j) The appointment of the special state administrator for the Central Falls School District
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and the Central Falls School District Advisory Group, created by chapter 312 of the Rhode Island
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Public Laws of 1991, will no longer be in effect upon the selection and appointment of the board
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of trustees created in this section. All powers and duties of the special state administrator and the
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Central Falls School District Advisory Group are hereby transferred and assigned to the board of
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trustees created in this section, upon the selection and appointment of that board.
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SECTION 2. Section 16-7.2-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.2 entitled "The
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Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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16-7.2-6. Categorical programs, state funded expenses.
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In addition to the foundation education aid provided pursuant to § 16-7.2-3, the permanent
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foundation education-aid program shall provide direct state funding for:
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(a) Excess costs associated with special education students. Excess costs are defined when
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an individual special education student's cost shall be deemed to be “extraordinary.” Extraordinary
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costs are those educational costs that exceed the state-approved threshold based on an amount

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above four times the core foundation amount (total of core instruction amount plus student success
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amount). The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available
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for distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school
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districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding appropriated in any fiscal year;
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and the department of elementary and secondary education shall also collect data on those
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educational costs that exceed the state-approved threshold based on an amount above two (2), three
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(3), and five (5) times the core foundation amount;
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(b) Career and technical education costs to help meet initial investment requirements
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needed to transform existing, or create new, comprehensive, career and technical education
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programs and career pathways in critical and emerging industries and to help offset the higher-
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than-average costs associated with facilities, equipment maintenance and repair, and supplies
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necessary for maintaining the quality of highly specialized programs that are a priority for the state.
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The department shall develop criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all career and technical
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education funds as may be determined by the general assembly on an annual basis. The department
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of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for distribution among
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those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school districts are seeking
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reimbursement exceed the amount of funding available in any fiscal year;
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(c) Programs to increase access to voluntary, free, high-quality pre-kindergarten programs.
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The department shall recommend criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all early childhood
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program funds as may be determined by the general assembly;
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(d)
(1)
Central Falls
, Davies, and the Met Center
Stabilization Fund is established to ensure
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that appropriate funding is available to support their students. Additional support for Central Falls
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is needed due to
concerns regarding
the city's
limited
capacity to meet the local share of education
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costs. This fund requires that education aid calculated pursuant to § 16-7.2-3 and funding for costs
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outside the permanent foundation education-aid formula, including, but not limited to,
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transportation, facility maintenance,
and
retiree health benefits
, tuition payments for outplaced
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special education students, and tuition payments to other public schools,
shall be shared between
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the state and the city of Central Falls.
The fund shall be annually reviewed to determine the amount
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of the state and city appropriation. The state's share of this fund may be supported through a
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reallocation of current state appropriations to the Central Falls school district. At the end of the
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transition period defined in § 16-7.2-7, the municipality will continue its contribution pursuant to
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§ 16-7-24.

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(2) The total amount allocated to the Central Falls Stabilization Fund shall be equal to the
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sum of:

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(i) The difference between Central Falls school district's foundation education aid,
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calculated pursuant to § 16-7.2-3(a), and the state's share of Central Falls school district's
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foundation education aid, calculated pursuant to § 16-7.2-4; and
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(ii) Funding for all costs outside the permanent foundation education-aid formula,
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calculated according to the most recently published Universal Charter of Accounts (UCOA)
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expenditures data for Central Falls school district, with adjustments for inflation and the percentage
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change in the resident average daily membership for the city of Central Falls. Beginning in FY2027
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and in every year thereafter, the city of Central Falls shall allocate to the Central Falls Stabilization
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Fund an amount at least equal to the sum of:
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(A) One percent (1%) of the city's prior year total tax levy; and
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(B) The city's prior year contribution to the Central Falls Stabilization Fund.
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(3) Beginning in FY2027, there shall be a contribution from the school district's fund
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balance in an amount in accordance with the final report of the Special Joint Legislative
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Commission to Study the Return of Central Falls Schools to Local Governance with a target end
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point that meets GFOA standards and aligns with RIDE's fiscal accountability standards and annual
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reporting to ensure adequate funding of the foundation education aid for all Central Falls students.
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The state shall allocate the balance of the Central Falls Stabilization Fund. The city shall annually
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assume responsibility for any deficit incurred by the Central Falls school district. No later than
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September 2030, as preparation for the FY2032 budgeting process, this funding arrangement shall
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be reviewed and, if deemed necessary by mutual agreement of the state and city, amended.

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(4) Davies and the Met Center Stabilization Fund is established to ensure that appropriate
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funding is available to support their students.
Additional support for the Davies and the Met Center
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is needed due to the costs associated with running a stand-alone high school offering both academic
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and career and technical coursework. The department shall recommend criteria for the purpose of
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allocating any and all stabilization funds
for Davies and the Met Center
as may be determined by
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the general assembly;
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(e) Excess costs associated with transporting students to out-of-district non-public schools.
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This fund will provide state funding for the costs associated with transporting students to out-of-
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district non-public schools, pursuant to chapter 21.1 of this title. The state will assume the costs of
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non-public out-of-district transportation for those districts participating in the statewide system.
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The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for
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distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school
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districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding available in any fiscal year;
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(f) Excess costs associated with transporting students within regional school districts. This

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fund will provide direct state funding for the excess costs associated with transporting students
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within regional school districts, established pursuant to chapter 3 of this title. This fund requires
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that the state and regional school district share equally the student transportation costs net any
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federal sources of revenue for these expenditures. The department of elementary and secondary
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education shall prorate the funds available for distribution among those eligible school districts if
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the total approved costs for which school districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount
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of funding available in any fiscal year;
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(g) Public school districts that are regionalized shall be eligible for a regionalization bonus
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as set forth below:
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(1) As used herein, the term “regionalized” shall be deemed to refer to a regional school
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district established under the provisions of chapter 3 of this title, including the Chariho Regional
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School district;
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(2) For those districts that are regionalized as of July 1, 2010, the regionalization bonus
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shall commence in FY 2012. For those districts that regionalize after July 1, 2010, the
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regionalization bonus shall commence in the first fiscal year following the establishment of a
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regionalized school district as set forth in chapter 3 of this title, including the Chariho Regional
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School District;
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(3) The regionalization bonus in the first fiscal year shall be two percent (2.0%) of the
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state's share of the foundation education aid for the regionalized district as calculated pursuant to
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§§ 16-7.2-3 and 16-7.2-4 in that fiscal year;
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(4) The regionalization bonus in the second fiscal year shall be one percent (1.0%) of the
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state's share of the foundation education aid for the regionalized district as calculated pursuant to
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§§ 16-7.2-3 and 16-7.2-4 in that fiscal year;
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(5) The regionalization bonus shall cease in the third fiscal year;
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(6) The regionalization bonus for the Chariho regional school district shall be applied to
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the state share of the permanent foundation education aid for the member towns; and
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(7) The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available
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for distribution among those eligible regionalized school districts if the total, approved costs for
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which regionalized school districts are seeking a regionalization bonus exceed the amount of
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funding appropriated in any fiscal year;
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(h) [Deleted by P.L. 2024, ch. 117, art. 8, § 1.]
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(i) State support for school resource officers. For purposes of this subsection, a school
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resource officer (SRO) shall be defined as a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority
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who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community-oriented policing

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assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. School resource officers should have
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completed at least forty (40) hours of specialized training in school policing, administered by an
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accredited agency, before being assigned. Beginning in FY 2019, for a period of three (3) years,
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school districts or municipalities that choose to employ school resource officers shall receive direct
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state support for costs associated with employing such officers at public middle and high schools.
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Districts or municipalities shall be reimbursed an amount equal to one-half (½) of the cost of
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salaries and benefits for the qualifying positions. Funding will be provided for school resource
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officer positions established on or after July 1, 2018, provided that:
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(1) Each school resource officer shall be assigned to one school:
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(i) Schools with enrollments below one thousand two hundred (1,200) students shall
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require one school resource officer;
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(ii) Schools with enrollments of one thousand two hundred (1,200) or more students shall
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require two school resource officers;
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(2) School resource officers hired in excess of the requirement noted above shall not be
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eligible for reimbursement; and
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(3) Schools that eliminate existing school resource officer positions and create new
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positions under this provision shall not be eligible for reimbursement; and
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(j) Categorical programs defined in subsections (a) through (g) shall be funded pursuant to
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the transition plan in § 16-7.2-7.
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SECTION 3. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS
***
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This act would repeal § 16-2-34 ("Central Falls School District board of trustees"). The
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Central Falls Stabilization Fund would include funding for tuition payments for outplaced special
3
education students and tuition payments to other public schools. The Davies and Met Stabilization
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Fund would be established to ensure appropriate funding is available to support their students.
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This act would take effect on July 1, 2026.
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