SENATE RESOLUTION FORMALLY REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION TO IMPLEMENT ALL PROVISIONS OF THE STATE FUNDING FORMULA FOR EDUCATION

S2837

2026 -- S 2837
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LC004461
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
FORMALLY REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY
EDUCATION TO IMPLEMENT ALL PROVISIONS OF THE STATE FUNDING FORMULA
FOR EDUCATION

Introduced By:
Senators Pearson, Mack, Acosta, Gallo, Tikoian, Lauria, Kallman, Euer,
and Zurier

Date Introduced:
March 04, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Finance
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WHEREAS, Pursuant to Article XII, Section 1 of the Constitution of the State of Rhode
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Island, it is the duty of the General Assembly to promote public schools, and adopt all means
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necessary and proper to secure the advantages and opportunities of education; and
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WHEREAS, Pursuant to Article XII, Section 4 of the Constitution of the State of Rhode
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Island, the General Assembly is charged with making "all necessary provisions by law for
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carrying this article into effect" in order to promote public education; and
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WHEREAS, Through statutory enactments, the General Assembly has established the
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state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Council on Elementary and
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Secondary Education, and the Board of Education, to implement statutory directives and
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mandates to oversee public education in Rhode Island at the Kindergarten through grade twelve
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(K-12) levels; and
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WHEREAS, The General Assembly recognizes that the Department of Elementary and
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Secondary Education (hereinafter, the "Department") must address many challenges and execute
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many tasks and directives in furtherance of its educational mission; and
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WHEREAS, The General Assembly has concern that there remains a significant gap
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between statutory directives within the funding formula and the implementation of those
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directives by the Department, which gap most impacts students with the greatest needs within our
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schools; and
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WHEREAS, Some areas of the greatest concern are in the areas of and pertain to the

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distribution of the permanent foundation education aid pursuant to §16-7.2-3;
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WHEREAS, Areas that need to be addressed and implemented by the Department
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include, but are not limited to, multilingual learners funding based on actual costs and World
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Class Instructional Design and Assessment or WIDA assessment levels, more accurate measures
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of poverty indexes, and stronger communication to cities and towns regarding the amount and
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calculation of their local share and the district state-share ratio pursuant to §§ 16-7.2-3 and 16-
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7.2-4; now, therefore be it
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RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby respectfully requests
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the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to review the provisions of the State
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funding formula, and ensure that all aspects of education aid required by statute are being carried
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out to the full extent of the law; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Speaker of the House, the Governor, the
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Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Chair of the Council on Elementary
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and Secondary Education, and the Chair of the Board of Education.
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LC004461
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