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S3276
2026 -- S 3276
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LC006438
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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 -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX
RELIEF ACT
Introduced By:
Senators Thompson, and Murray
Date Introduced:
May 11, 2026
Referred To:
Senate Finance
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 16-7.2-5 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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16-7.2-5. Charter public schools, the William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical
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High School, and the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center.
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(a) Charter public schools, as defined in chapter 77 of this title, the William M. Davies, Jr.
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Career and Technical High School (Davies), and the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical
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Center (the Met Center) shall be funded pursuant to § 16-7.2-3. If the October 1 actual enrollment
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data for any charter public school shows a ten percent (10%) or greater change from the prior year
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enrollment that is used as the reference year average daily membership, the last six (6) monthly
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payments to the charter public school will be adjusted to reflect actual enrollment. The state share
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of the permanent foundation education aid shall be paid by the state directly to the charter public
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schools, Davies, and the Met Center pursuant to § 16-7.2-9 and shall be calculated using the state-
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share ratio of the district of residence of the student as set forth in § 16-7.2-4. The department of
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elementary and secondary education shall provide the general assembly with the calculation of the
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state share of permanent foundation education aid for charter public schools delineated by school
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district.
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(b) The local share of education funding shall be paid to the charter public school, Davies,
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and the Met Center by the district of residence of the student and shall be the local, per-pupil cost
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calculated by dividing the local appropriation to education from property taxes, net of debt service,
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and capital projects, as defined in the uniform chart of accounts by the average daily membership
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for each city and town, pursuant to § 16-7-22, for the reference year.
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(c) Beginning in FY 2017, there shall be a reduction to the local per-pupil funding paid by
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the district of residence to charter public schools, Davies, and the Met Center. This reduction shall
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be equal to the greater (i) Of seven percent (7%) of the local, per-pupil funding of the district of
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residence pursuant to subsection (b) or (ii) The per-pupil value of the district’s costs for non-public
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textbooks, transportation for non-public students, retiree health benefits, out-of-district special-
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education tuition and transportation, services for students age eighteen (18) to twenty-one (21)
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years old, pre-school screening and intervention, and career and technical education, tuition and
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transportation costs, debt service and rental costs minus the average expenses incurred by charter
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schools for those same categories of expenses as reported in the uniform chart of accounts for the
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prior preceding fiscal year pursuant to § 16-7-16(11) and verified by the department of elementary
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and secondary education. In the case where audited financials result in a change in the calculation
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after the first tuition payment is made, the remaining payments shall be based on the most recent
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audited data. For those districts whose greater reduction occurs under the calculation of (ii), there
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shall be an additional reduction to payments to mayoral academies with teachers who do not
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participate in the state teacher’s retirement system under chapter 8 of title 36 equal to the per-pupil
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value of teacher retirement costs attributable to unfunded liability as calculated by the state’s
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actuary for the prior preceding fiscal year.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, beginning with FY 2026,
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the reduction to the local per-pupil funding shall not exceed fourteen percent (14%).
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(d) Local district payments to charter public schools, Davies, and the Met Center for each
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district’s students enrolled in these schools shall be made on a quarterly basis in July, October,
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January, and April; however, the first local-district payment shall be made by August 15, instead
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of July. Failure of the community to make the local-district payment for its student(s) enrolled in a
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charter public school, Davies, and/or the Met Center may result in the withholding of state
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education aid pursuant to § 16-7-31.
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(e) Beginning in FY 2017, school districts with charter public school, Davies, and the Met
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Center enrollment, that, combined, comprise five percent (5%) or more of the average daily
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membership as defined in § 16-7-22, shall receive additional aid for a period of three (3) years. Aid
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in FY 2017 shall be equal to the number of charter public school, open-enrollment schools, Davies,
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or the Met Center students as of the reference year as defined in § 16-7-16 times a per-pupil amount
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of one hundred seventy-five dollars ($175). Aid in FY 2018 shall be equal to the number of charter
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public school, open-enrollment schools, Davies, or the Met Center students as of the reference year
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as defined in § 16-7-16 times a per-pupil amount of one hundred dollars ($100). Aid in FY 2019
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shall be equal to the number of charter public school, open-enrollment schools, Davies, or the Met
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Center students as of the reference year as defined in § 16-7-16 times a per-pupil amount of fifty
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dollars ($50.00). The additional aid shall be used to offset the adjusted fixed costs retained by the
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districts of residence.
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(f) [Deleted by P.L. 2023, ch. 79, art. 8, § 2.]
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX
RELIEF ACT
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This act would remove the fiscal year 2026 fourteen percent (14%) limitation for reduction
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to the local per-pupil funding for charter schools.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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