2012 -- H 8091 | |
======= | |
LC02358 | |
======= | |
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
| |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
| |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012 | |
| |
____________ | |
| |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX | |
RELIEF ACT | |
|
|
|
|
Introduced By: Representatives Baldelli-Hunt, Phillips, Brien, Blazejewski, and Slater | |
Date Introduced: April 25, 2012 | |
Referred To: House Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1-1 |
SECTION 1. Section 16-7.2-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.2 entitled "The |
1-2 |
Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
1-3 |
16-7.2-6. Categorical programs, state funded expenses. -- In addition to the foundation |
1-4 |
education aid provided pursuant to section 16-7.2-3 the permanent foundation education aid |
1-5 |
program shall provide direct state funding for: |
1-6 |
(a) Excess costs associated with special education students. - Excess costs are defined |
1-7 |
when an individual special education student's cost shall be deemed to be "extraordinary." |
1-8 |
Extraordinary costs are those educational costs that exceed the state approved threshold based on |
1-9 |
an amount above five times the core foundation amount (total of core instruction amount plus |
1-10 |
student success amount) The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the |
1-11 |
funds available for distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for |
1-12 |
which school districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding appropriated in |
1-13 |
any fiscal year; provided, however, that effective with the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2012, |
1-14 |
the department of elementary and secondary education shall be responsible for the education of |
1-15 |
those special education students who, as a direct result of their learning disability or other |
1-16 |
disability, require education services be provided entirely in a private school outside of the public |
1-17 |
school system. The department shall include the costs for educating such students in any budget |
1-18 |
proposal to the general assembly. Such costs, which shall also include transportation costs, shall |
1-19 |
all be deemed to be “extraordinary costs” and shall be calculated and funded pursuant to the |
2-1 |
permanent foundation education aid program; |
2-2 |
(b) Career and technical education costs to help meet initial investment requirements |
2-3 |
needed to transform existing or create new comprehensive career and technical education |
2-4 |
programs and career pathways in critical and emerging industries and to help offset the higher |
2-5 |
than average costs associated with facilities, equipment maintenance and repair, and supplies |
2-6 |
necessary for maintaining the quality of highly specialized programs that are a priority for the |
2-7 |
state. The department shall recommend criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all career |
2-8 |
and technical education funds as may be determined by the general assembly on an annual basis. |
2-9 |
The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for |
2-10 |
distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school |
2-11 |
districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding available in any fiscal year; |
2-12 |
(c) Programs to increase access to voluntary, free, high-quality pre-kindergarten |
2-13 |
programs. The department shall recommend criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all early |
2-14 |
childhood program funds as may be determined by the general assembly; |
2-15 |
(d) Central Falls Stabilization Fund is established to assure that appropriate funding is |
2-16 |
available to support the community, including students from the community that attend the |
2-17 |
charter schools, Davies, and the Met Center pursuant to section 16-7.2-5, due to concerns |
2-18 |
regarding the city's capacity to meet the local share of education costs. This fund requires that the |
2-19 |
difference between education aid calculated pursuant to section 16-7.2-3 and education aid, as of |
2-20 |
the effective date of the formula, shall be shared between the state and the city of Central Falls. |
2-21 |
The state's share of the fund will be paid directly to the Central Falls school district upon |
2-22 |
verification that the city has transferred its share of the local contribution for education. At the |
2-23 |
end of the transition period defined in section 16-7.2-7, the municipality will continue its |
2-24 |
contribution pursuant to section 16-7-24; and |
2-25 |
(e) Excess costs associated with transporting students to out of district non-public |
2-26 |
schools and within regional school districts. (1) This fund will provide state funding for the costs |
2-27 |
associated with transporting students to out of district non-public schools, pursuant to title 16, |
2-28 |
Chapter 21.1. The state will assume the costs of non-public out-of-district transportation for those |
2-29 |
districts participating in the statewide system; and (2) This fund will provide direct state funding |
2-30 |
for the excess costs associated with transporting students within regional school districts, |
2-31 |
established pursuant to title 16, chapter 3. This fund requires that the state and regional school |
2-32 |
district share equally the student transportation costs net any federal sources of revenue for these |
2-33 |
expenditures. The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds |
2-34 |
available for distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for |
3-1 |
which school districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding available in any |
3-2 |
fiscal year. |
3-3 |
(f) Public school districts that are regionalized shall be eligible for a regionalization |
3-4 |
bonus as set forth below. |
3-5 |
(1) As used herein, the term "regionalized" shall be deemed to refer to a regional school |
3-6 |
district established under the provisions of chapter 16-3 including the Chariho Regional School |
3-7 |
district. |
3-8 |
(2) For those districts that are regionalized as of July 1, 2010, the regionalization bonus |
3-9 |
shall commence in FY 2012. For those districts that regionalize after July 1, 2010, the |
3-10 |
regionalization bonus shall commence in the first fiscal year following the establishment of a |
3-11 |
regionalized school district as set forth section 16-3, including the Chariho Regional School |
3-12 |
District. |
3-13 |
(3) The regionalization bonus in the first fiscal year shall be two percent (2.0%) of the |
3-14 |
state's share of the foundation education aid for the regionalized district as calculated pursuant to |
3-15 |
sections 16-7.2-3 and 16-7.2-4 in that fiscal year. |
3-16 |
(4) The regionalization bonus in the second fiscal year shall be one percent (1.0%) of the |
3-17 |
state's share of the foundation education aid for the regionalized district as calculated pursuant to |
3-18 |
sections 16-7.2-3 and 16-7.2-4 in that fiscal year. |
3-19 |
(5) The regionalization bonus shall cease in the third fiscal year. |
3-20 |
(6) The regionalization bonus for the Chariho regional school district shall be applied to |
3-21 |
the state share of the permanent foundation education aid for the member towns. |
3-22 |
(7) The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds |
3-23 |
available for distribution among those eligible regionalized school districts if the total approve |
3-24 |
costs for which regionalized school districts are seeking a regionalization bonus exceed the |
3-25 |
amount of funding appropriated in any fiscal year. |
3-26 |
(g) Categorical programs defined in (a) through (f) shall be funded pursuant to the |
3-27 |
transition plan in section 16-7.2-7. |
3-28 |
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
| |
======= | |
LC02358 | |
======= | |
EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX | |
RELIEF ACT | |
*** | |
4-1 |
This act would provide that funding of the education of special education students with |
4-2 |
extraordinary needs who require private school placements would be done through the Rhode |
4-3 |
Island department of education. The entire cost of educating students in these placements would |
4-4 |
be deemed to be “extraordinary costs” and would be calculated and funded pursuant to the |
4-5 |
permanent foundation education aid program. |
4-6 |
This act would take effect upon passage. |
| |
======= | |
LC02358 | |
======= |