2014 -- H 7354 | |
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LC003942 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX | |
RELIEF ACT | |
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Introduced By: Representatives Casey, and Phillips | |
Date Introduced: February 06, 2014 | |
Referred To: House Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 16-7.2-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.2 entitled "The |
2 | Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 16-7.2-6. Categorical programs, state funded expenses. -- In addition to the foundation |
4 | education aid provided pursuant to section 16-7.2-3 the permanent foundation education aid |
5 | program shall provide direct state funding for: |
6 | (a) Excess costs associated with special education students. - Excess costs are defined |
7 | when an individual special education student's cost shall be deemed to be "extraordinary." |
8 | Extraordinary costs are those educational costs that exceed the state approved threshold based on |
9 | an amount above five times the core foundation amount (total of core instruction amount plus |
10 | student success amount) The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the |
11 | funds available for distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for |
12 | which school districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding appropriated in |
13 | any fiscal year; |
14 | (b) Career and technical education costs to help meet initial investment requirements |
15 | needed to transform existing or create new comprehensive career and technical education |
16 | programs and career pathways in critical and emerging industries and to help offset the higher |
17 | than average costs associated with facilities, equipment maintenance and repair, and supplies |
18 | necessary for maintaining the quality of highly specialized programs that are a priority for the |
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1 | state. The department shall recommend criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all career |
2 | and technical education funds as may be determined by the general assembly on an annual basis. |
3 | The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for |
4 | distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school |
5 | districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding available in any fiscal year; |
6 | (c) Programs to increase access to voluntary, free, high-quality pre-kindergarten |
7 | programs. The department shall recommend criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all early |
8 | childhood program funds as may be determined by the general assembly; |
9 | (d) Central Falls Stabilization Fund is established to assure that appropriate funding is |
10 | available to support the community, including students from the community that attend the |
11 | charter schools, Davies, and the Met Center pursuant to section 16-7.2-5, due to concerns |
12 | regarding the city's capacity to meet the local share of education costs. This fund requires that |
13 | education aid calculated pursuant to section 16-7.2-3 and funding for costs outside the permanent |
14 | foundation education aid formula, including but not limited to transportation, facility |
15 | maintenance, and retiree health benefits shall be shared between the state and the city of Central |
16 | Falls. The fund shall be annually reviewed to determine the amount of the state and city |
17 | appropriation. The state's share of this fund may be supported through a reallocation of current |
18 | state appropriations to the Central Falls school district. At the end of the transition period defined |
19 | in section 16-7.2-7, the municipality will continue its contribution pursuant to section 16-7-24; |
20 | and |
21 | (e) Excess costs associated with transporting students to out of district non-public |
22 | schools and within regional school districts. (1) This fund will provide state funding for the costs |
23 | associated with transporting students to out of district non-public schools, pursuant to title 16, |
24 | Chapter 21.1. The state will assume the costs of non-public out-of-district transportation for those |
25 | districts participating in the statewide system; and (2) This fund will provide direct state funding |
26 | for the excess costs associated with transporting students within regional school districts, |
27 | established pursuant to title 16, chapter 3. This fund requires that the state and regional school |
28 | district share equally the student transportation costs net any federal sources of revenue for these |
29 | expenditures. The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds |
30 | available for distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for |
31 | which school districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding available in any |
32 | fiscal year. |
33 | (f) Public school districts that are regionalized shall be eligible for a regionalization |
34 | bonus as set forth below. |
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1 | (1) As used herein, the term "regionalized" shall be deemed to refer to a regional school |
2 | district established under the provisions of chapter 16-3 including the Chariho Regional School |
3 | district. |
4 | (2) For those districts that are regionalized as of July 1, 2010, the regionalization bonus |
5 | shall commence in FY 2012. For those districts that regionalize after July 1, 2010, the |
6 | regionalization bonus shall commence in the first fiscal year following the establishment of a |
7 | regionalized school district as set forth section 16-3, including the Chariho Regional School |
8 | District. |
9 | (3) The regionalization bonus in the first fiscal year shall be two percent (2.0%) of the |
10 | state's share of the foundation education aid for the regionalized district as calculated pursuant to |
11 | sections 16-7.2-3 and 16-7.2-4 in that fiscal year. |
12 | (4) The regionalization bonus in the second fiscal year shall be one percent (1.0%) of the |
13 | state's share of the foundation education aid for the regionalized district as calculated pursuant to |
14 | sections 16-7.2-3 and 16-7.2-4 in that fiscal year. |
15 | (5) The regionalization bonus shall cease in the third fiscal year. |
16 | (6) The regionalization bonus for the Chariho regional school district shall be applied to |
17 | the state share of the permanent foundation education aid for the member towns. |
18 | (7) The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds |
19 | available for distribution among those eligible regionalized school districts if the total approve |
20 | costs for which regionalized school districts are seeking a regionalization bonus exceed the |
21 | amount of funding appropriated in any fiscal year. |
22 | (g) Expenditures for services and instructional programs for students residing in |
23 | conventional public housing units owned by public housing authorities which are not on local tax |
24 | rolls. Payments shall be made when the services and programs have been carried out in |
25 | accordance with the requirements of state law and regulations of the state board of education. |
26 | (1) The following terms have the following meanings: |
27 | (i) "Incentive entitlement" means the sum payable to a local school district under this |
28 | formula. |
29 | (ii) "State share ratio" means the state share ratio as calculated under § 16-7.2-4. |
30 | (iii) "Conventional public housing" means those properties identified as eligible low rent |
31 | housing projects under title I of Pub.L. 81-874, 20 U.S.C. 236 et seq. |
32 | (2) The incentive entitlement for a district shall be the product of the average per pupil |
33 | cost for the district based upon the Uniform Chart of Accounts, the number of full-time |
34 | equivalent pupils in grade twelve (12) and below residing in conventional public housing, and the |
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1 | state share ratio for the district. |
2 | (3) The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds |
3 | available for distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for |
4 | which school districts are seeking reimbursements exceed the amount of funding appropriated in |
5 | any fiscal year. |
6 | (g)(h) Categorical programs defined in (a) through (f)(g) shall be funded pursuant to the |
7 | transition plan in section 16-7.2-7. |
8 | SECTION 2. Section 16-7-34.3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7 entitled |
9 | "Foundation Level School Support" is hereby repealed. |
10 | 16-7-34.3. Reimbursement by the state for conventional public housing students. -- |
11 | (a) Each school district shall be reimbursed for expenditures for services and instructional |
12 | programs for students residing in conventional public housing units owned by public housing |
13 | authorities which are not on local tax rolls. Reimbursement shall be made when the services and |
14 | programs have been carried out in accordance with the requirements of state law and regulations |
15 | of the board of regents for elementary and secondary education. The following formula shall be |
16 | used to distribute aid for the students residing in the public housing units: |
17 | (1) (i) The following formula and definitions are to be used to determine the entitlement |
18 | for each school district: |
19 | (ii) The incentive entitlement for a district shall be the product of the average per pupil |
20 | cost for the district, the number of full time equivalent pupils in grade 12 and below residing in |
21 | conventional public housing, and the state share ratio for the district. |
22 | (2) In this formula the following terms have the following meanings: |
23 | (i) "Incentive entitlement" means the sum payable to a local school district under this |
24 | formula. |
25 | (ii) "Average per pupil costs for the district" means all expenditures approved by the |
26 | state board of regents for elementary and secondary education as defined in section 16-7-20 plus |
27 | the costs of special education required under chapter 24 of this title divided by average daily |
28 | membership of pupils as determined in section 16-7-22(1). |
29 | (iii) "State share ratio" means the effective state share ratio as calculated under section |
30 | 16-7-20. |
31 | (iv) "Conventional public housing" means those properties identified as eligible low rent |
32 | housing projects under title I of P.L. 81-874, 20 U.S.C. section 236 et seq. |
33 | (b) Students living on property owned by the Rhode Island resource recovery |
34 | corporation shall also be included in computations under this section. |
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1 | (c) Students living in the North Kingstown Traveler's Aid housing project shall also be |
2 | included in computations under this section. |
3 | (d) An amount shall be appropriated for the purpose of reimbursing school districts as |
4 | required pursuant to subsection (a) for conventional public housing. |
5 | (e) If the sum appropriated in subsection (a) of this section is not sufficient to pay in full |
6 | the amount for conventional public housing which each city and town is entitled to receive in any |
7 | fiscal year, the maximum amount which all cities and towns are entitled to receive under this |
8 | section shall be deducted from the sum appropriated for all cities and towns under section 16-7- |
9 | 20. If, after final allocation of sections 16-7-15 through 16-7-34, a district receives more than one |
10 | hundred percent (100%) reimbursement, the excess shall be deducted from this conventional |
11 | public housing allocation in the following fiscal year. |
12 | (f) Reimbursement payments as calculated under this chapter shall be made according to |
13 | section 16-7-16. All payments under this chapter shall be used exclusively to support services for |
14 | conventional public housing students. |
15 | (g) Expenditure reports shall be submitted by the local school districts to the |
16 | commissioner of elementary and secondary education in accordance with rules and regulations of |
17 | the board of regents for elementary and secondary education. |
18 | SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC003942 | |
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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 | |
*** | |
1 | This act would delete the provisions of § 16-7-34.3 regarding reimbursement by the state |
2 | for conventional public housing students and would add similar language to § 16-7.2-6 to provide |
3 | permanent foundation education aid funding for services and instructional services for students |
4 | residing in conventional public housing units. |
5 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC003942 | |
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