2014 -- S 2955

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LC005522

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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 AND AMENDING CHAPTER 330 OF THE PUBLIC LAWS OF 1991

AUTHORIZING THE TOWNS OF BRISTOL AND WARREN TO FORM A REGIONAL

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ALL THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE TOWNS OF BRISTOL AND

WARREN TO INCLUDE ALL GRADES AND PROGRAMS CURRENTLY PROVIDED AND

ANY OTHER GRADES AND PROGRAMS SPECIFIED BY THE REGIONAL SCHOOL

COMMITTEE

     Introduced By: Senators Felag, Ottiano, and Bates

     Date Introduced: May 01, 2014

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 3, of Chapter 330 of the 1991 Public Laws entitled "An Act

Authorizing the Towns of Bristol and Warren to Establish a Regional School District" is hereby

amended to read as follows:

X (I) Preparation and Adoption of Budget

     (1) It shall be the duty of the regional school district superintendent to present to the

regional committee by January 15 a preliminary budget containing estimates of the amount of

money needed to operate the regional school district for the ensuing fiscal year. The form of said

budget shall conform to the accounting system of the state department of education.

     (2) The regional committee shall prepare and approve a budget which it believes will

efficiently operate the regional district for the ensuing fiscal year by March 1 of each year. Upon

approving the budget, the regional committee shall, within seven (7) days, post the budget at each

town hall in Bristol and Warren, and, within ten (10) days, publish the budget in one or more

newspapers of general circulation in each or both towns.

     (3) The regional committee shall, by March 1, submit its budget to a joint finance

committee for its approval. The joint finance committee shall consist of nine (9) members. Each

member of the joint finance committee shall be appointed by the respective town councils of

Bristol and Warren for a term of two (2) years. The representation of the membership of the joint

finance committee shall be apportioned according to the most recent federal census. The Bristol

town council shall appoint five (5) members to the joint finance committee and the Warren town

council shall appoint four (4) members to the joint finance committee, all for a term of two (2)

years.

     The members of the joint finance committee representing the town of Bristol shall consist

of the administrator of the town Bristol or a designee, the president of the Bristol town council,

and other representatives from Bristol which may include other representatives from the Bristol

town council. The members of the joint finance committee representing the town of Warren shall

consist of the president of the Warren town council and other representatives from Warren which

may include other representatives from the Warren town council.

     The joint finance committee shall approve a budget within thirty (30) days after the

regional committee submits its budget. Upon the approval of a budget by the joint finance

committee, the regional committee shall, within seven (7) days, post the budget at each town hall

in Bristol and Warren, and, within ten (10) days, publish the budget in one or more newspapers of

general circulation in each or both towns.

     (4) A regional district financial meeting may be called upon petition of six hundred (600)

district voters, filed in writing with the regional committee, within fourteen (14) days of the

approval of the budget by the joint finance committee.

     The regional committee shall submit the petition to the boards of canvassers for the towns

of Bristol and Warren within twenty-four (24) hours of the receipt of the petition. The board of

canvassers shall, within seventy-two (72) hours, verify that the petition has the necessary number

of valid signatures. Upon such verification, the regional committee shall call a regional school

district financial meeting, to be held within ten (10) days of the date of verification, for the

purpose of determining the regional school district budget as to overall amounts. The regional

committee shall give written notice of the regional district financial meeting by posting such

notice at each town hall in Bristol and Warren, and by publishing such notice in a newspaper of

general circulation in the regional district.

     The moderator of the regional district financial meeting shall be the chairperson of the

regional committee and the clerk of the meeting shall be the secretary of the regional committee.

     A quorum for the regional school district financial meeting shall be two hundred (200)

qualified voters, and such quorums shall consist of not less than one hundred (100) qualified

voters from each member town.

     A majority vote of all the voters present at the special regional district financial meeting

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and qualified to vote shall be required for the adoption of the annual regional school district

budget.

     (5) Upon approval of the budget, each town shall appropriate the funds for the regional

district which shall be apportioned between the cities on a per public pupil calculation using

enrollment as of the prior October 1 using an average per pupil calculation, over the thirteen (13)

school years prior to the fiscal budget year.

     SECTION 2. Approval question.

     The question of the approval of this act shall be submitted to the electors of the town of

Bristol and town of Warren at the general election to be held in November, 2014. The question

shall be submitted in substantially the following form:

     "Shall an act passed at the January, 2014, session of the general assembly entitled 'An Act

Relating to and Amending Chapter 330 of the Public Laws of 1991 Authorizing the Towns of

Bristol and Warren to Form a Regional School District of all the public schools in the towns of

Bristol and Warren to include all grades and programs currently provided and any other grades

and programs specified by the regional school committee' be approved?"

     SECTION 3. It shall be the duty of the town clerks of the towns of Bristol and Warren to

keep a copy of the act available at their offices for public inspection, but any failure of any said

clerk to perform this duty shall not affect the validity of the election.

     SECTION 4. The provisions of section 16-3-9 requiring submission of the question to the

voters within six (6) months of receipt of the recommendation by the town councils shall not

apply and the date for submission provide herein is hereby approved.

     SECTION 5. This section and sections 2, 3, and 4 of this act shall take effect upon

passage of this act, and the remaining sections of this act shall take effect if a majority of those

electors qualified to vote upon proposition to impose a tax or for the expenditure of money,

voting upon the question as set forth in section 1 in each of said towns vote in favor thereof.

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LC005522

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