2016 -- H 7926

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LC004658

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION - THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

ACT

     Introduced By: Representatives O`Grady, Fogarty, Amore, Tanzi, and Barros

     Date Introduced: March 10, 2016

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 16-7.2-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.2 entitled "The

Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     16-7.2-5. Charter public schools, the William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical

High School, and the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center. -- (a) Charter

public schools defined in chapter 77 of this title, the William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical

High School (Davies) and the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center (the Met

Center) shall be funded pursuant to § 16-7.2-3. If the October 1 actual enrollment data for any

charter public school shows a ten percent (10%) or greater change from the prior year enrollment

which is used as the reference year average daily membership, the third and fourth quarter

payments to the charter public school will be adjusted to reflect actual enrollment. The state share

of the permanent foundation education aid shall be paid by the state directly to the charter public

schools, Davies, and the Met Center pursuant to § 16-7.2-9 and shall be calculated using the state

share ratio of the district of residence of the student as set forth in § 16-7.2-4. The department of

elementary and secondary education shall provide the general assembly with the calculation of

the state share of permanent foundation education aid for charter public schools delineated by

school district. The department shall also provide the general assembly a performance dashboard

indicating the per-pupil expenditures of each school district and charter school broken down by

revenue sources and expenditure categories. The department shall provide, within the same

dashboard, student performance indicators for each school district or charter school. The local

share of education funding, as defined by the department of elementary and secondary education

and approved by the General Assembly, shall be paid to the charter public school, Davies, and the

Met Center by the district of residence of the student and shall be the local per-pupil cost

calculated by dividing the local appropriation to education from property taxes, net of debt

service, charter tuitions and capital projects, as defined in the uniform chart of accounts by the

average daily membership for each city and town, pursuant to § 16-7-22, for the reference year.

      (b) Local district payments to charter public schools, Davies, and the Met Center for

each district's students enrolled in these schools shall be made on a quarterly basis in July,

October, January and April; however, the first local district payment shall be made by August 15

instead of July. Failure of the community to make the local district payment for its student(s)

enrolled in a charter public school, Davies, and/or the Met Center may result in the withholding

of state education aid pursuant to § 16-7-31.

     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 add charter tuitions to the calculation used to determine local per-pupil

cost.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC004658

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