2016 -- S 2648

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LC004942

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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 -- TEACHER TENURE

     Introduced By: Senators DiPalma, Lombardi, and Archambault

     Date Introduced: February 25, 2016

     Referred To: Senate Labor

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 16-13-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-13 entitled "Teachers'

Tenure" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     16-13-2. Annual contract basis -- Automatic continuation. -- (a) Teaching service

shall be on the basis of an annual contract, except as hereinafter provided, and the contract shall

be deemed to be continuous unless the governing body of the schools shall notify the teacher, in

writing, on or before March 1, that the contract for the ensuing year will not be renewed., unless

the dismissal of the teacher is for just cause, in which case the governing body need only provide

reasonable notice and a hearing, consistent with §16-12-6. If the dismissal or nonrenewal is based

on fiscal exigency or program reorganization, the governing body shall notify the teacher on or

before June 1 s t of the school year immediately preceding the school year in which the dismissal

or nonrenewal is to become effective. Provided, however, that a teacher, upon request, shall be

furnished a statement of cause for dismissal or nonrenewal of his or her contract by the school

committee; provided further, that whenever any contract is not renewed, or the teacher is

dismissed, the teacher shall be entitled to a hearing and appeal pursuant to the procedure set forth

in § 16-13-4.

      (b) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prohibit, or at any time to have

prohibited, a school committee from agreeing, in a collective bargaining agreement, to the

arbitration of disputes arising out of a dismissal or nonrenewal of a nontenured teacher pursuant

to subsection (a) of this section.

     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 -- TEACHER TENURE

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     This act would provide that only reasonable notice and a hearing needs to be provided to

a teacher dismissed for just cause. Teacher termination for just cause would not be subject to the

March 1 deadline for notifying a teacher that their contract will not be renewed for the next

school year.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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