2016 -- S 2816

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LC005536

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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

IN AMENDMENT OF AND IN ADDITION TO CHAPTER 286 OF THE PUBLIC LAWS OF

1986, ENTITLED "AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE TOWNS OF CHARLESTOWN,

RICHMOND AND HOPKINTON, TO JOIN A REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT,

INCORPORATING SAID REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND PROVIDING FOR THE

ISSUANCE OF BONDS, CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF A REGIONAL SCHOOL

FOR THE JOINT USE OF THE PARTICIPATING TOWNS, WITHIN SAID REGIONAL

SCHOOL DISTRICT ESTABLISHED BY THIS ACT, " AS AMENDED

     Introduced By: Senators Morgan, and Algiere

     Date Introduced: March 23, 2016

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 10 (1) of Chapter 286 of 1986 Public Laws, entitled "An Act

Authorizing the Towns of Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton, to Join a Regional School

District, Incorporating said Regional School District, and Providing for the Issuance of Bonds,

Construction and Operation of a Regional School System for the Joint Use of the Participating

Towns, Within Said Regional School District Established by this Act," as amended, is hereby

amended to read as follows:

     SECTION 10. (l)(a) There shall be a regional school committee for said district.

consisting of eleven (11) members, each Each member town shall be represented on the

committee in direct proportion to its population. as determined by the most recent population

census figures. The total population of the district shall then be divided by eleven (11) and

the resulting quotients thus obtained shall be used as a basis for determining the proportionate

representation of each said member town on said committee, and realizing that the mathematical

divisions of said formula will not obtain absolute evenness, fractions of .5 or more shall be

construed as 1 point and fractions less than .5 shall be construed as 0. Subject to the limitations

aforesaid, the members of said committee from each of the member towns to be elected or

appointed for terms hereinafter set forth shall be determined as of the time of each bi-annual

election and each of the said member towns, based upon the census aforesaid. The first such

regional school committee shall be elected in the general election in November, 1988. In the

general election 1988 each town electing three (3) members of the school committee shall elect

two (2) members to serve a term of four (4) years and one (1) member to serve a term of two (2)

years. A town electing more than three (3) representatives shall elect three (3) members for a term

of two (2) years and additional members for a term of four (4) years. Thereafter members shall be

elected for a term of four (4) years. Until such time as those elected in that election shall be

certified and qualified, the existing Chariho Regional High School District Committee shall serve

as the Regional School Committee. On the effective date of this amendment, one seat shall be

added to the school committee, for a total of twelve (12) seats. The Richmond Town Council

shall appoint a qualified elector to the twelfth seat for a term that expires in November 2018. In

the general election of 2018, Richmond voters shall elect a school committee member to the

twelfth seat to serve a four (4) year term that expires in November 2022.

     (1)(b) Beginning with the 2022 general election, the school committee shall consist of a

minimum of ten (10) seats and a maximum of fourteen (14) seats. For the general election of

2022, and every ten (10) years thereafter, the population schedules of the most recent federal

decennial census shall be used to determine the size school committee that will provide the most

equal representation in proportion to population for all three (3) towns in the district. The number

of seats shall be determined as follows: The ideal number of persons represented by each seat is

determined by dividing the total district population by ten (10). The number of seats each town is

entitled to is determined by dividing the population of each town by the ideal number of persons

represented by each seat, with fractions of 0.5 or greater rounded up and fractions of less than 0.5

rounded down. The total should be ten (10). If the total is more than ten (10), the smallest number

above 0.5 is rounded down instead of up, and if the total number is less than ten (10), the greatest

number below 0.5 is rounded up instead of down. The total number of seats should then be ten

(10). The number of people in each town who would be represented by each seat is determined by

dividing the population of the town by the number of seats that town is entitled to. The deviation

from the ideal number in each town is expressed as a percentage. Comparing the deviation

percentages in all three (3) towns, the largest percentage of over-representation and the largest

percentage of under-representation are added together to determine the maximum deviation for a

school committee of ten (10) seats. This calculation is repeated for school committees of eleven

(11), twelve (12), thirteen (13), and fourteen (14) seats to determine the maximum deviation for

each size school committee. The smallest of the five (5) maximum deviations determines the

number of school committee seats that will yield the most equal representation in proportion to

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population for all three (3) towns in the district based on the most recent federal decennial census.

     (1)(c) In the event of any vacancy by death, resignation or incapacity to serve of any term

of any member of said regional school district committee, the town council of the member town

in which such vacancy occurs shall fill such vacancy by election by a majority vote of the town

council of said town for the unexpired term of the member whose office is thus vacated.

     (1)(b)(d) Since the United States Census bureau of the census conducts on a decennial

basis and in view of the fact that any of the Chariho towns may incur rapid shifts in population

which could affect the composition of the Chariho school committee, there may be agreement

among the town councils to provide for a census on a five (5) years basis beginning in 1995 in

any year ending in 5. A census of the towns taken in 1987 will be used as the basis for school

committee composition until the 1900 United States bureau of census data is provided. The cost

of the 1987 census will be borne by each town in proportion to its population. Any town objecting

to the use of the United States census material population schedules may require the making of an

actual census. in time for the first general election after 1995. The cost of such a census shall be

borne equally by the three (3) towns and shall not constitute a reimbursable education expense;

provided further that in the event that such an actual census does not result in a count materially

different from the numbers contained in the material population schedules compiled by the

United States bureau of the census, then the cost of the actual census, shall be borne by the town

or towns objecting to the use of such bureau of the census material population schedules.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC005536

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

IN AMENDMENT OF AND IN ADDITION TO CHAPTER 286 OF THE PUBLIC LAWS OF

1986, ENTITLED "AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE TOWNS OF CHARLESTOWN,

RICHMOND AND HOPKINTON, TO JOIN A REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT,

INCORPORATING SAID REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND PROVIDING FOR THE

ISSUANCE OF BONDS, CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF A REGIONAL SCHOOL

FOR THE JOINT USE OF THE PARTICIPATING TOWNS, WITHIN SAID REGIONAL

SCHOOL DISTRICT ESTABLISHED BY THIS ACT, " AS AMENDED

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     This act would alter the composition of the Chariho Regional School Committee by

basing the composition on recent census data.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC005536

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