2016 -- S 2682

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LC005305

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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 08, 2016

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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

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

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

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

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

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amended to read as follows:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

LC005305 - Page 2 of 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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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

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basing the composition on recent census data.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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