2017 -- S 0920

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LC002718

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION - THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

ACT

     

     Introduced By: Senators Pearson, Miller, Gallo, Sheehan, and Satchell

     Date Introduced: May 30, 2017

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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

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

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

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High School, and the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center.

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     (a) Charter public schools, as defined in chapter 77 of this title, the William M. Davies,

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Jr. Career and Technical High School (Davies), and the Metropolitan Regional Career and

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Technical Center (the Met Center) shall be funded pursuant to § 16-7.2-3. If the October 1 actual

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enrollment data for any charter public school shows a ten percent (10%) or greater change from

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the prior year enrollment which is used as the reference year average daily membership, the last

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six (6) monthly payments to the charter public school will be adjusted to reflect actual enrollment.

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The state share of the permanent foundation education aid shall be paid by the state directly to the

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

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

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

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

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delineated by school district.

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     (b) The local share of education funding shall be paid to the charter public school,

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Davies, and the Met Center by the district of residence of the student and shall be the local, per-

 

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

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debt service, and capital projects, as defined in the uniform chart of accounts by the average daily

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

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     (c) Beginning in FY 2017, there shall be a reduction to the local per pupil funding paid by

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the district of residence to charter public schools, Davies, and the Met Center. This reduction

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shall be equal to the greater (i) Of seven percent (7%) of the local, per-pupil funding of the

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district of residence pursuant to subsection (b) or (ii) The per-pupil value of the district's costs for

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non-public textbooks, transportation for non-public students, retiree health benefits, out-of-district

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special-education tuition and transportation, services for students age eighteen (18) to twenty-one

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(21) years old, pre-school screening and intervention, and career and technical education, tuition

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and transportation costs, debt service and rental costs minus the average expenses incurred by

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charter schools for those same categories of expenses as reported in the uniform chart of accounts

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for the prior preceding fiscal year pursuant to § 16-7-16(11) and verified by the department of

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elementary and secondary education. In the case where audited financials result in a change in the

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calculation after the first tuition payment is made, the remaining payments shall be based on the

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most recent audited data. For those districts whose greater reduction occurs under the calculation

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of (ii), there There shall be an additional reduction to payments to mayoral academies and any

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other state-operated school with teachers who do not participate in the state teacher's retirement

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system under chapter 8 of title 36 equal to the per-pupil value of teacher retirement costs

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attributable to unfunded liability as calculated by the state's actuary for the prior preceding fiscal

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year.

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

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

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

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

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

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education aid pursuant to § 16-7-31.

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     (e) Beginning in FY 2017, school districts with charter public school, Davies, and the

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Met Center enrollment, that, combined, comprise five percent (5%) or more of the average daily

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membership as defined in § 16-17-22, shall receive additional aid for a period of three (3) years.

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Aid in FY 2017 shall be equal to the number of charter public school, open-enrollment schools,

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Davies, or the Met Center students as of the reference year as defined in § 16-7-16 times a per-

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pupil amount of one hundred seventy-five dollars ($175). Aid in FY 2018 shall be equal to the

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number of charter public school, open-enrollment schools, Davies, or the Met Center students as

 

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of the reference year as defined in § 16-7-16 times a per-pupil amount of one hundred dollars

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($100). Aid in FY 2019 shall be equal to the number of charter public school, open-enrollment

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schools, Davies, or the Met Center students as of the reference year as defined in § 16-7-16 times

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a per-pupil amount of fifty dollars ($50.00). The additional aid shall be used to offset the adjusted

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fixed costs retained by the districts of residence.

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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

RELATING TO EDUCATION - THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

ACT

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     This act would provide for a reduction to local per pupil funding for state-operated

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schools that do not have teachers who participate in the state teacher's retirement system.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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