2020 -- H 7674

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LC004531

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX

RELIEF ACT

     

     Introduced By: Representatives McLaughlin, McNamara, Hull, Serpa, and Millea

     Date Introduced: February 26, 2020

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 16-7.2-4 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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     16-7.2-4. Determination of state's share.

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     (a) For each district, the state's share of the foundation education aid calculated pursuant

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to § 16-7.2-3(a) shall use a calculation that considers a district's revenue-generating capacity and

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concentration of high-need students. The calculation is the square root of the sum of the state-share

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ratio for the community calculation, pursuant to § 16-7-20, squared plus the district's percentage of

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students in grades PK-6 in poverty status squared, divided by two.

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     (b) For purposes of determining the state's share, school district student data used in this

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calculation shall include charter school and state school students. These ratios are used in the

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permanent foundation education aid formula calculation described in § 16-7.2-5.

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     (c) For the 2020-2021 fiscal year only, the state shall appropriate an additional sum of state

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education aid, necessary to make up to each local school district, whose state share of foundation

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education aid was reduced from the prior year pursuant to the foundation education-aid formula,

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the aid amount the district lost when their 2019-2020 fiscal year education aid was reduced from

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the amount they received in the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

 

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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 EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX

RELIEF ACT

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     This act would require the state to make a one-time appropriation to all school districts who

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had their state educational aid reduced for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, as compared to their 2018-

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2019 fiscal year aid, to make up for that reduction in state aid.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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