Chapter 310
2003 --
H 5459
Enacted 07/17/03
AN ACT
RELATING
TO EDUCATION -- THE RHODE ISLAND STUDENT INVESTMENT
INITIATIVE
Introduced
By: Representatives Menard, Gallison, McCauley, Schadone, and Winfield
Date
Introduced: February 05, 2003
It
is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION
1. Section 16-7.1-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.1 entitled "The
Rhode
Island Student Investment Initiative" is hereby amended to read as
follows:
16-7.1-10.
Professional development investment fund. -- (a) In order to continue
developing
the skills of Rhode Island's teachers and staff, the general assembly
establishes a
Professional
Development Investment Fund. The general assembly shall annually appropriate
some
sum and distribute it based on a pupil-teacher ratio that shall be adjusted
annually by the
commissioner
of elementary and secondary education. School districts, including collaboratives
established
pursuant to chapter 16-3.1, may use funds received under this category of education
aid
to replace up to, but no more than, fifty percent (50%) of the amount the
school district spent
for
professional development programs in the previous fiscal year. The expenditure
of these funds
shall
be determined by a committee at each school consisting of the school principal,
two (2)
teachers
selected by the teaching staff of the school, and two (2) parents of students
attending the
school.
Schools that enroll students in the early grades (kindergarten through grade
three (3))
must
expend these funds on the development of scientific research based, as
described in the No
Child
Left Behind Act of 2001, Title 1, Part B, Section 1208 [20 U.S.C. section 6368]
reading
instruction
to improve students reading performance. Collaborative programs between schools
are
encouraged.
These resources shall be used to close student performance gaps in accordance
with
the
school's and district's strategic plan pursuant to section 16-7.1-2. Additional
funds shall be
allocated
to the department of elementary and secondary education to support teacher
professional
development in all districts, including, but not limited to:
(1) Supporting mentoring systems;
(2) Providing school districts with program support to assist teachers in local
school
districts
to improve reading instruction and enhance the integration of reading
throughout the
curriculum
with the goal of improving student performance to high standards;
(3) Support for the design and implementation of a system for the training of
school
leaders;
(4) Support for national board certification of teachers and grants for
coordination and
support
of school based teacher professional development; and
(5) The practice of scientific research based reading instruction to improve
reading
performance.
(b) In FY 2003, the additional funds allocated to the department of elementary
and
secondary
education pursuant to this section shall be used only to support the activities
described
in
subdivisions (a)(2) and (a)(5) of this section.
(c) The department shall continue to use resources allocated within its
operating budget
to
support National Board Certification activities and for FY 2003 that amount
shall be ninety
thousand
dollars ($90,000).
(d) Out of the funds appropriated by the general assembly for professional
development
in
subsection (a) of this section, twenty-five percent (25%) shall be set aside
for district-wide
professional
development activities. The expenditure of this district-wide professional
development
set-aside shall be determined by a committee in each district consisting of the
superintendent
or his or her designee, three (3) teachers appointed by the collective
bargaining
agent,
and one member of the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary
education
field
service team servicing that school district designated by the commissioner of
elementary and
secondary
education. Collaborative programs between school districts are permissible.
SECTION
2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
=======
LC01597
=======