Chapter
337
2003
-- S 0301
Enacted
07/17/03
AN ACT
RELATING TO EDUCATION
Introduced By: Senators Connors, Alves,
Badeau, and DaPonte
Date Introduced:
February 06, 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, and collaboratives
established pursuant to the
provisions of 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.
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LC01661
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