Chapter 192
2008 -- S 2128 SUBSTITUTE A
Enacted 07/02/08
A N A C T
RELATING
TO EDUCATION - SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS
Introduced
By: Senators Tassoni, Jabour, and Doyle
Date
Introduced: January 30, 2008
It is enacted by the General Assembly as
follows:
SECTION 1. Section
16-2-9.3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-2 entitled "School
Committees and Superintendents" is hereby
amended to read as follows:
16-2-9.3.
The advisory council on school finances. -- (a) The legislature hereby
finds
and declares that there is a need for an
advisory council on school finances to strengthen the fiscal
accountability of school districts, regional
school districts, state schools and charter schools in
Rhode Island. The council shall be composed of
five (5) members as follows:
(1) The auditor
general of the state of Rhode Island or his or her designee;
(2) The executive
director of the Rhode Island association of school committees or his or
her designee;
(3) The president
of the Rhode Island association of school business officials or his or
her designee;
(4) The
commissioner of elementary and secondary education or his or her designee; and
(5) The director of
the department of administration or his or her designee. The auditor
general or his or her designee shall serve as
chair of the council. By July 1, 2005, the council shall
develop recommendations for a uniform system of
accounting, including a chart of accounts for
all school districts, regional school districts,
state schools and charter schools. By July 1, 2009 the
council shall develop recommendations for a
uniform system of accounting for all educational
regional collaboratives identified in section
16-3.1.
Said recommendations shall be advisory in
nature and may be adopted by the office of
auditor general and the department of elementary and
secondary education in part or in whole.
(b) The council
shall meet no less than annually and recommend changes in accounting
procedures to be adopted by school districts,
regional school districts, state schools and charter
schools as well as apprise school business
officials, charter school officials, school committees
and school superintendents, school
administrators and state school officials about professional
development opportunities that promotes sound
fiscal practices and a knowledge of current state
and federal rules and regulations regarding
school finance. The council shall also report, annually,
its activities and recommendations to the house
committee on education accountability, the senate
committee on education and the office of the
governor.
SECTION 2. Section
16-3.1-13 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-3.1 entitled
"Cooperative Service Among School
Districts" is hereby amended to read as follows:
16-3.1-13.
Reporting. -- Any collaborative established under this chapter shall
implement a uniform system of accounting in
compliance with section 16-2-9.3 program to track
their expenditures and investments and file a
report on said expenditures and investments by
October 1, of each year, with the Rhode Island
board of regents for elementary and secondary
education, the office of the auditor general,
the Rhode Island senate committee on education and
finance, the Rhode Island house of representatives committee
on education accountability
committee on health, education and welfare and
finance
and local school committees. Each
collaborative shall also file periodic reports,
to the board of regents, the senate education
committee and the house education
accountability health, education and welfare committee,
detailing their activities and programs.
SECTION 3. This
act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC00850/SUB A
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