Chapter 534
2016 -- H 7078
Enacted 08/13/2016

A N   A C T
RELATING TO THE EXETER-WEST GREENWICH SCHOOL DISTRICT

Introduced By: Representative Justin Price
Date Introduced: January 07, 2016

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
     SECTION 1. Section 1(G) of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act
Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich,
Rhode Island, with Respect to the Formation of a Regional School District," and the several
amendments to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows:
      (G) Quorum.
      The quorum for the transaction of business shall be a majority of the committee, require
that at least four (4) members of the committee be present and that both towns of the school
district be represented, but a number less than the simple majority may adjourn.
     SECTION 2. Section V of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act
Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich,
Rhode Island, with Respect to the Formation of a Regional School District," and the several
amendments to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows:
     Section V. Annual budget of the regional school district.
     (A) All-day referendum
     The annual budget of the regional school district, as proposed by the school committee,
shall be voted upon in an all-day referendum in the member towns to be held on the second or
third Monday of April each year to be scheduled by the school committee, with approval obtained
by a majority vote of the combined total vote of Exeter and West Greenwich.
     (B) Purpose
     The all-day referendum shall be the forum for the voters of Exeter and West Greenwich
to approve or reject the school committee's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year and to
approve or reject any warrant items that the school committee may place on the ballot.
     (C) Eligible voters and voting process
     All voters qualified to vote for at least 30 days prior to the date of the scheduled all-day
referendum or any subsequent referenda shall be eligible to vote at any all-day referendum. The
boards of canvassers of the towns of Exeter and West Greenwich shall canvass the respective
voting list of said towns prior to any such all-day referendum, and may, the provisions of §17-11-
1.1 notwithstanding, conduct the voting at a single polling place in each of Exeter and West
Greenwich.
     (D) Referenda subsequent to vote rejection of the budget
     In the event that the annual budget proposed by the school committee is rejected, the
school committee may voters reject the school committee's proposed annual budget, the
committee shall, as needed, schedule further subsequent all-day referenda to consider revised
annual budgets. Subsequent referenda may be conducted at thirty-day (30) intervals and shall be
conducted in a manner consistent with Section V(C). Prior to any subsequent referenda, the
school committee shall meet and adopt a revised budget. The revised budget shall be, at the
minimum, in the minimum amount necessary to operate the school district for the next fiscal year
in compliance with state and federal mandates and contractual obligations. To gain voter approval
of the revised budget, the school committee may advertise the advantages of the revised budget
within the towns and may, if the school committee deems necessary, schedule an informational
district financial meeting.
     (E) Failure of referenda to yield an approved annual budget
     If the school committee is unable to obtain an approved annual budget via the referenda
process set forth above before the beginning of the upcoming fiscal year, July 1, then the school
committee shall operate the school district in accordance with §16-2-23 and may seek any relief
under applicable laws and regulations.
     SECTION 3. Section VI of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act
Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich,
Rhode Island, with Respect to the Formation of a Regional School District," and the several
amendments to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows:
      (E) Times of payment of apportioned costs.
     Each member town shall pay to the district in each year its proportionate share, certified
as provided in subsection VII (E), of the construction and operating costs. The annual share of
each member town shall be paid in such amounts and at such times that at least the following
percentages of such annual share shall be paid on or before the dates indicated, respectively:
     September 1 15 25%
     December l 15 50%
     February 1 March 15 75%
     May 1 June 15 100%
     SECTION 4. Section VII of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act
Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich,
Rhode Island, with Respect to the Formation of a Regional School District," and the several
amendments to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows:
     Section VII. Procedure for the adoption of the annual budget.
     (A) Fiscal year.
     The regional school district fiscal year shall begin on July 1 of each year.
     (B) Initial budget. [No longer applicable]
     (C) Tentative maintenance and operating budget.
     1. Thereafter, [after initial budget] it shall be the duty of the regional school district
superintendent or chief administrative officer, to present to the regional district school committee,
at its regular meeting in the month of January, a preliminary budget containing his estimates of
the amount of money needed to operate the regional school district system for the ensuing fiscal
year, including therein provisions for any installment of principal or interest to become due in
such year on any bonds or other evidences of indebtedness of the district and any other
construction costs to be apportioned to the member towns in such year. The form of the budget
shall conform to the account system of the state department of education.
     2. The regional district school committee shall prepare and approve a budget which it
believes will efficiently operate the regional school district for the ensuing year not later than the
second Tuesday in March.
     3. At least seven (7) days before the all-day referendum in which the budget is to be
adopted, the regional district school committee shall hold a public hearing on the proposed
budget, at which time any citizen entitled to vote at the all-day referendum may be heard. Notice
of the date of such hearing, together with a summary of the proposed budget, accompanied by a
statement of the amount necessary to be raised by taxation shall be given at least ten (10) days in
advance thereof, by publication once in a newspaper of general circulation within the regional
school district and published in the State of Rhode Island.
     4. Within seventy-five (75) days before the all-day referendum at which the budget is to
be adopted, the regional district school committee shall hold workshops for the purpose of
committee deliberation, public information and public input with respect to the budget. Notice of
the dates of such workshops shall be given at least ten (10) days in advance thereof, by
publication once in a newspaper of general circulation within the regional school district and
published in the State of Rhode Island.
     5. Motions to increase or decrease the budget.
     Motions to increase or decrease the budget by ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or more
may be made by any qualified elector, provided that such motion is submitted to the regional
school district treasurer not later than thirty (30) days before the date of the all-day referendum.
The district treasurer shall forward the proposed amendment to the Town Clerks of Exeter and
West Greenwich for inclusion on the ballot at the all-day referendum.
     (D) Final maintenance and operating budget.
     No later than the second Tuesday of March in each year, the committee shall adopt the
final budget for the regional school district, the budget to include debt and interest charges and
any other current construction costs as separate items, and shall apportion the amounts so
necessary to be raised in order to meet the budget in accordance with the provisions of subsection
VI (D). The final budget, as adopted by the regional district school committee, shall be acted
upon at the all-day referendum to be held on the second or third Monday or April of each year as
provided by Section V.
     (E) Notification to member towns.
     Within ten (10) days subsequent to the adoption of the budget at the all-day referendum,
the regional school district treasurer shall certify to the budgeting officers and financial town
meeting of the respective towns the amount of money to be raised by taxes in each town as herein
provided for the support of the regional school district which amount shall become a part of the
budget for each respective town, and shall be appropriated in full by the financial town meeting.
     (F) Records.
     The fiscal records of the regional district school committee shall be available to the
auditors of the member towns.
     SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC003273
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