2015 -- H 5275

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LC000900

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- FOUNDATION LEVEL SCHOOL SUPPORT

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Ucci, Fellela, Costantino, and Carnevale

     Date Introduced: February 04, 2015

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 16-7-22 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7 entitled "Foundation

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Level School Support [See Title 16 Chapter 97 - The Rhode Island Board Of Education Act]" is

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hereby amended to read as follows:

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     16-7-22. Determination of average daily membership. -- Each community shall be

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paid pursuant to the provisions of § 16-7-17 an amount based upon the following provisions:

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      (1) On or before September 1 of each year the average daily membership of each city

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and town for the reference year shall be determined by the commissioner of elementary and

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secondary education from data supplied by the school committee in each community in the

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following manner: The aggregate number of days of membership of all pupils enrolled full time

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in grade twelve (12) and below, except that pupils below grade one who are not full time shall be

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counted on a full-time equivalent basis:

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     (i) Increased by the aggregate number of days of membership of pupils residing in the

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particular city or town whose tuition in schools approved by the department of elementary and

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secondary education in other cities and towns is paid by the particular city or town; and

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     (ii) Decreased by the aggregate number of days of membership of nonresident pupils

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enrolled in the public schools of the particular city or town and further decreased by the aggregate

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number of days of membership equal to the number of group home beds calculated for the

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purposes of reimbursement pursuant to § 14-64-1.1; and

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     (iii) Decreased further, in the case of a city or town that is a member of a regional school

 

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district during the first year of operation of the regional school district by the aggregate number of

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days of membership of pupils residing in the city or town who would have attended the public

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schools in the regional school district if the regional school district had been operating during the

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previous year, divided by the number of days during which the schools were officially in session

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during the reference year. The resulting figures shall be the average, daily membership for the

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city or town for the reference year. For purposes of calculating the permanent foundation

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education aid as described in § 16-7.2-3(1) and (2), the average, daily membership for school

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districts shall exclude charter school and state school students, and beginning in school year

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2014-2015, include an estimate to ensure that districts converting from a half-day to a full-day

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kindergarten program pursuant to § 16-99-4 are credited on a full-time basis beginning in the first

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year of enrollment and are funded notwithstanding the transition plan pursuant to § 16-7.2-7(c).

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      (2) The average daily membership of pupils attending public schools shall apply for the

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purposes of determining the percentage of the state's share under the provisions of §§ 16-7-16(3),

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16-7-16(10), 16-7-18, 16-7-19, 16-7-20, 16-7-21 and 16-7.2-4.

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      (3) In the case of regional school districts, the aggregate number of days of membership

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by which each city or town is decreased in subdivision (1)(iii) of this section, divided by the

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number of days during which the schools attended by the pupils were officially in session, shall

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determine the average daily membership for the regional school district during the first year of

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operation. After the first year of operation, the average, daily membership of each regional school

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district, except the Chariho regional high school district, shall be determined by the commissioner

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of elementary and secondary education from data supplied by the school committee of each

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regional school district for the reference year in the manner provided in subdivision (1) of this

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section.

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     SECTION 2. Section 16-7.2-7 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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     16-7.2-7. Transition plan. -- (a) The general assembly shall annually determine the

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appropriation of education aid pursuant to this chapter using a transition plan to begin in fiscal

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year 2012, not to exceed seven (7) years for LEA's for whom the calculated education aid

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pursuant to § 16-7.2-3 is more than the education aid the LEA is receiving as of the effective date

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of the formula, and ten (10) years for LEA's for whom the calculated education aid pursuant to §

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16-7.2-3 is less than the education aid the LEA is receiving as of the effective date of the formula.

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      (b) The local share of funding pursuant to § 16-7.2-5 shall be transitioned

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proportionately over a period not to exceed five (5) years. The transition shall provide a

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combination of direct aid to districts, funds for the categorical programs, and district savings

 

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through state-assumed costs, as determined by the general assembly on an annual basis. Updates

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to any components of the permanent foundation education aid formula, such as student data,

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property values, and/or median family income, that result in an increase or decrease in state

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education aid that impacts the total state and local contribution by more than three percent (3%)

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shall be transitioned over a period of time not to exceed three (3) years.

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      (c) For districts that are converting from a half-day to a full-day kindergarten program

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for the 2014-2015 2015-2016 school year and after, as defined by § 16-99-4, the increase in aid

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provided pursuant to the formula for the increased reference average daily membership due to the

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conversion of the kindergarten students from 0.5 full-time equivalent to 1.0 full-time equivalent is

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not subject to the transition plan in subsection (a); instead, the increased kindergarten full-time

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equivalents will be funded at the fully transitioned value of the formula beginning in FY 2017

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2016.

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     SECTION 3. 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 -- FOUNDATION LEVEL SCHOOL SUPPORT

***

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     This act would provide that funding for kindergartens that have been converted from

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part-time to full-time beginning with the 2015-2016 school year would be fully funded beginning

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in fiscal year 2016.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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