2022 -- S 2309 | |
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LC004673 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE PAUL W. CROWLEY RHODE ISLAND STUDENT | |
INVESTMENT INITIATIVE | |
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Introduced By: Senators Pearson, Gallo, Cano, Acosta, and Murray | |
Date Introduced: February 15, 2022 | |
Referred To: Senate Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Subject to the conditions, limitations and restrictions hereinafter contained in |
2 | this act, the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) is hereby appropriated to Rhode Island college |
3 | in addition to amounts previously appropriated and shall be paid out of any money in the treasury |
4 | not otherwise appropriated to be extended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, to fulfill the |
5 | provisions of § 16-7.1-10(d) and (e). For purposes and functions hereinafter mentioned, the state |
6 | controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for |
7 | the payment of such sums or such portions thereof as may be required from time to time upon |
8 | receipt by him or her of properly authenticated vouchers. |
9 | SECTION 2. The general assembly from money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, |
10 | shall make an annual appropriation to Rhode Island college in an amount sufficient to cover the |
11 | full cost of certifying teachers for teaching English to speakers of other languages, bilingual |
12 | education, in multilingual learning, and/or English as a second language through programs offered |
13 | at Rhode Island college. For FY 2023, the appropriation amount shall be equal to the appropriation |
14 | provided in section 1 of this act. |
15 | SECTION 3. Section 16-7.1-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.1 entitled "The Paul |
16 | W. Crowley Rhode Island Student Investment Initiative [See Title 16 Chapter 97 - The Rhode |
17 | Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
18 | 16-7.1-10. Professional development investment fund. |
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1 | (a) In order to continue developing the skills of Rhode Island's teachers, administrators and |
2 | staff, the general assembly establishes a Professional Development Investment Fund. The general |
3 | assembly shall annually appropriate some sum and distribute it based on a pupil-teacher ratio that |
4 | shall be adjusted annually by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education. School |
5 | districts, including collaboratives established pursuant to chapter 3.1 of this title, may use funds |
6 | received under this category of education aid to replace up to, but no more than, fifty percent (50%) |
7 | of the amount the school district spent for professional development programs in the previous fiscal |
8 | year. The expenditure of these funds shall be determined by a committee at each school consisting |
9 | of the school principal, two (2) teachers selected by the teaching staff of the school, and two (2) |
10 | parents of students attending the school. Schools that enroll students in the early grades |
11 | (kindergarten through grade three (3)) must expend these funds on the development of scientific |
12 | research based, as described in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Title 1, Part B, Section 1208 |
13 | [20 U.S.C. § 6368], reading instruction to improve students reading performance. |
14 | Schools that have met their performance targets in reading for the current academic year |
15 | and are not designated as a school in need of improvement, may expend their Professional |
16 | Development Investment Funds on professional development in the core academic subjects of |
17 | mathematics, writing, or reading to improve student performance. |
18 | Collaborative programs between schools are encouraged. These resources shall be used to |
19 | close student performance gaps in accordance with the school's and district's strategic plan pursuant |
20 | to § 16-7.1-2. Additional funds shall be allocated to the department of elementary and secondary |
21 | education to support teacher and administrator professional development in all districts, including, |
22 | but not limited to: |
23 | (1) Supporting mentoring systems; |
24 | (2) Providing school districts with program support to assist teachers in local school |
25 | districts to improve reading instruction and enhance the integration of reading throughout the |
26 | curriculum with the goal of improving student performance to high standards; |
27 | (3) Support for the design and implementation of leadership development for the teacher |
28 | to assume leadership roles or ultimately prepare for administrator; |
29 | (4) Development of a plan for formal training of school leaders in standards based |
30 | instruction, school improvement planning, effective use of data in the decision-making process, |
31 | community involvement and creation of governance structures; |
32 | (5) Support for national board certification of teachers, application fees for a certificate of |
33 | clinical competence issued by the American speech-language hearing association, and grants for |
34 | coordination and support of school based teacher professional development; and |
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1 | (6) The practice of scientific research based reading instruction to improve reading |
2 | performance. |
3 | (b) In FY 2003, the additional funds allocated to the department of elementary and |
4 | secondary education pursuant to this section shall be used only to support the activities described |
5 | in subdivisions (a)(2) and (a)(5) of this section. |
6 | (c)(b) Out of the funds appropriated by the general assembly for professional development |
7 | in subsection (a) of this section, twenty-five percent (25%) shall be set aside for district-wide |
8 | professional development activities. The expenditure of this district-wide professional development |
9 | set-aside shall be determined by a committee in each district consisting of the superintendent or his |
10 | or her designee, three (3) teachers appointed by the collective bargaining agent, and one member |
11 | of the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education field service team servicing |
12 | that school district designated by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education. The |
13 | expenditure must be aligned with the district strategic plan as well as ongoing professional |
14 | development programs approved by the department of elementary and secondary education. |
15 | Collaborative programs between school districts are permissible. |
16 | (d)(c) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, Beginning beginning in FY |
17 | 2006, professional development funds shall only be spent with the prior approval of the |
18 | commissioner of elementary and secondary education upon submission of a district level plan |
19 | which incorporates the school level plans and which details the use of the funds. These plans shall |
20 | to the extent possible call for professional development activities that are embedded or do not |
21 | otherwise encroach upon student instruction time. The requirements of this paragraph shall apply |
22 | to both district-wide professional development activities and professional development activities |
23 | determined by the school-level committees. |
24 | (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any school where the |
25 | employer imposes a requirement on any certified teacher to obtain a certification or further |
26 | education in teaching English to speakers of other languages, bilingual education, in multilingual |
27 | learning, and/or English as a second language that the teacher did not already have, upon pain of |
28 | adverse job action or consequences related to employment, and such certification is offered at |
29 | Rhode Island college: |
30 | (1) The teacher shall not be required to pay any cost for application to the program at Rhode |
31 | Island college; |
32 | (2) The teacher shall not be charged any tuition, fees, or expenses for any aspect of the |
33 | course of study to obtain the certification or education; and |
34 | (3) No adverse job action shall be taken against the teacher on the basis of lacking the new |
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1 | certification or education as long as: |
2 | (i) Less than one year has elapsed since the announcement of the new certification or |
3 | education requirement; |
4 | (ii) The teacher has submitted an application to Rhode Island college to pursue the |
5 | certification or educational program; |
6 | (iii) The teacher remains on a waitlist for enrollment in the program or any class necessary |
7 | to complete the program; or |
8 | (iv) The teacher is enrolled at Rhode Island college in pursuit of the certification or |
9 | educational program. |
10 | (e) The terms "adverse job action" and "consequences related to employment" in subsection |
11 | (d) of this section, shall be read liberally in order to effectuate the purposes of this section and shall |
12 | include, but not be limited to, reassignment to a different grade level, reassignment to a different |
13 | school, changes in seniority, changes in pay, changes in benefits, changes in availability of |
14 | discretionary funding, or other changes impacting the teacher personally or their chosen method of |
15 | providing instruction. |
16 | (e) In FY 2009 payments from the professional development investment fund are hereby |
17 | suspended through June 30, 2009. Notwithstanding, school districts may continue to maintain |
18 | professional development programs and may reduce other education programs to achieve savings. |
19 | (f) In FY 2010 payments from the professional development investment fund are hereby |
20 | suspended through June 30, 2010. Notwithstanding, school districts may continue to maintain |
21 | professional development programs and may reduce other education programs to achieve savings. |
22 | SECTION 4. 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 -- THE PAUL W. CROWLEY RHODE ISLAND STUDENT | |
INVESTMENT INITIATIVE | |
*** | |
1 | This act would provide for a one-time appropriation of one million dollars ($1,000,000) |
2 | and an annual appropriation thereafter to Rhode Island college, for providing at no cost, |
3 | certification and educational programs to teachers that are teaching English to speakers of other |
4 | languages, bilingual education, or in multi-bilingual learning and for English as a second language. |
5 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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