2022 -- S 2838 SUBSTITUTE A | |
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LC005629/SUB A | |
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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 Zurier, Goodwin, DiPalma, Cano, Mack, Bell, Ciccone, | |
Date Introduced: April 05, 2022 | |
Referred To: Senate Education | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Chapter 16-7.1 of the General Laws entitled "The Paul W. Crowley Rhode |
2 | Island Student Investment Initiative [See Title 16 Chapter 97 - The Rhode Island Board of |
3 | Education Act]" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following sections: |
4 | 16-7.1-5.1. Intervention and support for the Providence public school district. |
5 | (a) No later than September 1, 2022, and in order to assess the district across multiple |
6 | measures of district performance and student success, the commissioner shall update the turnaround |
7 | plan released June 23, 2020, to include measurable annual goals including, but not limited to, the |
8 | following: |
9 | (1) Student attendance and suspension rates; |
10 | (2) Student safety and discipline; |
11 | (3) Student promotion, graduation and dropout rates; |
12 | (4) Student achievement on the Rhode Island comprehensive assessment system; |
13 | (5) Progress in areas of academic underperformance; |
14 | (6) Progress among subgroups of students, including low-income students, English learners |
15 | and students receiving special education; |
16 | (7) Reduction of achievement gaps among different groups of students; |
17 | (8) Student acquisition and mastery of twenty-first century skills; |
18 | (9) Development of college readiness, including at the elementary and middle school |
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1 | levels; |
2 | (10) Parent and family engagement; |
3 | (11) Building a culture of academic success among students; |
4 | (12) Building a culture of student support and success among faculty and staff; |
5 | (13) Recruitment and retention of a qualified, diverse workforce; |
6 | (14) Staffing ratios and teacher vacancies; |
7 | (15) Health and safety of facilities; and |
8 | (16) Developmentally appropriate child assessments, if applicable. |
9 | (b) Effective March 1, 2023, and for the duration of the turnaround, the Providence school |
10 | board shall meet at least monthly, and more frequently if necessary, to provide public oversight of |
11 | district performance and implementation of turnaround strategies. The Providence school board |
12 | shall have, at a minimum, the following powers and duties: |
13 | (1) To review and approve the appointment of senior school district administrators; |
14 | (2) To set district-wide policy; |
15 | (3) To review progress toward annual performance measures; |
16 | (4) To receive feedback from stakeholders on the implementation of the turnaround plan; |
17 | (5) To establish appropriate advisory committees as needed to provide guidance on the |
18 | implementation of the turnaround plan; and |
19 | (6) Any other duties delegated by the commissioner or council on elementary and |
20 | secondary education. |
21 | (c)(1) The order of reconstitution and control, issued October 15, 2019, shall be authorized |
22 | for a period of not more than five (5) years from issuance. The commissioner and turnaround |
23 | superintendent may jointly develop additional components of the turnaround plan and shall jointly |
24 | develop annual goals for each component of the plan in a manner consistent with this section. The |
25 | superintendent shall be responsible for meeting the goals of the turnaround plan. |
26 | (2) The commissioner and superintendent shall provide a written report to the Providence |
27 | school board at a minimum, on a quarterly basis to provide specific information about the progress |
28 | being made on the implementation of the district's turnaround plan. One of the quarterly reports |
29 | shall include progress toward annual measures, pursuant to this section. |
30 | (3) The commissioner shall evaluate the performance of the superintendent on not less than |
31 | an annual basis. The purpose of such evaluation shall be to assess the implementation of the |
32 | turnaround plan and determine whether the district has met the annual goals contained in the |
33 | turnaround plan. The evaluation shall be in writing and submitted to the council and the Providence |
34 | school board no later than July 1 for the preceding school year. |
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1 | (4) If the commissioner determines that the district has met the annual performance goals |
2 | stated in the turnaround plan, the evaluation shall be considered sufficient and the implementation |
3 | of the turnaround plan shall continue. |
4 | (5) If the commissioner determines that the superintendent has not met one or more goals |
5 | in the plan and the failure to meet the goals may be corrected through reasonable modification of |
6 | the plan, the commissioner may amend the turnaround plan, with approval of the Providence school |
7 | board. |
8 | If the commissioner determines that the superintendent has substantially failed to meet |
9 | multiple goals in the turnaround plan, the commissioner may terminate such superintendent. |
10 | (d)The council on elementary and secondary education shall adopt regulations providing |
11 | for: |
12 | (1) The end of turnaround status; and |
13 | (2) The transfer of the operation of a school district from the Rhode Island department of |
14 | education to the school committee and municipal control. |
15 | The regulations shall include provisions to allow a district to retain measures adopted in a |
16 | turnaround plan for a transitional period if, in the judgment of the commissioner, the measures |
17 | would contribute to the continued improvement of the district. Such regulations shall also include |
18 | provisions that clearly identify the conditions under which such a transitional period shall end and |
19 | the powers granted to the commissioner and council under this section shall cease to apply to the |
20 | district. |
21 | (e) If, on the basis of the regulations adopted by the council pursuant to subsection (d) of |
22 | this section, the Providence school district has not improved sufficiently to remove the district from |
23 | turnaround status, the commissioner may: |
24 | (1) Jointly determine subsequent annual goals for each component of the turnaround plan |
25 | with the turnaround superintendent and, with approval from the Providence school board, renew |
26 | the turnaround plan for an additional period of not more than three (3) years; and |
27 | (2) Create a new turnaround plan, consistent with the requirements of this section. |
28 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC005629/SUB A | |
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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 | |
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1 | This act would require the commissioner to update the status of Providence school district, |
2 | taking various factors into consideration, including, student attendance, student safety, student |
3 | promotion and shall otherwise require the commissioner to update the turnaround plan released |
4 | June 23, 2020. |
5 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC005629/SUB A | |
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