Introduced By: Senators Kelly and Algiere
Date Introduced :April 2, 1998
Referred To: Senate Read and Passed
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Chapter 16-7.1 of the General Laws entitled "The Rhode Island Student Investment Initiative" is hereby repealed in its entirety.
{DEL THE RHODE ISLAND STUDENT INVESTMENT DEL}
{DEL INITIATIVE DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-1. Legislative findings. -- DEL} {DEL(A) This
legislation is a transition step toward enacting comprehensive
state education aid funding program which addresses four (4) fundamental
principles: DEL}
{DEL (1) Closing the inequitable resource gaps among school
districts and schools; DEL}
{DEL (2) Closing inequitable gaps in performance and achievement
among different groups of students, especially those correlated
with poverty, gender, and language background; DEL}
{DEL (3) Targeting investments to improve student and school
performance; DEL}
{DEL (4) And establishing a predictable method of distributing
state education aid in a manner that addresses the over-reliance
on the property tax to finance education. DEL}
{DEL This transitional step is designed to accelerate the implementation
of the State Comprehensive Education Strategy. The strategy is
an action plan for ensuring that all children achieve at high
levels and become lifelong learners, productive workers and responsible
citizens. The standard for expected student achievement is currently
being set at a high level both by the board of regents and in
Rhode Island's districts and schools. High standards must be supported
and these expectations must now be reached by all our students.
All the state's children must enjoy the success that comes with
proficiency in skill and knowledge. DEL}
{DEL (B) Evaluation of Success.. - Improved student and school
performance is the key measure of the success of Rhode Island's
schools. This success cannot occur without investment based on
the four fundamental principles as stated in section 16-7-1.2.
The success of these investments shall be evaluated based on:
accountability for student and school performance; accountability
in terms of whether the state's investment is sufficiently adequate
and equitable to support such improvement in performance; and
on accountability for district and school expenditures. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-2. Accountability for student performance.
-- DEL} {DELThe board of regents shall adopt and publish statewide
standards of performance and performance benchmarks in core subject
areas to include writing and mathematics (grades 4, 8 and 10).
These standards and performance benchmarks shall be ratified by
the board and implemented by December 31, 1997. By December 31,
1998, performance standards and performance benchmarks for reading
in two grades shall be added. DEL}
{DEL Districts and schools need to be held accountable for
student performance results. Therefore, every school district
receiving state education aid under Title 16 of the general laws
shall develop a district strategic plan. The district strategic
plan shall: be based on high academic standards for student performance
consistent with the Statewide standards and benchmarks; be the
product of a shared community wide process which defines a vision
of what students should know and be able to do; address the needs
of each school in the district; encourage the development of school-based
improvement planning and implementation; be designed to improve
student achievement with emphasis on closing the performance gaps
among groups of students such as the performance gaps correlated
with poverty, gender, and language background; include an asset
protection plan; and be consistent with Rhode Island's Comprehensive
Education Strategy. In order to assure the most efficient use
of resources implementing strategic plans, districts and schools
are encouraged to work together as consortia and as part of the
regional collaboratives. DEL}
{DEL The strategic plan shall include strategies to improve
the performance of students in mathematics, reading and writing.
These strategies shall be based on the adequate yearly progress
expected for students and schools. Annual performance targets
for determining whether schools and districts have made adequate
yearly progress will be set by the commissioner of education.
The general assembly expects these district strategies to increase
the number of fourth grade students performing at or above the
proficient standard in mathematics, reading and writing in each
district and school. In fiscal 1998-99 and beyond, the increase
shall be established annually in accordance with section 16-7.1-4. DEL}
{DEL All district strategic plans shall be submitted to the
commissioner of education no later than November 1, 1998. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-3. Accountability for district and school
expenditures. -- DEL} {DELBy June 30, 1998, all school districts
shall implement a uniform program to track educational expenditures
and investments. To ensure that each district's report on educational
expenditures accurately reflects actual experience, the business
office in each school district shall annually declare that the
facts and figures presented in the district expenditure report
are accurate to the best of their knowledge. In addition, each
school committee shall annually ratify the district expenditure
report and transmit the report to the commissioner of education
no later than November 1 of each year. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-4. Annual report by commissioner of education.
-- DEL}{DEL On or before March 1 of each year, the commissioner
of education shall annually publish a report detailing school
district and individual school performance consistent with section
16-60-4(22). This report shall also set annual performance benchmarks.
Also, the commissioner of education shall report to the house
of representatives and the senate, sitting as the grand committee,
no later than March 1 of each year, the status of district and
school performance, status of the level of the state's investment
in education, and the status of district and school expenditures. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-5. Intervention and support for failing schools.
-- DEL} {DELThe Board of Regents shall adopt a series of progressive
support and intervention strategies consistent with the Comprehensive
Education Strategy and the principles of the "School Accountability
for Learning and Teaching" (SALT) of the Board of Regents
for those schools and school districts that continue to fall short
of performance goals outlined in the district strategic plans. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-6. Core instruction equity fund. -- DEL}{DELThe general assembly recognizes that Rhode Island cities and towns
primarily rely on the local property tax to finance education
programs, and that the state's highest effective property tax
rates are concentrated in the state's urban communities. Therefore,
certain communities, because of low tax capacity and high tax
effort, are unable to appropriate sufficient funds for the support
of core instructional programs. The general assembly also recognizes
the need to reduce inequities in resource distribution among the
state's cities and towns as well as among the state's districts
and schools. Therefore, the general assembly hereby establishes
the Core Instructional Equity Fund to improve the capacity of
cities and towns to support the core instruction activities that
are the basis of daily teaching and learning in all classrooms.
The general assembly shall annually appropriate and distribute
some sum to meet these needs. The sum shall be distributed based
upon the following formula: DEL}
{DEL (a) Data: DEL}
{DEL Data used for the following calculations are defined as
follows: DEL}
{DEL (1) Population (state and municipal) shall be included
from the most recent census; DEL}
{DEL (2) Equalized weighted assessed valuations (ewav) from
the most recently completed and certified study pursuant to section
16-7-21; DEL}
{DEL (3) Most recent tax data certified by the local assessors
to the department of administration, and core instructional per
pupil cost as determined by the Commissioner of Elementary and
Secondary Education; DEL}
{DEL (4) Most recent resident average daily membership (RADM)
pursuant to section 16-7-22; DEL}
{DEL (b) Methodology: DEL}
{DEL Community Property Tax Capacity Index Calculation; DEL}
{DEL Calculate statewide tax rate; DEL}
{DEL Step 1: total statewide property tax yield/total statewide
property tax base (ewav)= state average tax rate; DEL}
{DEL Step 2: calculate statewide yield per capita; DEL}
{DEL Total statewide property tax yield/state population (most
recent census) = state property tax yield per capita; DEL}
{DEL Step 3: calculate municipal property tax yield per capita; DEL}
{DEL Municipal property tax yield/population = municipal property
tax yield per capita; DEL}
{DEL Step 4: calculate municipal property tax capacity; DEL}
{DEL (Municipal property tax yield per capita/state property
tax yield per capita) * 100 = Community property tax capacity
index; DEL}
{DEL Total Tax Capacity Index Calculation; DEL}
{DEL Step 5: calculate community hypothetical property tax
yield per capita; DEL}
{DEL (Statewide tax rate * municipal property tax base (ewav))/
Community population = Hypothetical community property tax yield
per capita; DEL}
{DEL Step 6: calculate total tax capacity index; DEL}
{DEL (Hypothetical municipal yield per capita/State average
property tax yield per capita) * 100 = total tax capacity index; DEL}
{DEL Tax Effort Index Calculation; DEL}
{DEL Calculate property tax effort calculation; DEL}
{DEL Step 7: (Municipal property tax yield per capita/hypothetical
municipal property tax yield per capita) * 100 = Property Tax
Effort Index DEL}
{DEL Capacity/Effort Index; DEL}
{DEL Calculation of the equity index; DEL}
{DEL Step 8: (Property tax capacity index/tax effort index
= Equity index; DEL}
{DEL Instructional Cost Per Pupil; DEL}
{DEL Calculate the instructional cost per RADM; DEL}
{DEL Step 9: core instructional district cost degrees district
RADM = per pupil core instructional district cost; DEL}
{DEL Step 10: select the statewide median per pupil instructional
cost; DEL}
{DEL Step 11: state median per pupil core instructional cost
-- district per pupil core instructional cost = core gap; DEL}
{DEL Step 12: core gap * RADM = weighted difference. DEL}
{DEL Eligibility to receive funds -- only those districts which
have a gap in instructional core funding and which have capacity
of less than 0.50 per the equity index are eligible to receive
funds under this provision in 1997-1998. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-7. Determination of state's share for fiscal
year 1997-1998. -- DEL} {DELNotwithstanding any other provisions
of the general laws, each school district, including the state
operated district of Central Falls, shall receive at least the
same amount of school aid in fiscal years 1997-1998 through and
including fiscal year 1999-2000 as each district received in fiscal
year 1996-1997 pursuant to section 16-7-20.7. For fiscal year
1997-1998, regional school districts shall receive the full regionalization
bonus as calculated in section 16-7-20.5; except that no regional
school district shall receive a regionalization bonus in 1997-1998
which is less than what the district received in 1996-1997, and
except that such regionalization bonuses shall not be subject
to the provisions of section 16-67-4. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-8. Student equity investment fund. -- DEL}{DELThe general assembly recognizes the need to improve fourth grade
performances in mathematics, reading and writing. Therefore, the
general assembly hereby establishes the Student Equity Investment
Fund to target students identified as those requiring additional
educational services. The general assembly shall annually appropriate
some sum and distribute based on each district's proportion of
children eligible for USDA reimbursable school meals relative
to the total number of such students statewide. For the purposes
of this section, the date as of such eligibility for USDA reimbursable
meals shall be determined by the June report of the reference
year as defined in section 16-7-16. These resources shall be used
to close student performance gaps in accordance with the district's
strategic plan pursuant to section 16-7.1-2. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-9. Student language assistance investment
fund. -- DEL} {DELThe general assembly recognizes the strength
Rhode Island's growing cultural diversity brings to the overall
economic and social health of the state. Therefore, the general
assembly hereby establishes the Student Language Assistance Investment
Fund to target state resources to assist students that require
additional language educational services. The general assembly
shall annually appropriate some sum and distribute based on each
district's proportion of full time equivalent limited English
proficiency students statewide in the reference year as defined
in section 16-7-16. For purposes of this section, full time equivalent
for limited English proficiency students shall be defined in section
16-54-4 of the general laws. These resources shall be used to
close student performance gaps in accordance with the district's
strategic plan pursuant to section 16-7.1-2. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-10. Professional development investment fund.
-- DEL} {DELIn order to continue developing the skills of Rhode
Island's teachers and staff, the general assembly hereby establishes
a Professional Development Investment Fund. The general assembly
shall annually appropriate some sum and distribute based on a
pupil-teacher ratio which shall be adjusted annually by the commissioner
of education. School districts may use funds received under this
category of education aid to replace up to, but no more than,
ten percent (10%) of the amount the school district spent for
professional development programs in the previous fiscal year.
The expenditure of these funds shall be determined by a committee
at each school consisting of the school principal; two teachers
selected by the teaching staff of the school and two parents of
students attending the school. Collaborative programs between
schools are encouraged. These resources shall be used to close
student performance gaps in accordance with the school's and district's
strategic plan pursuant to section 16-7.1-2. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-11. Early childhood investment fund. -- DEL}{DELThe general assembly hereby establishes the Early Childhood Student
Investment Fund to provide schools and teaching staff for the
early grades with resources to begin improving student performance.
The general assembly shall annually appropriate some sum and distribute
based on each district's proportion of their average daily membership
for grades kindergarten through and including third grade in the
reference year as defined in section 16-7-16 relative to the statewide
average daily membership for the same grades in the same fiscal
year. For purposes of this section, average daily membership for
grades kindergarten through and including third grade shall be
defined in section 16-7-22. These resources shall be used to close
student performance gaps in accordance with the district's strategic
plan pursuant to section 16-7.1-2. These early childhood investment
funds shall be used in coordination with the literacy set-aside
funds (chapter 67 of this title). In addition, these funds may
be used for early childhood pilot programs, including Child Opportunity
Zones (COZs), that combine and/or leverage some or all of the
following state, federal and/or local funds insofar as allowable:
student equity investment fund; literacy set-aside; special education
funds; Title I funds; and any other appropriate funds. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-12. Student technology investment fund. -- DEL}{DELThe general assembly hereby establishes the Student Technology
Investment Fund to provide schools and teaching staff with up-to-date
educational technology and training to help students meet the
demands of the 21st century. Rhode Island's Comprehensive Education
Strategy calls for providing support to all schools for educational
technology. The funds may be used for: curriculum development
to improve teaching and learning, in-service professional development
to support the effective use of technology in schools; and infrastructure
requirements such as equipment, software and networking of systems.
These resources shall be used to close student performance gaps
in accordance with the district's strategic plan pursuant to section
16-7.1-2 and be consistent with the technology plan of the Rhode
Island Comprehensive Strategy. The general assembly shall annually
appropriate some sum and distribute based on each district's proportion
of their average daily membership in the reference year as defined
in section 16-7-16. For purposes of this section, average daily
membership shall be defined in section 16-7-22. School districts
may use funds received under this category of education aid to
replace up to, but no more than, ten percent (10%) of the amount
the school district spent for technology related expenditures
in the previous fiscal year. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-13. State leadership in conducting annual
assessments of student performance. -- DEL} {DELSetting high standards
for student performance must be paired with related assessments
that will determine what progress the state is making toward bringing
all children to high levels of achievement. A state assessment
program shall be continued and expanded in core areas (mathematics,
reading, writing and health). The program shall include performance
standards and an annual report which disaggregates performance
by race, poverty, native language and gender. The general assembly
shall annually appropriate funds to support the programs. The
amount for fiscal 1998 is $1,093,043 and shall be recalculated
annually. The commissioner of education shall implement the state
assessment program. DEL}
{DEL 16-7.1-14. Joint commission. -- DEL}{DEL The special
joint commission established in section 16-79-2 shall continue
to work toward a comprehensive state education aid funding program.
The commission will examine the needs of pre-kindergarten aged
children and adult education programs. The commission will also
examine compensation and benefit programs of persons employed
in public education. DEL}
SECTION 2. Section 16-7-23 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7 entitled "Foundation Level School Support" is hereby amended to read as follows:
16-7-23. Community requirements -- Adequate minimum budget
provision. -- The school committee's budget provisions
of each community for current expenditures in each budget year
shall provide for an amount from all sources sufficient to support
the basic program and all other approved programs shared by the
state. For fiscal year {DEL s DEL} 1998 {DEL through
and including fiscal year 2000 DEL}, each community shall
contribute local funds to its school committee an amount not less
than its {ADD fiscal year 1997 ADD} local contribution for schools
{DEL in the previous fiscal year DEL}. The courts of this
state shall enforce this section by writ of mandamus.
{DEL Furthermore, whenever any state funds are appropriated
for educational purposes, the funds shall be used for educational
purposes only and all such state funds must be used to supplement
any and all money allocated by a city or town for educational
purposes and, in no event, shall state funds be used to supplant,
directly or indirectly, any money allocated by a city or town
for educational purposes. All state funds shall be appropriated
by the municipality to the school committee for educational purposes
in the same fiscal year in which they are appropriated at the
state level even if the municipality has already adopted a school
budget. All state and local funds unexpended by the end of the
fiscal year of appropriation shall remain a surplus of the school
committee and shall not revert to the municipality. Any such surplus
of state or local funds shall not in any respect affect the requirement
that each community contribute local funds in fiscal years 1998
through and including fiscal year 2000 in an amount not less than
its local contribution for schools in the previous fiscal year,
and shall not in any event be deducted from the amount of the
local appropriation required to meet the maintenance of effort
provision in any given year. DEL}
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.
This act would repeal "The Rhode Island Student Investment Initiative Act" which provided a comprehensive state education aid funding program.
This act would take effect upon passage.
