2024 -- S 2365 | |
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LC004496 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- PAUL W. CROWLEY STUDENT INVESTMENT | |
INITIATIVE | |
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Introduced By: Senators Murray, DiPalma, Cano, Sosnowski, Acosta, and Gallo | |
Date Introduced: February 12, 2024 | |
Referred To: Senate Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 16-7.1-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.1 entitled "The Paul |
2 | W. Crowley Rhode Island Student Investment Initiative [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode |
3 | Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
4 | 16-7.1-10. Professional development investment fund. |
5 | (a) In order to continue developing the skills of Rhode Island’s teachers, administrators |
6 | and staff, to facilitate the dissemination of curriculum materials aligned with curriculum |
7 | frameworks and state assessments, and to implement district professional development plans |
8 | required by certification regulations, the general assembly establishes a Professional Development |
9 | Investment Fund. The general assembly shall annually appropriate some sum and distribute it based |
10 | on a pupil-teacher ratio per pupil basis that shall be adjusted annually by the commissioner of |
11 | elementary and secondary education. School districts, including collaboratives established pursuant |
12 | to chapter 3.1 of this title, may use funds received under this category of education aid to replace |
13 | up to, but no more than, fifty percent (50%) of the amount the school district spent for professional |
14 | development programs in the previous fiscal year. The expenditure of these funds shall be |
15 | determined by a committee at each school consisting of the school principal, two (2) teachers |
16 | selected by the teaching staff of the school, and two (2) parents of students attending the school. |
17 | Schools that enroll students in the early grades (kindergarten through grade three (3)) must expend |
18 | these funds on the development of scientific research based, as described in the No Child Left |
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1 | Behind Act of 2001, Title 1, Part B, Section 1208 [20 U.S.C. § 6368], reading instruction to |
2 | improve students reading performance. |
3 | Schools that have met their performance targets in reading for the current academic year |
4 | and are not designated as a school in need of improvement, may expend their Professional |
5 | Development Investment Funds on professional development in the core academic subjects of |
6 | mathematics, writing, or reading to improve student performance. |
7 | Collaborative programs between schools are encouraged. These resources shall be used to |
8 | close student performance gaps in accordance with the school’s and district’s strategic plan |
9 | pursuant to § 16-7.1-2. Additional funds shall be allocated to the department of elementary and |
10 | secondary education to support teacher and administrator professional development in all districts, |
11 | including, but not limited to: |
12 | (1) Supporting mentoring systems; |
13 | (2) Providing school districts with program support to assist teachers in local school |
14 | districts to improve reading instruction and enhance the integration of reading throughout the |
15 | curriculum with the goal of improving student performance to high standards; |
16 | (3) Support for the design and implementation of leadership development for the teacher |
17 | to assume leadership roles or ultimately prepare for administrator; |
18 | (4) Development of a plan for formal training of school leaders in standards based |
19 | instruction, school improvement planning, effective use of data in the decision-making process, |
20 | community involvement and creation of governance structures; |
21 | (5) Support for national board certification of teachers, application fees for a certificate of |
22 | clinical competence issued by the American speech-language hearing association, and grants for |
23 | coordination and support of school based teacher professional development; and |
24 | (6) The practice of scientific research based reading instruction to improve reading |
25 | performance. |
26 | (b) In FY 2003, the additional funds allocated to the department of elementary and |
27 | secondary education pursuant to this section shall be used only to support the activities described |
28 | in subdivisions (a)(2) and (a)(5) of this section. |
29 | (c) Out of the funds appropriated by the general assembly for professional development in |
30 | subsection (a) of this section, twenty-five percent (25%) shall be set aside for district-wide |
31 | professional development activities. The expenditure of this district-wide professional development |
32 | set-aside the professional development investment funds in each school district shall be determined |
33 | by a committee in each district consisting of the superintendent or his or her designee, three (3) |
34 | teachers appointed by the collective bargaining agent, and one member of the Rhode Island |
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1 | department of elementary and secondary education field service team servicing that school district |
2 | designated by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education appointed by the |
3 | superintendent. The expenditure must be aligned with the district strategic plan as well as ongoing |
4 | professional development programs approved by the department of elementary and secondary |
5 | education the LEA professional learning plan required by the department of education certification |
6 | regulations. Collaborative programs between school districts are permissible. |
7 | (d) Beginning in FY 2006, professional development funds shall only be spent with the |
8 | prior approval of the commissioner of elementary and secondary education upon submission of a |
9 | district level plan which incorporates the school level plans and which details the use of the funds. |
10 | These plans shall to the extent possible call for professional development activities that are |
11 | embedded or do not otherwise encroach upon student instruction time. The requirements of this |
12 | paragraph shall apply to both district-wide professional development activities and professional |
13 | development activities determined by the school-level committees. |
14 | (e) In FY 2009 payments from the professional development investment fund are hereby |
15 | suspended through June 30, 2009. Notwithstanding, school districts may continue to maintain |
16 | professional development programs and may reduce other education programs to achieve savings. |
17 | (f) In FY 2010 payments from the professional development investment fund are hereby |
18 | suspended through June 30, 2010. Notwithstanding, school districts may continue to maintain |
19 | professional development programs and may reduce other education programs to achieve savings. |
20 | (g) Commencing in FY 2025, the sum of two hundred dollars ($200) per student shall be |
21 | allocated to each school district to the professional development investment fund. |
22 | SECTION 2. 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 -- PAUL W. CROWLEY STUDENT INVESTMENT | |
INITIATIVE | |
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1 | This act would restructure the professional development investment fund to assume duties |
2 | of dissemination of curriculum materials aligned with curriculum frameworks, state assessments, |
3 | and implement district professional development plans with an allocation of two hundred dollars |
4 | ($200) per student for fiscal year 2025. |
5 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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