2025 -- H 5532

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LC001259

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX

RELIEF ACT

     Introduced By: Representatives Furtado, Kazarian, Messier, Cruz, Read, Boylan, Alzate,
Stewart, Donovan, and Morales

     Date Introduced: February 13, 2025

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 16-7.2-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.2 entitled "The

Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     16-7.2-6. Categorical programs, state funded expenses.

     In addition to the foundation education aid provided pursuant to § 16-7.2-3, the permanent

foundation education-aid program shall provide direct state funding for:

     (a) Excess costs associated with special education students. Excess costs are defined when

an individual special education student’s cost shall be deemed to be “extraordinary.” Extraordinary

costs are those educational costs that exceed the state-approved threshold based on an amount

above four times the core foundation amount (total of core instruction amount plus student success

amount). The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available

for distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school

districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding appropriated in any fiscal year;

and the department of elementary and secondary education shall also collect data on those

educational costs that exceed the state-approved threshold based on an amount above two (2), three

(3), and five (5) times the core foundation amount;

     (b) Career and technical education costs to help meet initial investment requirements

needed to transform existing, or create new, comprehensive, career and technical education

programs and career pathways in critical and emerging industries and to help offset the higher-

than-average costs associated with facilities, equipment maintenance and repair, and supplies

necessary for maintaining the quality of highly specialized programs that are a priority for the state.

The department shall develop criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all career and technical

education funds as may be determined by the general assembly on an annual basis. The department

of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for distribution among

those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school districts are seeking

reimbursement exceed the amount of funding available in any fiscal year;

     (c) Programs to increase access to voluntary, free, high-quality pre-kindergarten programs.

The department shall recommend criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all early childhood

program funds as may be determined by the general assembly;

     (d) Central Falls, Davies, and the Met Center Stabilization Fund is established to ensure

that appropriate funding is available to support their students. Additional support for Central Falls

is needed due to concerns regarding the city’s capacity to meet the local share of education costs.

This fund requires that education aid calculated pursuant to § 16-7.2-3 and funding for costs outside

the permanent foundation education-aid formula, including, but not limited to, transportation,

facility maintenance, and retiree health benefits shall be shared between the state and the city of

Central Falls. The fund shall be annually reviewed to determine the amount of the state and city

appropriation. The state’s share of this fund may be supported through a reallocation of current

state appropriations to the Central Falls school district. At the end of the transition period defined

in § 16-7.2-7, the municipality will continue its contribution pursuant to § 16-7-24. Additional

support for the Davies and the Met Center is needed due to the costs associated with running a

stand-alone high school offering both academic and career and technical coursework. The

department shall recommend criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all stabilization funds as

may be determined by the general assembly;

     (e) Excess costs associated with transporting students to out-of-district non-public schools.

This fund will provide state funding for the costs associated with transporting students to out-of-

district non-public schools, pursuant to chapter 21.1 of this title. The state will assume the costs of

non-public out-of-district transportation for those districts participating in the statewide system.

The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for

distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school

districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding available in any fiscal year;

     (f) Excess costs associated with transporting students within regional school districts. This

fund will provide direct state funding for the excess costs associated with transporting students

within regional school districts, established pursuant to chapter 3 of this title. This fund requires

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that the state and regional school district share equally the student transportation costs net any

federal sources of revenue for these expenditures. The department of elementary and secondary

education shall prorate the funds available for distribution among those eligible school districts if

the total approved costs for which school districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount

of funding available in any fiscal year;

     (g) Public school districts that are regionalized shall be eligible for a regionalization bonus

as set forth below:

     (1) As used herein, the term “regionalized” shall be deemed to refer to a regional school

district established under the provisions of chapter 3 of this title, including the Chariho Regional

School district;

     (2) For those districts that are regionalized as of July 1, 2010, the regionalization bonus

shall commence in FY 2012. For those districts that regionalize after July 1, 2010, the

regionalization bonus shall commence in the first fiscal year following the establishment of a

regionalized school district as set forth in chapter 3 of this title, including the Chariho Regional

School District;

     (3) The regionalization bonus in the first fiscal year shall be two percent (2.0%) of the

state’s share of the foundation education aid for the regionalized district as calculated pursuant to

§§ 16-7.2-3 and 16-7.2-4 in that fiscal year;

     (4) The regionalization bonus in the second fiscal year shall be one percent (1.0%) of the

state’s share of the foundation education aid for the regionalized district as calculated pursuant to

§§ 16-7.2-3 and 16-7.2-4 in that fiscal year;

     (5) The regionalization bonus shall cease in the third fiscal year;

     (6) The regionalization bonus for the Chariho regional school district shall be applied to

the state share of the permanent foundation education aid for the member towns; and

     (7) The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available

for distribution among those eligible regionalized school districts if the total, approved costs for

which regionalized school districts are seeking a regionalization bonus exceed the amount of

funding appropriated in any fiscal year;

     (h) [Deleted by P.L. 2024, ch. 117, art. 8, § 1.]

     (i) State support for school resource officers. For purposes of this subsection, a school

resource officer (SRO) shall be defined as a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority

who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community-oriented policing

assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. School resource officers should have

completed at least forty (40) hours of specialized training in school policing, administered by an

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accredited agency, before being assigned. Beginning in FY 2019, for a period of three (3) years,

school districts or municipalities that choose to employ school resource officers shall receive direct

state support for costs associated with employing such officers at public middle and high schools.

Districts or municipalities shall be reimbursed an amount equal to one-half (½) of the cost of

salaries and benefits for the qualifying positions. Funding will be provided for school resource

officer positions established on or after July 1, 2018, provided that:

     (1) Each school resource officer shall be assigned to one school:

     (i) Schools with enrollments below one thousand two hundred (1,200) students shall

require one school resource officer;

     (ii) Schools with enrollments of one thousand two hundred (1,200) or more students shall

require two school resource officers;

     (2) School resource officers hired in excess of the requirement noted above shall not be

eligible for reimbursement; and

     (3) Schools that eliminate existing school resource officer positions and create new

positions under this provision shall not be eligible for reimbursement; and

     (j) Additional state support for districts to provide for the mental and behavioral health of

students. The total additional amount to support the mental and behavioral health of students shall

be equal to two percent (2%) of the district’s total expenditures. All categorical funds distributed

pursuant to this subsection shall be used to hire and retain staff to provide high-quality, research-

based services to students to support their mental and behavioral health. Such staff shall include

school social workers, school counselors, school psychologists, paraprofessionals, behavioral

specialists, and registered behavior techs (RBTs). To be eligible for such funding, districts must:

     (1) Be below the industry-recommended ratios of one school social worker per two hundred

fifty (250) students, one school counselor per two hundred fifty (250) students, one school

psychologist per five hundred (500) students, and/or have elementary classrooms without a full-

time paraprofessional, behavior specialist, or RBT;

     (2) Comply with all provisions of § 16-53.1-2; and

     (3) Maintain policies, based on best practice, to ensure students removed from the

classroom with escalated behavior receive de-escalation support before returning to the classroom.

The department of elementary and secondary education shall collect performance reports from

districts and approve the use of funds prior to expenditure. The department of elementary and

secondary education shall ensure the funds are aligned to activities that are innovative and

expansive and not utilized for activities the district is currently funding. The department of

elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for distribution among

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eligible recipients if the total calculated costs exceed the amount of funding available in any fiscal

year; and

     (j)(k) Categorical programs defined in subsections (a) through (g) shall be funded pursuant

to the transition plan in § 16-7.2-7.

     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 -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX

RELIEF ACT

***

     This act would amend the current law to mandate additional state education categorical

funding for the mental and behavioral health of students equal to two percent (2%) of the district’s

total expenditures, and would further mandate that those funds be used to hire and retain staff such

as school social workers, school counselors, school psychologists, paraprofessionals, behavioral

specialists, and registered behavior techs (RBTs). This act would also require that in order to be

eligible for such funding, districts must: (1) be below the industry-recommended ratios of student

population to school social worker, school counselor or school psychologist and/or have elementary

classrooms without a full-time behavior specialist; (2) comply with all provisions of the school

improvement team law; and (3) maintain policies to ensure students removed from the classroom

with escalated behavior receive de-escalation support before returning to the classroom. The act

would further require the department of elementary and secondary education to collect performance

reports from districts, approve the use of funds before expending, and ensure the funds are not

utilized for activities the district is currently funding.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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