2025 -- H 6325

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LC002825

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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 PAUL W. CROWLEY RHODE ISLAND STUDENT

INVESTMENT INITIATIVE

     Introduced By: Representatives Cortvriend, and Finkelman

     Date Introduced: May 09, 2025

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Chapter 16-7.1 of the General Laws entitled "The Paul W. Crowley Rhode

Island Student Investment Initiative [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of

Education Act]" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

     16-7.1-20. High-cost special education fund for excess costs associated with special

education students.

     (a) The general assembly recognizes the need to support the academic instruction of

students who require high-cost special needs instruction, which costs constitute excess costs

associated with special education students. To help accomplish this support, there is hereby

established a high-cost special education fund (the "fund") to enable participating municipalities to

pool their financial resources through voluntary contributions to a fund from which awards pursuant

to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section may be made at a later date when a municipality

experiences unanticipated high-cost special education expenses for high-cost special needs

instruction.

     (b) The fund shall be housed within and managed by the office of the general treasurer.

The general treasurer shall invest and manage the fund in order to maximize the combined deposits

from municipalities and generate income to help defray the expense of excess costs associated with

special education students.

     (c) Awards from the fund to municipalities shall be determined by the department of

elementary and secondary education. Awards shall be based on specific needs for the district in

accordance with criteria developed by the department. Provided, this criteria shall seek to provide

assistance to municipalities to assist with extraordinary costs associated with special education

students and shall include, as a factor, the total amount of contributions made by the municipality

up to the date of the request for an award.

     (d) Participation in the fund shall be voluntary; provided that, a municipality shall be

required to have contributed to the fund in a fiscal year prior to the year in which the municipality

makes application for an award from the fund.

     (e) The initial contribution to the fund by a municipality shall be equal to the municipality's

high-cost special education expenses for the prior fiscal year.

     (f) When used in this section, the following words and phrases are construed as follows:

     (1) "Extraordinary costs" has the same meaning as defined in § 16-7.2-6(a).

     (2) "High-cost special education" means financial support provided to school districts with

extraordinary needs and includes excess costs associated with special education students as

provided in § 16-7.2-6(a).

     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 PAUL W. CROWLEY RHODE ISLAND STUDENT

INVESTMENT INITIATIVE

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     This act would establish a new high-cost special education fund to pool resources and

generate income to support excess costs associated with providing service to special education

students.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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