2026 -- S 3009

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LC005709

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY SHARED SERVICES

AND THE POTENTIAL FOR REGIONALIZATION OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Senators Acosta, Felag, DiPalma, Quezada, Gu, E Morgan, Ujifusa,
DiMario, McKenney, and Zurier

     Date Introduced: March 05, 2026

     Referred To: Senate Education

     WHEREAS, Public school enrollment in Rhode Island has trended downward since

2019, and is projected to continue declining due to lower birth rates, reduced immigration, and

increased enrollment in charter schools; and

     WHEREAS, Rising per-pupil and total costs of providing public education in Rhode

Island have placed increasing fiscal pressure on state and local education budgets; and

     WHEREAS, When student enrollment declines or shifts between districts, funding

reductions may occur without a corresponding ability to proportionally reduce fixed educational

costs, including facilities, transportation, staffing, and administrative functions; and

     WHEREAS, The operation of multiple school districts, each requiring administrative

structures and operational systems, may result in duplicative costs and limit opportunities to

achieve economies of scale; and

     WHEREAS, Shared services and regionalization of school districts may present

opportunities to improve administrative efficiency, align resources with student needs, and

strengthen educational and extracurricular programming; and

     WHEREAS, Any consideration of shared services or regionalization must ensure

educational equity, preserve community voice, and protect the interests of students, families, and

educators across municipalities of varying size and character; and

     WHEREAS, A focused and data-driven review of school district shared services and

regionalization would assist policymakers in evaluating feasibility, fiscal impact, governance

implications, and educational outcomes; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That a special legislative study commission be and the same is hereby

created consisting of nine (9) members: three (3) of whom shall be members of the Senate, at

least one of whom shall be a member of the minority party, and including one representing a

municipality characterized as urban, one representing a municipality characterized as suburban,

and one representing a municipality characterized as rural, to be appointed by the President of the

Senate; one of whom shall be the Executive Director of the National Education Association

Rhode Island (NEARI), or designee; one of whom shall be the President of the American

Federation of Teachers Rhode Island, (AFT Rhode Island), or designee; one of whom shall be the

Executive Director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, or designee; one of whom

shall be the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education for the Rhode Island

Department of Education (RIDE), or designee; one of whom shall be the President of the Rhode

Island Association of School Committees (RIASC), or designee; and one of whom shall be of the

Executive Director of the Rhode Island School Superintendents’ Association (RISSA), or

designee.

     In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a legislative study

commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly resolution, the appointing

authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu of a legislator.

     The purpose of said commission shall be to study and prepare a report including, but not

limited to, addressing:

     • Existing shared service arrangements among Rhode Island school districts;

     • The fiscal, administrative, and governance implications of district regionalization;

     • The impact of shared services or regionalization on educational equity and student

outcomes;

     • Potential cost savings or efficiencies;

     • Any statutory or regulatory changes that may be necessary to facilitate shared services

or regionalization; and

     • Recommendations, if any, for legislative or administrative action.

     By August 2026, upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall

be appointed and shall meet at the call of the President of the Senate and shall organize, and the

Senate President shall appoint a chair.

     Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment.

     The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

     All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information,

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documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or

desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution; and, be it further

     RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the

Senate on or before April 15, 2027, and said commission shall expire on submission of its report,

and said report may be submitted electronically and made publicly available.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY SHARED SERVICES

AND THE POTENTIAL FOR REGIONALIZATION OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

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     This resolution would create a nine (9) member special legislative commission whose

purpose it would be to study shared services and the potential for regionalization of school

districts, and who would report back to the Senate on or before April 15, 2027, and whose life

would expire once its report is issued.

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