Rhode Island 2023 Regular Session

Rhode Island Senate Bill S0481 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2023 -- S 0481
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7	7	LC001773
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9	9	S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE PAUL W. CROWLEY RHODE ISLAND STUDENT
16	16	INVESTMENT INITIATIVE
17	17	Introduced By: Senators Zurier, Bell, Ciccone, Mack, Miller, and Quezada
18	18	Date Introduced: March 07, 2023
19	19	Referred To: Senate Education
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22	22	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
23	23	SECTION 1. Section 16-7.1-5.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.1 entitled "The Paul 1
24	24	W. Crowley Rhode Island Student Investment Initiative [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode 2
25	25	Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows: 3
26	26	16-7.1-5.1. Intervention and support for the Providence public school district. 4
27	27	[Expires on July 1, 2024.] 5
28	28	(a) No later than September 1, 2022, and in order to assess the Providence school district 6
29	29	across multiple measures of district performance and student success, the commissioner shall 7
30	30	update the turnaround action plan released June 23, 2020 (the “turnaround plan”), to include 8
31	31	measurable annual goals including, but not limited to, the following: 9
32	32	(1) Student attendance and suspension rates; 10
33	33	(2) Student safety and discipline; 11
34	34	(3) Student promotion, graduation, and dropout rates; 12
35	35	(4) Student achievement on the Rhode Island comprehensive assessment system; 13
36	36	(5) Progress in areas of academic underperformance; 14
37	37	(6) Progress among subgroups of students, including low-income students, English 15
38	38	learners, and students receiving special education; 16
39	39	(7) Reduction of achievement gaps among different groups of students; 17
40	40	(8) Student acquisition and mastery of twenty-first century skills; 18
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44	44	(9) Development of college readiness, including at the elementary and middle school 1
45	45	levels; 2
46	46	(10) Parent and family engagement; 3
47	47	(11) Building a culture of academic success among students; 4
48	48	(12) Building a culture of student support and success among faculty and staff; 5
49	49	(13) Recruitment and retention of a qualified, diverse workforce; 6
50	50	(14) Staffing ratios and teacher vacancies; 7
51	51	(15) Health and safety of facilities; and 8
52	52	(16) Developmentally appropriate child assessments, if applicable. 9
53	53	(b) Effective March 1, 2023, and for the duration of the turnaround, the Providence school 10
54	54	board shall meet at least monthly, and more frequently if necessary, to provide public input of 11
55	55	district performance and implementation of turnaround strategies. The Providence school board 12
56	56	shall have, at a minimum, the following powers and duties: 13
57	57	(1) To review and advise the commissioner on and approve the appointment of senior 14
58	58	school district administrators, provided that the Providence school board shall not have the 15
59	59	authority to appoint senior school district administrators so long as the turnaround plan is in effect; 16
60	60	(2) To advise the commissioner on districtwide policy, provided that the Providence school 17
61	61	board shall not have the authority to establish districtwide policy so long as the turnaround plan is 18
62	62	in effect set district-wide policy; 19
63	63	(3) To review progress toward annual performance measures; 20
64	64	(4) To receive feedback from stakeholders on the implementation of the turnaround plan; 21
65	65	(5) To establish appropriate advisory committees as needed to provide guidance on the 22
66	66	implementation of the turnaround plan; and 23
67	67	(6) Any other duties delegated to the Providence school board by the commissioner or the 24
68	68	council on elementary and secondary education (the “council”). 25
69	69	(c)(1) The order of reconstitution and control, issued October 15, 2019, shall be authorized 26
70	70	for a period of not more than five (5) years from issuance. The commissioner and turnaround 27
71	71	superintendent may jointly develop additional components of the turnaround plan and shall jointly 28
72	72	develop annual goals for each component of the plan in a manner consistent with this section. The 29
73	73	superintendent shall be responsible for meeting the goals of the turnaround plan. 30
74	74	(2) The commissioner and superintendent shall provide a written report to the Providence 31
75	75	school board at a minimum, on a biannual basis to provide specific information about the progress 32
76	76	being made on the implementation of the district’s turnaround plan. One of the quarterly reports 33
77	77	shall include progress toward annual measures, pursuant to this section. 34
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81	81	(3) The commissioner shall evaluate the performance of the superintendent on not less than 1
82	82	an annual basis. The purpose of such evaluation shall be to assess the implementation of the 2
83	83	turnaround plan and determine whether the district has met the annual goals contained in the 3
84	84	turnaround plan. The evaluation shall be in writing and submitted to the council and the Providence 4
85	85	school board no later than July 1 for the preceding school year. 5
86	86	(4) If the commissioner determines that the district has met the annual performance goals 6
87	87	stated in the turnaround plan, the evaluation shall be considered sufficient and the implementation 7
88	88	of the turnaround plan shall continue. 8
89	89	(5) If the commissioner determines that the superintendent has not met one or more goals 9
90	90	in the plan and the failure to meet the goals may be corrected through reasonable modification of 10
91	91	the plan, the commissioner, after consultation with the Providence school board and with the 11
92	92	approval of the council, may amend the turnaround plan. 12
93	93	(6) If the commissioner determines that the superintendent has substantially failed to meet 13
94	94	multiple goals in the turnaround plan, the commissioner may terminate such superintendent. 14
95	95	(d)(1) The council shall adopt regulations providing for: 15
96	96	(i) The end of turnaround status; and 16
97	97	(ii) The transfer of the operation of a school district from the Rhode Island department of 17
98	98	elementary and secondary education to the school committee and municipal control. 18
99	99	(2) The regulations shall include provisions to allow a district to retain measures adopted 19
100	100	in a turnaround plan for a transitional period if, in the judgment of the commissioner, the measures 20
101	101	would contribute to the continued improvement of the district. Such regulations shall also include 21
102	102	provisions that clearly identify the conditions under which such a transitional period shall end and 22
103	103	the powers granted to the commissioner and council under this section shall cease to apply to the 23
104	104	district. 24
105	105	(e) If, on the basis of the regulations adopted by the council pursuant to subsection (d) of 25
106	106	this section, the Providence school district has not improved sufficiently to remove the district from 26
107	107	turnaround status, the commissioner may, after consultation with the Providence school board and 27
108	108	with the approval of the council: 28
109	109	(1) Determine subsequent annual goals for each component of the turnaround plan with the 29
110	110	turnaround superintendent, and renew the turnaround plan for an additional period of not more than 30
111	111	three (3) years; and 31
112	112	(2) Create a new turnaround plan, consistent with the requirements of this section. 32
113	113	SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any provisions of P.L. 2022, ch. 263, §2, or of P.L. 2022, 33
114	114	ch. 264, §2, to the contrary, the provisions of §16-7.1-5.1 as amended by this Act in Section 1 shall 34
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118	118	remain in effect for the duration of the state’s takeover of the Providence public schools. 1
119	119	SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 2
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126	126	EXPLANATION
127	127	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
128	128	OF
129	129	A N A C T
130	130	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE PAUL W. CROWLEY RHODE ISLAND STUDENT
131	131	INVESTMENT INITIATIVE
132	132	***
133	133	This act would amend the provisions governing intervention and support for the Providence 1
134	134	public school district. The act would provide that the Providence school committee would review 2
135	135	and approve the appointment of senior school district administrators, and would also provide that 3
136	136	the amended provisions of §16-7.1-5.1 of the General Laws would remain in effect for the duration 4
137	137	of the State’s takeover of the Providence Public Schools. 5
138	138	This act would take effect upon passage. 6
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