Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5337 Compare Versions

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

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5	5	2025 -- H 5337
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7	7	LC000840
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COOPERATIVE SERVICE AMONG SCHOOL DISTRICTS-
16	16	-CHARTER SCHOOL REFO RM
17	17	Introduced By: Representatives Place, Fascia, Santucci, Roberts, and Quattrocchi
18	18	Date Introduced: February 07, 2025
19	19	Referred To: House Education
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22	22	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
23	23	SECTION 1. Chapter 16-3.1 of the General Laws entitled "Cooperative Service Among 1
24	24	School Districts [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby 2
25	25	amended by adding thereto the following section: 3
26	26	16-3.1-22. Nontraditional approaches to learning. 4
27	27	(a) Any charter school may offer nontraditional approaches to learning or methods 5
28	28	differing from traditional education approaches from mainstream education. Each charter school 6
29	29	shall offer progressive, student-centric and task-based approaches to learning, and shall not focus 7
30	30	on learning by memorization or a reading approach to learning. 8
31	31	(b) The Rhode Island department of education shall review all applications for charter 9
32	32	schools providing nontraditional approaches to learning to ensure the nontraditional criteria is a 10
33	33	sufficient substitute for a traditional education. 11
34	34	SECTION 2. Section 16-77-3.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-77 entitled 12
35	35	"Establishment of Charter Public Schools [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of 13
36	36	Education Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows: 14
37	37	16-77-3.1. Legislative purpose. 15
38	38	(a) The purpose of this chapter is to provide an alternative within the public education 16
39	39	system by offering opportunities for entities identified in § 16-77-2.1 to establish and maintain a 17
40	40	high performing public school program according to the terms of a charter. The key appeal of the 18
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44	44	charter school concept is its promise of increased accountability for student achievement in 1
45	45	exchange for increased school autonomy. 2
46	46	(b) Charter public schools are intended to be vanguards, laboratories, and an expression of 3
47	47	the on-going and vital state interest in the improvement of education. Notwithstanding the 4
48	48	provisions of this section or any law to the contrary, a charter school shall be deemed to be a public 5
49	49	school acting under state law and subject to the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 42 U.S.C. § 6101, 6
50	50	et seq., title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d, et seq., title IX of the educational 7
51	51	amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. § 1681, et seq., § 794 of title 29, and part B of the Individuals With 8
52	52	Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1411, et seq. All students and prospective students of a 9
53	53	charter school shall be deemed to be public school students, having all the same rights under federal 10
54	54	and Rhode Island law as students and prospective students at a non-chartered public school. These 11
55	55	charter public schools shall be vehicles for research and development in areas such as curriculum, 12
56	56	pedagogy, administration, materials, facilities, governance, parent relations and involvement, 13
57	57	social development, instructor’s and administrator’s responsibilities, working conditions, student 14
58	58	performance and fiscal accountability. It is the intent of the general assembly to create within the 15
59	59	public school system vehicles for innovative learning opportunities to be utilized and evaluated in 16
60	60	pilot projects. The provisions of this chapter are to be interpreted liberally to support the purposes 17
61	61	set forth in this chapter and to advance a renewed commitment by the state to the mission, goals, 18
62	62	and diversity of public education. 19
63	63	(c) It is the intent of the general assembly to provide opportunities for teachers, parents, 20
64	64	pupils, and community members to establish and maintain public schools that operate 21
65	65	independently as a method to accomplish all of the following: 22
66	66	(1) Improve pupil learning by creating schools with rigorous academic standards in all 23
67	67	basic areas of instruction for high pupil performance; 24
68	68	(2) Increase learning opportunities for all pupils, with special emphasis on expanded 25
69	69	learning experiences for pupils who are identified as educationally disadvantaged and at-risk; 26
70	70	(3) Encourage the use of innovative teaching methods; 27
71	71	(4) Create opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the 28
72	72	learning program at the school site; 29
73	73	(5) Provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational 30
74	74	opportunities that are available within the public school system; 31
75	75	(6) Hold the schools established under this chapter accountable for meeting publicly 32
76	76	promulgated, measurable, state and charter-based pupil academic results, and provide the schools 33
77	77	with a method to implement performance-based and/or other student-based accountability systems, 34
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81	81	while providing a means to restrict the expansion of ineffective charter public schools; and 1
82	82	(7) Encourage parental and community involvement with public schools. 2
83	83	(d) No private or parochial schools shall be eligible for charter public school status, nor 3
84	84	shall a charter public school be affiliated in any way with a sectarian school or religious institution. 4
85	85	Any charter public school authorized by this chapter shall be nonsectarian and nonreligious in its 5
86	86	programs, admissions policies, employment practices, and all other operations. The board of 6
87	87	regents shall not approve a charter to a school whose overall operation or education program is 7
88	88	managed by a for profit entity. 8
89	89	(e) The commissioner is empowered to promulgate rules and regulations consistent with 9
90	90	this chapter, in conformance with chapter 35 of title 42, for the creation and operation of charter 10
91	91	public schools. These rules and regulations shall set forth the process for rescission of state approval 11
92	92	of a charter public school, including appropriate protections to ensure the continued provision of 12
93	93	education services to the students of the charter public school whose charter is rescinded. 13
94	94	(f) All charter public schools shall adhere to financial record keeping, reporting, auditing 14
95	95	requirements, and procedures as required by the Rhode Island department of education and in 15
96	96	accordance with federal and state laws and regulations. 16
97	97	(g) No more than thirty-five (35) charters shall be granted. At least one-half (½) of the total 17
98	98	number of charter public schools in the state shall be reserved for charter school applications which 18
99	99	are designed to increase the educational opportunities for at-risk pupils. 19
100	100	(h) Any charter school, whose charter has not been renewed, shall have their formerly 20
101	101	allotted seats, reallocated to a school that is authorized to offer nontraditional approaches to 21
102	102	learning or methods, pursuant to §16-3.1-22. 22
103	103	SECTION 3. Chapter 16-77 of the General Laws entitled "Establishment of Charter Public 23
104	104	Schools [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended 24
105	105	by adding thereto the following section: 25
106	106	16-77-13. Local communities permitted to adopt all-charter public school model for 26
107	107	public education. 27
108	108	(a) Each city and town of this state may adopt, as an alternative to traditional public schools, 28
109	109	an all-charter public school model, to provide public education. This process may utilize the 29
110	110	establishment of all new charter public schools, a conversion of traditional public schools to charter 30
111	111	public schools, or a combination thereof. A municipality seeking to convert to an all-charter public 31
112	112	school model shall submit a plan detailing the provision of education under the plan (the “plan”), 32
113	113	as well as how the municipality shall transition into the plan. 33
114	114	(b) The plan referred to in subsection (a) of this section shall be presented to both the 34
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118	118	municipality’s council, board, or other governing body, and to the school committee or board of 1
119	119	the municipality. If both the governing body and the school committee of the municipality vote in 2
120	120	favor of the plan, the plan shall be presented and submitted to the voters of the municipality as a 3
121	121	referendum at either a special or general election. Upon an affirmative vote of those voting in the 4
122	122	election in favor of and approving the plan, the plan shall be deemed approved. In such event, the 5
123	123	municipality may undertake such measures as set forth in the plan and as are otherwise necessary 6
124	124	to implement the all-charter public school model within the municipality. 7
125	125	SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage. 8
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132	132	EXPLANATION
133	133	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
134	134	OF
135	135	A N A C T
136	136	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COOPERATIVE SERVICE AMONG SCHOOL DISTRICTS-
137	137	-CHARTER SCHOOL REFO RM
138	138	***
139	139	This act would allow charter schools to engage in nontraditional approaches to learning, 1
140	140	which must be reviewed by the department of education, and would also require that seats allocated 2
141	141	to a charter school, whose charter has not been renewed, be reallocated to a school which offers 3
142	142	nontraditional approaches and methods to learning. Additionally, this act would permit local 4
143	143	communities to adopt an all-charter school public school model for public education. This act 5
144	144	would provide that adoption of this model would require an affirmative vote of the local 6
145	145	municipality’s council and school committee, followed by an affirmative vote on a referendum on 7
146	146	the adoption, at a special or general election in the municipality. 8
147	147	This act would take effect upon passage. 9
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