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