Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H6057 Compare Versions

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

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5	5	2025 -- H 6057
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7	7	LC002395
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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 THE EXETER - WEST GREENWICH SCHOOL DISTRICT
16	16	Introduced By: Representatives Cotter, and Casimiro
17	17	Date Introduced: March 12, 2025
18	18	Referred To: House Education
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21	21	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
22	22	SECTION 1. Section I of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act 1
23	23	Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode 2
24	24	Island, with Respect to the formation of a Regional School District," and the several amendments 3
25	25	to the same subsequent thereto, is hereby amended to read as follows: 4
26	26	(H) Compensation. 5
27	27	Compensation for members of the committee and the clerk and treasurer thereof, shall be 6
28	28	determined by the voters at the regional school district financial meeting all day referendum. 7
29	29	SECTION 2. Section II of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act 8
30	30	Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode 9
31	31	Island, with Respect to the formation of a Regional School District," and the several amendments 10
32	32	to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows: 11
33	33	(A) Composition. 12
34	34	The regional district school building committee shall consist of twelve (12) eight (8) 13
35	35	members, six (6) four (4) from the town of Exeter and six (6) four (4) from the town of West 14
36	36	Greenwich. 15
37	37	(B) Method of selection. 16
38	38	Six (6) Two (2) of the members of the regional district school committee (one member 17
39	39	from Exeter and one member from West Greenwich) shall be members ex officii of the school 18
40	40	building committee to be selected by the school committee. In addition, the town council of each 19
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44	44	member town shall appoint three (3) one town council member and two (2) residents of the town 1
45	45	to serve as members of the regional district school building committee. 2
46	46	(C) Method of organization. 3
47	47	At such time as the regional district school building committee shall be deemed necessary, 4
48	48	the chairman chairperson of the regional district school committee (or chairperson's designee) shall 5
49	49	call upon the respective town councils of the member towns for the appointment of the necessary 6
50	50	representatives. The chairman chairperson (or chairperson's designee) of the regional district school 7
51	51	committee shall then notify those persons appointed or elected of the time and place of the first 8
52	52	meeting, and shall act as the temporary chairman, without voting rights, until at which time the 9
53	53	regional district school building committee shall have completed complete its own organization, 10
54	54	including the selection of a chairperson. 11
55	55	(D) Powers and duties. 12
56	56	The regional district school building committee shall have the following duties: 13
57	57	(1) To secure competent architectural and engineering services for the making of surveys, 14
58	58	the preparation of plans and specifications for the construction, and equipment and improvement 15
59	59	of a school or schools, athletic facilities, and/or the grounds upon which the schools are located in 16
60	60	said district, and to employ such clerical assistance as may be necessary. 17
61	61	(2) To construct, furnish and equip schools and athletic facilities and improve the grounds 18
62	62	upon which the schools are located and to make additions to said schools as may be needed. 19
63	63	To make all contracts and agreements that may be necessary for the exercise of the powers 20
64	64	vested in said district school building committee by subparagraphs subparagraph (1) and (2) hereof, 21
65	65	provided, however, that said regional district school building committee shall not make any 22
66	66	expenditure or incur any liability unless the necessary appropriations have been authorized by the 23
67	67	regional school district financial meeting as hereinafter provided in one or more of the following 24
68	68	ways: 25
69	69	(i) Authorization of a capital improvements bond after approval of the regional district 26
70	70	school committee, the town council of each member town, the Rhode Island department of 27
71	71	education, and the affirmative vote of the community through the approved election process; 28
72	72	(ii) Authorization of capital improvements through a capital improvements line separate 29
73	73	from the annual school district operating budget after approval of the regional district school 30
74	74	committee and the affirmative vote of the community through the approved election process; and 31
75	75	(iii) Authorization of capital improvements through a vote of the regional district school 32
76	76	committee to commit funds from the unassigned fund balance for the purpose of an identified 33
77	77	capital project(s). 34
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81	81	(3) All actions of the district school building committee shall be reported back to the 1
82	82	regional district school committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting. 2
83	83	(E) Term. 3
84	84	The term of the building committee shall be until such time as the authorized building or 4
85	85	buildings have been constructed projects have been completed and have been accepted by the 5
86	86	regional district school building committee upon recommendation of the architects, commissioning 6
87	87	agents, and/or owner's project manager (OPM) engaged by the regional district school building 7
88	88	committee and for up to one year thereafter, whereupon the term of office of the committee shall 8
89	89	terminate. 9
90	90	(F) Vacancies. 10
91	91	In the event of a vacancy on the school building committee, the town council from the 11
92	92	member town involved shall appoint a member to serve the balance of the term, provided, however, 12
93	93	that any vacancy among members of the regional school district committee serving ex officii shall 13
94	94	be filled in accordance with subsection I (D)(B). 14
95	95	(G) Limitation of liability. 15
96	96	No member of the regional district school building committee shall be held personally 16
97	97	liable for damages in the performance of his/her duties as a member of the committee. 17
98	98	SECTION 3. Section VI of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act 18
99	99	Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode 19
100	100	Island, with Respect to the formation of a Regional School District," and the several amendments 20
101	101	to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows: 21
102	102	(D) Apportionment of construction and operating costs. 22
103	103	Construction and operating costs for the first fiscal year next following the establishment 23
104	104	of the regional school district and for every fiscal year thereafter shall be apportioned to the member 24
105	105	towns on the basis of their respective pupil enrollments in the regional school system. Beginning 25
106	106	with the 2023 fiscal year, apportionment shall be calculated using a phased-in five (5) year rolling 26
107	107	enrollment average. Each member town's share of construction and operating costs for each the 27
108	108	2023 fiscal year shall be determined by computing the ratio which the town's pupil enrollment in 28
109	109	the regional district schools on October 1 of the year next preceding the year for which the 29
110	110	apportionment is determined bears to the total pupil enrollment from all the member towns in the 30
111	111	regional district schools on the same date. In each successive year, the annual ratio shall be 31
112	112	computed in a similar manner, but the apportionment shall be calculated as the average enrollment 32
113	113	of fiscal years 2023 and 2024 for fiscal year 2024; as the average enrollment of fiscal years 2023, 33
114	114	2024 and 2025 for fiscal year 2025; as the average enrollment of fiscal years 2023, 2024, 2025 and 34
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118	118	2026 for fiscal year 2026; and as the average enrollment of fiscal years 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 and 1
119	119	2027 for fiscal year 2027. In each successive year thereafter, the apportionment shall be calculated 2
120	120	as the average enrollment of the previous five (5) consecutive fiscal years, effectively adding the 3
121	121	newest annual enrollment data and dropping the earliest annual enrollment data from the calculation 4
122	122	of the average. Calculation of the average to determine the apportionment ratio for each member 5
123	123	town in any given fiscal year shall be by adding the total enrollment numbers of said town for each 6
124	124	of the fiscal years included in the calculation of the average, and dividing that sum by the sum of 7
125	125	the total district enrollment for each of the fiscal years included in the calculation of the average. 8
126	126	In the event that enrollment in the regional district schools has not been accomplished by October 9
127	127	1 of any such year, construction and operating costs shall be apportioned on the basis of the 10
128	128	enrollment of pupils residing in each member town and receiving education at such town's expense 11
129	129	on October 1 of such year shall be used in the formula to calculate the apportionment. 12
130	130	SECTION 4. Section XI of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act 13
131	131	Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode 14
132	132	Island, with Respect to the formation of a Regional School District," and the several amendments 15
133	133	to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows: 16
134	134	Section XI. Amendments. 17
135	135	This agreement may be amended from time to time in the manner hereinafter provided, but 18
136	136	no amendment shall be made which shall impair the right of the holders of any bonds or notes or 19
137	137	other evidences of indebtedness of the regional school district then outstanding, or the rights of the 20
138	138	regional school district to procure the means for payment thereof, provided that nothing in this 21
139	139	section shall prevent the admission of a new town or towns to the regional school district and the 22
140	140	reapportionment accordingly of construction costs of the regional school district represented by 23
141	141	bonds or notes of the regional school district then outstanding and of the interest thereon. 24
142	142	A proposal for amendment may be initiated by a majority vote of all the members of the 25
143	143	regional district school committee or by a petition signed by 10% 5% of the registered voters of 26
144	144	any one of the member towns. In the latter case, the petition shall contain at the end thereof, a 27
145	145	certification by the clerk of the canvassing authority of such member town as to the number of 28
146	146	registered voters in said town, according to the most recent voting list, and the number of signatures 29
147	147	on the petition which appear to be the names of registered voters of said town. 30
148	148	In the event that an amendment is initiated by the school district, the regional district school 31
149	149	committee shall appoint a charter review subcommittee to review the charter and recommend 32
150	150	proposal(s) for amendment. The charter review subcommittee shall be comprised of at least two 33
151	151	(2) members of the regional district school committee (one member from Exeter and one member 34
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155	155	from West Greenwich), a member of each town council (one member from Exeter and one member 1
156	156	from West Greenwich), and two (2) citizens from each member town. In total, each member town 2
157	157	shall have equal representation on the charter review subcommittee. These defined members are 3
158	158	the only voting members of the charter review subcommittee. Only those proposals that come forth 4
159	159	from the charter review subcommittee, by majority vote of the subcommittee, are to be considered 5
160	160	by the regional district school committee for further action. Any regional district school committee 6
161	161	approved proposal(s) for amendment shall be presented to the clerk of the regional district school 7
162	162	committee, and the clerk or the clerk's designee shall mail or deliver a notice in writing to the town 8
163	163	council of each of the member towns that a proposal(s) to amend this agreement has/have been 9
164	164	received and shall enclose a copy of such proposal(s). 10
165	165	In the event of a proposed amendment by certified petition within a member town, the 11
166	166	proposed amendment must be presented first to both member town councils for review. Before any 12
167	167	further action may take place, both member town councils must approve the proposed amendment 13
168	168	contained within the certified petition. Should either member town council reject the proposed 14
169	169	amendment contained within the certified petition, the proposal is rejected and no further action is 15
170	170	to be taken. Should both member town councils approve the proposed amendment, or a revised 16
171	171	version thereof, a notice in writing must be mailed or delivered from both town councils, including 17
172	172	the proposed amendment, to the clerk of the regional district school committee (without the 18
173	173	signatures in the case of a proposal by petition). 19
174	174	The school committee shall schedule an all-day referendum to vote on the adoption of the 20
175	175	proposed amendment amendment(s). The town councils of the member towns shall thereupon meet 21
176	176	to provide for the all-day referendum in the member towns, with the approval of the proposed 22
177	177	amendment amendment(s) to be by majority vote of the combined total vote of the member towns. 23
178	178	SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage. 24
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185	185	EXPLANATION
186	186	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
187	187	OF
188	188	A N A C T
189	189	RELATING TO THE EXETER - WEST GREENWICH SCHOOL DISTRICT
190	190	***
191	191	This act would amend chapter 80 of the public laws of 1965 with respect to the composition 1
192	192	of the regional district school building committee, apportionment of construction and operating 2
193	193	costs and amendments to the agreement. 3
194	194	This act would take effect upon passage. 4
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