Allows the board of regents to appoint a receiver to manage a school district with the authority described in ยง 16-7.1-5.2 relating to state intervention in the Providence public school district.
Impact
The bill is significant as it stipulates that after a period of three years of inadequate academic performance, determined by objective criteria defined by the board of regents, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education can assume control over various aspects of a school or district's operations. This includes budget oversight, program management, and personnel decisions. In effect, this initiative provides a structured response to chronic underachievement in specific districts, particularly those struggling to meet set academic standards.
Summary
Senate Bill S0860, known as the Paul W. Crowley Rhode Island Student Investment Initiative, aims to enhance the state's capacity to intervene in failing schools by empowering the board of regents to appoint a receiver to manage school districts. Specifically, it amends existing regulations on intervention and support for schools that continue to struggle in meeting educational performance goals. The bill establishes a framework for progressive support and intervention strategies aligned with the state's Comprehensive Education Strategy and the principles of the School Accountability for Learning and Teaching (SALT).
Contention
One notable point of contention surrounding S0860 is the balance between state intervention and local control over school governance. Advocates assert that the bill is necessary to ensure that struggling schools receive the necessary oversight and resources required to improve student outcomes. Conversely, critics may argue that such measures can undermine local autonomy and decision-making, which may lead to backlash from communities that feel their governance is being infringed upon. The bill's implementation will likely spur discussions about the efficacy and ethics of state-level control over local educational matters.
Permits a school to calculate its maintenance of effort on a per-pupil basis and to deduct any nonrecurring expenditure from its maintenance of effort.
Permits a school to calculate its maintenance of effort on a per-pupil basis and to deduct any nonrecurring expenditure from its maintenance of effort.
Exempts schools or school districts subject to an intervention for failing schools from the withholding of aid provisions for infractions related to nonpayment of tuition owed by one community to another.
Exempts schools or school districts subject to an intervention for failing schools from the withholding of aid provisions for infractions related to nonpayment of tuition owed by one community to another.
Allows for a public school/group of public schools to implement an innovation plan through the local school board, approved by the state board and subject to review by the local school board as well as the department of elementary and secondary education.