Rhode Island HB 8093: AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT (Provides that in local educational agencies when over 45% of the children have a family income that is at or below 185% of federal poverty guidelines then the student success factor will be 50% by the core instruction per-pupil amount.)

Bill Text

2022 -- H 8093
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LC005646
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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. 2022
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A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX
RELIEF ACT
Introduced By: Representatives Barros, Amore, Kislak, McGaw, Cortvriend, Biah,
O'Brien, Fogarty, McEntee, and Morales
Date Introduced: April 06, 2022
Referred To: House Finance

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 16-7.2-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.2 entitled "The 1
Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
16-7.2-3. Pe rmane nt foundation e ducation aid e s tablis he d. 3
(a) Beginning in the 2012 fiscal year, the following foundation education-aid formula shall 4
take effect. The foundation education aid for each district shall be the sum of the core instruction 5
amount in subdivision (a)(1) and the amount to support high-need students in subdivision (a)(2), 6
which shall be multiplied by the district state-share ratio calculated pursuant to § 16-7.2-4 to 7
determine the foundation aid. 8
(1) The core-instruction amount shall be an amount equal to a statewide, per-pupil core-9
instruction amount as established by the department of elementary and secondary education, 10
derived from the average of northeast regional expenditure data for the states of Rhode Island, 11
Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire from the National Center for Education Statistics 12
(NCES) that will adequately fund the student instructional needs as described in the basic education 13
program and multiplied by the district average daily membership as defined in § 16-7-22. 14
Expenditure data in the following categories: instruction and support services for students, 15
instruction, general administration, school administration, and other support services from the 16
National Public Education Financial Survey, as published by NCES, and enrollment data from the 17
Common Core of Data, also published by NCES, will be used when determining the core-18

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instruction amount. The core-instruction amount will be updated annually. For the purpose of 1
calculating this formula, school districts' resident average daily membership shall exclude charter 2
school and state-operated school students. 3
(2) The amount to support high-need students beyond the core-instruction amount shall be 4
determined by multiplying a student success factor of forty percent (40%) forty-five percent (45%) 5
by the core instruction per-pupil amount described in subdivision (a)(1) and applying that amount 6
for each resident child whose family income is at or below one hundred eighty-five percent (185%) 7
of federal poverty guidelines, hereinafter referred to as "poverty status." 8
(3) In local education agencies, when over forty-five percent (45%) of resident children are 9
classified as "poverty status," the student success factor will be fifty percent (50%) by the core 10
instruction per-pupil amount described in subsection (a)(1) of this section and applying that amount 11
for each resident child whose family income is at or below one hundred eight-five percent (185%) 12
of federal poverty guidelines. 13
(b) The department of elementary and secondary education shall provide an estimate of the 14
foundation education aid cost as part of its budget submission pursuant to § 35-3-4. The estimate 15
shall include the most recent data available as well as an adjustment for average daily membership 16
growth or decline based on the prior year experience. 17
(c) In addition, the department shall report updated figures based on the average daily 18
membership as of October 1 by December 1. 19
(d) Local education agencies may set aside a portion of funds received under subsection 20
(a) to expand learning opportunities such as after school and summer programs, full-da y 21
kindergarten and/or multiple pathway programs, provided that the basic education program and all 22
other approved programs required in law are funded. 23
(e) The department of elementary and secondary education shall promulgate such 24
regulations as are necessary to implement fully the purposes of this chapter. 25
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 26
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX
RELIEF ACT
***
This act would provide that in local educational agencies when over forty-five percent 1
(45%) of the children have a family income that is at or below one hundred eighty-five percent 2
(185%) of federal poverty guidelines then the student success factor will be fifty percent (50%) by 3
the core instruction per-pupil amount. 4
This act would take effect upon passage. 5
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