RI 2026 H7456: Education - The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the "Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" to establish a mandatory staffing requirement for social workers in Rhode Island public schools. Specifically, the bill requires that every public school serving grades kindergarten through twelve must employ at least one full-time certified school social worker for every 250 students. To assist with this new requirement, the bill appropriates an additional $2 million in state funds for the 2026 fiscal year to help school districts and municipalities hire the necessary additional staff.

For younger readers

This new rule helps schools get more helpers for students who are feeling sad, worried, or having a hard time. It says that for every 250 students in a school, there must be at least one social worker whose job is to listen and help. A social worker is a grown-up trained to help kids with their feelings and problems. The government is also giving extra money to schools so they can pay for these new helpers to make sure every student has someone to talk to.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

StudentsSchool Social WorkersSchool DistrictsTaxpayersParents

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Significantly expands access to mental health services for students by mandating a specific social worker-to-student ratio, ensuring children receive necessary emotional and psychological support.
Provides dedicated state funding to assist districts in hiring, which helps address systemic inequities between wealthy and underfunded school districts.
Alleviates the burden on existing school staff by ensuring manageable caseloads, allowing for more personalized and effective care for vulnerable students.
The two million dollar appropriation may be insufficient to cover the actual costs of hiring enough social workers to meet the new mandate statewide, potentially straining other school programs.
The strict ratio requirement does not account for schools with higher concentrations of at-risk students who may require an even lower student-to-worker ratio for effective support.
Focuses exclusively on social workers, potentially overlooking the need for other mental health professionals like school psychologists or adjustment counselors.

For Conservatives

Addressing student mental health issues directly within schools could reduce behavioral disruptions and improve the overall disciplinary environment for other students.
Early intervention by social workers may help identify and manage troubled youth, potentially preventing future crime or school violence.
Allocates a specific, fixed amount for the additional hiring grant, preventing an immediate open-ended drain on the general fund for that specific provision.
Imposes a costly mandate on local municipalities, as the two million dollar state appropriation will likely not cover the salaries and benefits of all required new hires, forcing local property tax increases.
Removes local control from school boards by dictating specific staffing ratios, disregarding the unique budgetary needs and priorities of individual communities.
Expands the size of the government workforce and increases long-term taxpayer liabilities for public sector salaries and pension benefits.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 9 additions

SECTION 1. Section 16-7.2-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.2 entitled "The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: 16-7.2-6. Categorical programs, state funded expenses. In addition to the foundation education aid provided pursuant to § 16-7.2-3, the permanent foundation education-aid program shall provide direct state funding for:

(a) Excess costs associated with special education students. Excess costs are defined when an individual special education student’s cost shall be deemed to be “extraordinary.” Extraordinary costs are those educational costs that exceed the state-approved threshold based on an amount above four times the core foundation amount (total of core instruction amount plus student success amount). The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding appropriated in any fiscal year; and the department of elementary and secondary education shall also collect data on those educational costs that exceed the state-approved threshold based on an amount above two (2), three (3), and five (5) times the core foundation amount;

(b) Career and technical education costs to help meet initial investment requirements needed to transform existing, or create new, comprehensive, career and technical education programs and career pathways in critical and emerging industries and to help offset the higher- than-average costs associated with facilities, equipment maintenance and repair, and supplies necessary for maintaining the quality of highly specialized programs that are a priority for the state. The department shall develop criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all career and technical education funds as may be determined by the general assembly on an annual basis. The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding available in any fiscal year;

(c) Programs to increase access to voluntary, free, high-quality pre-kindergarten programs. The department shall recommend criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all early childhood program funds as may be determined by the general assembly;

(d) Central Falls, Davies, and the Met Center Stabilization Fund is established to ensure that appropriate funding is available to support their students. Additional support for Central Falls is needed due to concerns regarding the city’s capacity to meet the local share of education costs. This fund requires that education aid calculated pursuant to § 16-7.2-3 and funding for costs outside the permanent foundation education-aid formula, including, but not limited to, transportation, facility maintenance, and retiree health benefits shall be shared between the state and the city of Central Falls. The fund shall be annually reviewed to determine the amount of the state and city appropriation. The state’s share of this fund may be supported through a reallocation of current state appropriations to the Central Falls school district. At the end of the transition period defined in § 16-7.2-7, the municipality will continue its contribution pursuant to § 16-7-24. Additional support for the Davies and the Met Center is needed due to the costs associated with running a stand-alone high school offering both academic and career and technical coursework. The department shall recommend criteria for the purpose of allocating any and all stabilization funds as may be determined by the general assembly;

(e) Excess costs associated with transporting students to out-of-district non-public schools. This fund will provide state funding for the costs associated with transporting students to out-of- district non-public schools, pursuant to chapter 21.1 of this title. The state will assume the costs of non-public out-of-district transportation for those districts participating in the statewide system. The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding available in any fiscal year;

(f) Excess costs associated with transporting students within regional school districts. This fund will provide direct state funding for the excess costs associated with transporting students within regional school districts, established pursuant to chapter 3 of this title. This fund requires that the state and regional school district share equally the student transportation costs net any federal sources of revenue for these expenditures. The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for distribution among those eligible school districts if the total approved costs for which school districts are seeking reimbursement exceed the amount of funding available in any fiscal year;

(g) Public school districts that are regionalized shall be eligible for a regionalization bonus as set forth below:

(1) As used herein, the term “regionalized” shall be deemed to refer to a regional school district established under the provisions of chapter 3 of this title, including the Chariho Regional School district;

(2) For those districts that are regionalized as of July 1, 2010, the regionalization bonus shall commence in FY 2012. For those districts that regionalize after July 1, 2010, the regionalization bonus shall commence in the first fiscal year following the establishment of a regionalized school district as set forth in chapter 3 of this title, including the Chariho Regional School District;

(3) The regionalization bonus in the first fiscal year shall be two percent (2.0%) of the state’s share of the foundation education aid for the regionalized district as calculated pursuant to §§ 16-7.2-3 and 16-7.2-4 in that fiscal year;

(4) The regionalization bonus in the second fiscal year shall be one percent (1.0%) of the state’s share of the foundation education aid for the regionalized district as calculated pursuant to §§ 16-7.2-3 and 16-7.2-4 in that fiscal year;

(5) The regionalization bonus shall cease in the third fiscal year;

(6) The regionalization bonus for the Chariho regional school district shall be applied to the state share of the permanent foundation education aid for the member towns; and

(7) The department of elementary and secondary education shall prorate the funds available for distribution among those eligible regionalized school districts if the total, approved costs for which regionalized school districts are seeking a regionalization bonus exceed the amount of funding appropriated in any fiscal year;

(h) [Deleted by P.L. 2024, ch. 117, art. 8, § 1.]

(i) State support for school resource officers. For purposes of this subsection, a school resource officer (SRO) shall be defined as a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community-oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. School resource officers should have completed at least forty (40) hours of specialized training in school policing, administered by an accredited agency, before being assigned. Beginning in FY 2019, for a period of three (3) years, school districts or municipalities that choose to employ school resource officers shall receive direct state support for costs associated with employing such officers at public middle and high schools. Districts or municipalities shall be reimbursed an amount equal to one-half (½) of the cost of salaries and benefits for the qualifying positions. Funding will be provided for school resource officer positions established on or after July 1, 2018, provided that:

(1) Each school resource officer shall be assigned to one school:

(i) Schools with enrollments below one thousand two hundred (1,200) students shall require one school resource officer;

(ii) Schools with enrollments of one thousand two hundred (1,200) or more students shall require two school resource officers;

(2) School resource officers hired in excess of the requirement noted above shall not be eligible for reimbursement; and

(3) Schools that eliminate existing school resource officer positions and create new positions under this provision shall not be eligible for reimbursement; and

(j) Categorical programs defined in subsections (a) through (g) shall be funded pursuant to the transition plan in § 16-7.2-7.

(k) State support for social worker staffing. In grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12), each public school shall have among its staff at least one full-time social worker for every two hundred fifty (250) students. For purposes of this section, "social worker" means any person who holds a valid professional certificate in school social work issued by the state department of education.

(l) In addition to the state support for school social workers, the general assembly shall appropriate an additional sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) for fiscal year 2026 for the purpose of allowing school districts or municipalities to employ additional social workers.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.