SECTION 1. Section I of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, with Respect to the formation of a Regional School District," and the several amendments to the same subsequent thereto, is hereby amended to read as follows:
(H) Compensation. Compensation for members of the committee and the clerk and treasurer thereof, shall be determined by the voters at the regional school district financial meeting all day referendum.
SECTION 2. Section II of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, with Respect to the formation of a Regional School District," and the several amendments to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows:
(A) Composition. The regional district school building committee shall consist of twelve (12) eight (8) members, six (6) four (4) from the town of Exeter and six (6) four (4) from the town of West Greenwich.
(B) Method of selection. Six (6) Two (2) of the members of the regional district school committee (one member from Exeter and one member from West Greenwich) shall be members ex officii of the school building committee to be selected by the school committee. In addition, the town council of each member town shall appoint three (3) one town council member and two (2) residents of the town to serve as members of the regional district school building committee.
(C) Method of organization. At such time as the regional district school building committee shall be deemed necessary, the chairman chairperson of the regional district school committee (or chairperson's designee) shall call upon the respective town councils of the member towns for the appointment of the necessary representatives. The chairman chairperson (or chairperson's designee) of the regional district school committee shall then notify those persons appointed or elected of the time and place of the first meeting, and shall act as the temporary chairman, without voting rights, until at which time the regional district school building committee shall have completed complete its own organization, including the selection of a chairperson.
(D) Powers and duties. The regional district school building committee shall have the following duties:
(1) To secure competent architectural and engineering services for the making of surveys, the preparation of plans and specifications for the construction, and equipment and improvement of a school or schools, athletic facilities, and/or the grounds upon which the schools are located in said district, and to employ such clerical assistance as may be necessary.
(2) To construct, furnish and equip schools and athletic facilities and improve the grounds upon which the schools are located and to make additions to said schools as may be needed. To make all contracts and agreements that may be necessary for the exercise of the powers vested in said district school building committee by subparagraphs subparagraph (1) and (2) hereof, provided, however, that said regional district school building committee shall not make any expenditure or incur any liability unless the necessary appropriations have been authorized by the regional school district financial meeting as hereinafter provided in one or more of the following ways:
(i) Authorization of a capital improvements bond after approval of the regional district school committee, the town council of each member town, the Rhode Island department of education, and the affirmative vote of the community through the approved election process;
(ii) Authorization of capital improvements through a capital improvements line separate from the annual school district operating budget after approval of the regional district school committee and the affirmative vote of the community through the approved election process; and
(iii) Authorization of capital improvements through a vote of the regional district school committee to commit funds from the unassigned fund balance for the purpose of an identified capital project(s).
(3) All actions of the district school building committee shall be reported back to the regional district school committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
(E) Term. The term of the building committee shall be until such time as the authorized building or buildings have been constructed projects have been completed and have been accepted by the regional district school building committee upon recommendation of the architects, commissioning agents, and/or owner's project manager (OPM) engaged by the regional district school building committee and for up to one year thereafter, whereupon the term of office of the committee shall terminate.
(F) Vacancies. In the event of a vacancy on the school building committee, the town council from the member town involved shall appoint a member to serve the balance of the term, provided, however, that any vacancy among members of the regional school district committee serving ex officii shall be filled in accordance with subsection I (D)(B).
(G) Limitation of liability. No member of the regional district school building committee shall be held personally liable for damages in the performance of his/her duties as a member of the committee.
SECTION 3. Section VI of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, with Respect to the formation of a Regional School District," and the several amendments to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows:
(D) Apportionment of construction and operating costs. Construction and operating costs for the first fiscal year next following the establishment of the regional school district and for every fiscal year thereafter shall be apportioned to the member towns on the basis of their respective pupil enrollments in the regional school system. Beginning with the 2024 fiscal year, apportionment shall be calculated using a phased-in five (5) year rolling enrollment average. Each member town's share of construction and operating costs for each the 2024 fiscal year shall be determined by computing the ratio which the town's pupil enrollment in the regional district schools on October 1 of the year next preceding the year for which the apportionment is determined bears to the total pupil enrollment from all the member towns in the regional district schools on the same date. In each successive year, the annual ratio shall be computed in a similar manner, but the apportionment shall be calculated as the average enrollment of fiscal years 2024 and 2025 for fiscal year 2025; as the average enrollment of fiscal years 2024, 2025 and 2026 for fiscal year 2026; as the average enrollment of fiscal years 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 for fiscal year 2027; and as the average enrollment of fiscal years 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 for fiscal year 2028. In each successive year thereafter, the apportionment shall be calculated as the average enrollment of the previous five (5) consecutive fiscal years, effectively adding the newest annual enrollment data and dropping the earliest annual enrollment data from the calculation of the average. Calculation of the average to determine the apportionment ratio for each member town in any given fiscal year shall be by adding the total enrollment numbers of said town for each of the fiscal years included in the calculation of the average, and dividing that sum by the sum of the total district enrollment for each of the fiscal years included in the calculation of the average. In the event that enrollment in the regional district schools has not been accomplished by October 1 of any such year, construction and operating costs shall be apportioned on the basis of the enrollment of pupils residing in each member town and receiving education at such town's expense on October 1 of such year shall be used in the formula to calculate the apportionment.
SECTION 4. Section XI of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, with Respect to the formation of a Regional School District," and the several amendments to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows: Section XI. Amendments. This agreement may be amended from time to time in the manner hereinafter provided, but no amendment shall be made which shall impair the right of the holders of any bonds or notes or other evidences of indebtedness of the regional school district then outstanding, or the rights of the regional school district to procure the means for payment thereof, provided that nothing in this section shall prevent the admission of a new town or towns to the regional school district and the reapportionment accordingly of construction costs of the regional school district represented by bonds or notes of the regional school district then outstanding and of the interest thereon. A proposal for amendment may be initiated by a majority vote of all the members of the regional district school committee or by a petition signed by 10% 5% of the registered voters of any one of the member towns. In the latter case, the petition shall contain at the end thereof, a certification by the clerk of the canvassing authority of such member town as to the number of registered voters in said town, according to the most recent voting list, and the number of signatures on the petition which appear to be the names of registered voters of said town. In the event that an amendment is initiated by the school district, the regional district school committee shall appoint a charter review subcommittee to review the charter and recommend proposal(s) for amendment. The charter review subcommittee shall be comprised of at least two
(2) members of the regional district school committee (one member from Exeter and one member from West Greenwich), a member of each town council (one member from Exeter and one member from West Greenwich), and two (2) citizens from each member town. In total, each member town shall have equal representation on the charter review subcommittee. These defined members are the only voting members of the charter review subcommittee. Only those proposals that come forth from the charter review subcommittee, by majority vote of the subcommittee, are to be considered by the regional district school committee for further action. Any regional district school committee approved proposal(s) for amendment shall be presented to the clerk of the regional district school committee, and the clerk or the clerk's designee shall mail or deliver a notice in writing to the town council of each of the member towns that a proposal(s) to amend this agreement has/have been received and shall enclose a copy of such proposal(s). In the event of a proposed amendment by certified petition within a member town, the proposed amendment must be presented first to both member town councils for review. Before any further action may take place, both member town councils must approve the proposed amendment contained within the certified petition. Should either member town council reject the proposed amendment contained within the certified petition, the proposal is rejected and no further action is to be taken. Should both member town councils approve the proposed amendment, or a revised version thereof, a notice in writing must be mailed or delivered from both town councils, including the proposed amendment, to the clerk of the regional district school committee (without the signatures in the case of a proposal by petition). The school committee shall schedule an all-day referendum to vote on the adoption of the proposed amendment amendment(s). The town councils of the member towns shall thereupon meet to provide for the all-day referendum in the member towns, with the approval of the proposed amendment amendment(s) to be by majority vote of the combined total vote of the member towns.
SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage.
