H 7813Education

Making an Appropriation of $10,000,000 to the Rhode Island Foundation to Support Public Education

Appropriates $10 million over five years to the Rhode Island Foundation to fund grants for public school teachers for innovative teaching and learning.

Introduced

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Introduced Feb 12, 2026Committee House Finance

Plain-English Summary

This joint resolution authorizes a significant financial investment in the state's public school system by appropriating $10 million from the state treasury to the Rhode Island Foundation. The funding is designed to be disbursed gradually over a five-year period, with $2 million allocated annually starting in the 2026-2027 fiscal year. By utilizing the Rhode Island Foundation, a well-established domestic nonprofit corporation, the state aims to create a reliable and professionally managed vehicle for supporting educational initiatives outside the standard departmental budget process.

Under the provisions of the bill, the Rhode Island Foundation is required to deposit these appropriated funds into a dedicated, interest-bearing account. This $10 million will serve as the principal balance. Annually, four percent of this principal amount will be distributed to local education foundations that have been established by individual public school districts. To participate and receive these funds, local education agency foundations must formally register with the Rhode Island Foundation by September 1st of each year.

The ultimate objective of this legislation is to directly empower educators in the classroom. The funds distributed to the local public school education foundations must be used exclusively to award grants to teachers within their respective districts. These grants are intended to support, promote, and enhance innovative teaching and learning methods. Local foundations are granted the autonomy to adopt their own specific criteria for awarding these grants, ensuring that the funds can be tailored to meet the unique educational needs and creative proposals of their specific communities.

For younger readers

This bill gives $10 million to a group called the Rhode Island Foundation over five years. The money will be put into a special bank account to grow. Every year, some of that money will be given to local schools to help teachers pay for fun and creative new ways to teach their students.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Public school teachersPublic school studentsLocal education agency foundationsThe Rhode Island FoundationRhode Island taxpayers

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

Low. The legislature has the clear authority to appropriate funds for public purposes, including education, and partnering with a domestic nonprofit for administration is a common and legally sound practice.

Estimated cost

$10,000,000 over 5 years ($2,000,000 annually)

Estimated revenue

Not specified

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Provides significant new funding to support public education and classroom teachers.
Encourages innovative teaching methods and creative learning environments.
Creates a sustainable, long-term funding source through an interest-bearing principal account.
Empowers local educators by providing direct grant opportunities to enhance their classrooms.
Relies on a private nonprofit (Rhode Island Foundation) to manage public funds, which might reduce direct public oversight.
Distributing funds only to districts with established local education foundations might exacerbate inequities, as poorer districts may lack the resources to establish these foundations.
The 4% annual distribution limit restricts the immediate impact of the $10 million appropriation.

For Conservatives

Utilizes a public-private partnership by leveraging the financial management expertise of the Rhode Island Foundation.
Localizes decision-making by allowing local education agency foundations to adopt their own criteria for grant awards.
Fiscally responsible structure preserves the principal and only spends 4% annually, ensuring long-term sustainability without requiring constant state replenishment.
Increases state spending by $10 million.
Creates a new ongoing administrative mechanism rather than cutting taxes or returning surplus funds to taxpayers.
May lack strict state-level accountability on exactly how the grants are spent by individual teachers, leaving it up to local foundations.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

RESOLVED, That there is hereby appropriated to the RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION, a Rhode Island domestic nonprofit corporation, the sum of ten million dollars ($10,00,000), out of any monies in the treasury not otherwise appropriated for fiscal year 2026- 2027, for the Rhode Island Foundation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the “Foundation”) to support other education foundations within the state. The funds shall be appropriated over five

(5) years, two million dollars ($2,000,000) annually. The Rhode Island Foundation shall establish an account wherein the funds from this appropriation shall be deposited as principal in an interest-bearing account to generate funds in support of public education. Annually thereafter, four percent (4%) of the principal amount shall be distributed by the Rhode Island Foundation to education foundations which have been established by local public school districts; provided, as follows: (1) Local education agency foundations shall register annually by September 1 to be included in the distribution of funds from the Foundation, pursuant to this resolution, in the following calendar year; and (2) These funds shall be distributed in accordance with criteria adopted by the local education agency foundations for receipt of these funds and grant awards. Provided further, these funds and distributions shall be used by the local public school education foundations to distribute grants to teachers within the district to support, promote and enhance innovative teaching and learning. The state controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw their orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of said sum, or so much thereof as may be from time to time required, upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers. EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF JOINTRESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $10,000,0 TO THE RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION *** This joint resolution would authorize the appropriation of the sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) to the Rhode Island Foundation, to generate funds to support public education through distributions to local education agency foundations. The funds would be disbursed over five (5) years. The joint resolution would require that local education agencies’ foundations would register annually by September 1 to be included in the distribution of funds from the Foundation, pursuant to this resolution, and funds would be distributed in accordance with criteria adopted by the local education agencies’ foundations for receipt of these funds.