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H 8248Standards & Wages

Education - Establishment of Charter Public Schools

This bill requires charter schools and mayoral academies to pay teachers and administrators the same prevailing wages as public schools.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
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Introduced Mar 6, 2026Committee House Labor

Plain-English Summary

This legislation mandates that all charter public schools and mayoral academies in Rhode Island pay their teachers and administrators the prevailing wage and benefits, matching the compensation levels of traditional public school employees. It requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to publish these wage rates annually and monitor compliance. The bill establishes enforcement mechanisms, allowing the Commissioner to order restitution for unpaid wages and impose civil penalties of up to $500 per day per affected employee for non-compliance. Repeated violations may jeopardize a school's charter renewal or state funding.

For younger readers

This new rule is about making sure teachers at different types of schools get paid the same amount. Right now, some schools called "charter schools" might pay their teachers differently than regular public schools. This rule says that charter school teachers must get the same pay and benefits (like health insurance) as teachers at regular schools. The people in charge of schools will check to make sure this happens. If a school doesn't pay the teachers the right amount, they will have to pay a fine and give the teachers the money they owe them.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Charter public schoolsMayoral academiesSchool teachersSchool administratorsDepartment of Elementary and Secondary Education
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Promotes economic justice by ensuring that educators in charter schools receive the same fair wages and benefits as their counterparts in traditional public schools, reducing income inequality within the profession.
  • Prevents the erosion of labor standards by stopping charter schools from undercutting union-negotiated wage floors, thereby protecting the collective bargaining power of all educators in the state.
  • May improve the quality of education in charter schools by attracting and retaining highly qualified, experienced teachers who might otherwise leave for better-paying positions in traditional districts.
  • Could place a significant financial strain on smaller, community-based charter schools that serve disadvantaged students, potentially forcing them to cut student services or extracurricular programs to meet payroll mandates.
  • Might reduce the operational flexibility that allows charter schools to innovate, potentially homogenizing the educational landscape and limiting unique options for students who struggle in traditional settings.
  • If funding is not increased to match these mandates, some charter schools serving low-income communities may be forced to close, displacing students and reducing educational access for vulnerable populations.
For Conservatives
  • Increases transparency in public spending by requiring the annual publication of wage and benefit rates, allowing taxpayers to see exactly how educational funds are being allocated.
  • Establishes strict accountability and the rule of law by creating clear penalties and audit procedures for institutions that fail to comply with state financial statutes.
  • Ensures that charter schools compete based on educational outcomes and management efficiency rather than by simply reducing labor costs below market standards.
  • Interferes with the free market by dictating wage controls, preventing charter schools from managing their own budgets and negotiating contracts that work best for their specific business models.
  • Expands government bureaucracy and regulation by granting the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education new powers to investigate, audit, and fine independent school operators.
  • Undermines the school choice movement by removing the cost-efficiency advantages of charter schools, effectively forcing them to operate like the unionized government schools they were meant to be an alternative to.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 21 additions · 2 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 16-77-5.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-77 entitled "Establishment of Charter Public Schools [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows: 16-77-5.1. Oversight by commissioner.

(a) Individuals or groups may complain to a charter public school’s governing body concerning any claimed violation of the provisions of this chapter by the school. If, after presenting their complaint to the governing body, the individuals or groups believe their complaint has not been adequately addressed, they may submit their complaint to the commissioner who shall hear and decide the issue pursuant to §§ 16-39-1 and 16-39-2.

(b) Charter public school approval for establishment or continuation shall be for up to a five-year (5) period. In either case, council on elementary and secondary education approval is required.

(c) Local, written support shall be required for a proposed charter that is a network charter school as defined herein. “Written support” means a resolution or ordinance granted by the town or city council for each proposed sending district where the council considers the fiscal and educational welfare of the municipality and students after at least one public hearing.

(d) A charter public school, as defined in § 16-77-2.1, shall be considered a network charter school if the charter public school encompasses, or will encompass, elementary and secondary schools or multiple elementary or multiple secondary schools.

(e) Charter public schools, as defined in § 16-77-2.1(4) and authorized as of the effective date of this act [July 13, 2016], shall be exempt from subsection (c) of this section and shall not require local, written support under subsection (c) for any proposed expansion or charter renewal.

(f) A proposed charter, or amendment to a charter for expansion, may proceed through the approval process by removing districts that have not provided written support, in accordance with this section, from the catchment area and may be approved with the remaining districts in the catchment area, provided that the application satisfies the requirements of regulations and law. However, the charter may be revoked at any time if the school:

(1) Materially violates provisions contained in the charter;

(2) Fails to meet or pursue the educational objectives contained in the charter;

(3) Fails to comply with fiscal accountability procedures as specified in the charter;

(4) Violates provisions of law that have not been granted variance by the council on elementary and secondary education; or

(5) After three (3) consecutive years of operation, is not a “high-performing charter school,” defined as a charter public school that has demonstrated overall success, including: (i) Substantial progress in improving student achievement; and (ii) The management and leadership necessary to establish a thriving, financially viable charter public school.

(g) After denying, or prior to non-renewing or revoking a charter, the department of elementary and secondary education will hold a hearing on the issues in controversy under § 16- 39-1.

(h) The establishment of new charter public schools shall be contingent upon state approval and appropriation.

(i) The commissioner shall be responsible for administering and enforcing compliance with prevailing wage and benefit requirements for teachers and administrators employed in charter public schools.

(1) The department shall determine and publish, no later than July 1 of each year, the prevailing wage and benefit rates of all teacher and administrator positions at each charter school.

(2) Charter public schools shall provide teacher and administrator compensation data to the department for compliance monitoring.

(3) The department shall be authorized to investigate complaints, conduct audits, and issue corrective orders, including payment of back wages and benefits owed.

(4) Charter public schools found to be in violation shall:

(i) Provide full restitution of unpaid wages and benefits to affected teachers and administrators;

(ii) Be subject to civil penalties of up to five hundred dollars ($500) per affected teacher or administrator, per day of violation; and

(iii) Have any documented noncompliance considered during charter renewal, oversight, or state funding determinations.

SECTION 2. Section 16-77.4-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-77.4 entitled "Mayoral Academies [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows: 16-77.4-2. Procedure for creation and expansion of a mayoral academy.

(a) Any persons or entities eligible to establish a mayoral academy may submit a proposed charter, or an amendment to a charter for an expansion, to the commissioner. For purposes of this chapter, “expansion” shall be an increase in total enrollment; an increase in the grade levels previously authorized in the charter; or the addition of a school district to the catchment area. The proposed charter shall:

(1) Be submitted to the commissioner no later than December 1st of the school year before the school year in which the mayoral academy is to be established;

(2) Describe a plan for education, including the mission, objective, method of providing a basic education, measurable student academic goals that the mayoral academy will meet, and process for improving student learning and fulfilling the charter and fulfilling state and national educational goals and standards;

(3) Provide a minimum of one hundred eighty (180) days of instruction to students per year;

(4) Indicate performance criteria that will be used to measure student learning and to comply with the charter, state, and national educational goals and standards;

(5) Include an agreement to provide a yearly report to parents, the community, the school committee of the sending districts, and the commissioner, that indicates the progress made by the mayoral academy during the previous year in meeting the charter objectives;

(6) Present a plan for the governance, administration, and operation of the mayoral academy, including the manner in which the governing board of the school will be chosen, the nature and extent of parental, professional educator, and community involvement in the governance and operation of the mayoral academy, and the means of ensuring accountability to the commissioner, the sending school district(s), and the council on elementary and secondary education;

(7) Identify the building that will house the mayoral academy and from whom and under what terms and conditions it is to be provided;

(8) Describe what support services will be provided by the sending school district(s) and under what terms and conditions those services are to be provided, and describe what support services the mayoral academy will obtain directly from third parties and, to the extent known, under what terms and conditions those services are to be provided;

(9) Explain the procedures that will be followed to ensure the health and safety of pupils and staff;

(10) Describe enrollment procedures, including the permissible criteria for admission in accordance with applicable state and federal law, along with a policy, or policies, that outline outreach and recruitment programs to encourage the enrollment of a diverse student population;

(11) Explain the student discipline procedures;

(12) Explain the relationship that will exist between the proposed mayoral academy and its employees, including the terms and conditions of employment and the qualifications that the employees must meet. Teachers and administrators in mayoral academies must be certified pursuant to state law and regulation. Teachers and administrators in a mayoral academy shall be entitled to prevailing wages and benefits as enjoyed by other Rhode Island public school teachers and administrators.

(13) Each mayoral academy established pursuant to this chapter may, by written notice to the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, elect to have this subsection apply (or not apply) to its teachers, administrators, and employees:

(i) Teachers and administrators in a mayoral academy shall be entitled to prevailing wages and benefits as enjoyed by other public school teachers and administrators;

(ii) Teachers and administrators in a mayoral academy shall be entitled to participate in the state teachers’ retirement system under chapter 8 of title 36;

(iii) Employment in a mayoral academy shall be considered “service” as that term is defined in chapter 16 of this title.

(14) Identify, with particularity, the state laws, state regulations, and school district rules from which variances are sought in order to facilitate operation of the mayoral academy. Explain the reasons for each variance and the alternative method by which the concern that gave rise to the regulation or provision will be addressed;

(15) Provide a financial plan, including a proposed budget for the term of the charter, and an annual audit of the financial and administrative operations of the mayoral academy, and the manner in which the funds allocated to the mayoral academy will be managed and disbursed;

(16) Provide procedures by which teaching personnel and parents can legally challenge decisions of the governing board of the mayoral academy that do not conform to the mayoral academy’s charter;

(17) Provide a copy of the proposed bylaws of the mayoral academy; and

(18) Provide written support from the town or city council(s) in the proposed catchment area if required pursuant to § 16-77-5.1.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.