Skip to main content
H 8355Funding & Budget

Making an Appropriation of $300,000 to the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner for the Rhode Island School for Progressive Education

Appropriates $300,000 to the RI School for Progressive Education to recruit and train teachers of color for public schools.

Held for study
Population
Affected
30
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 25, 2026Committee House Finance

Plain-English Summary

This joint resolution authorizes a $300,000 appropriation to the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner to support the Rhode Island School for Progressive Education (RISPE). The funding is designated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, and will be distributed upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers.

The primary goal of this funding is to address the significant demographic gap between students and teachers of color in Rhode Island's public school system. The resolution notes that currently, fewer than five percent of teachers in Rhode Island identify as people of color. RISPE's mission is to recruit, train, and support aspiring educators of color to correct historical injustices and provide culturally relevant instruction.

By increasing the number of teachers of color, the initiative aims to improve academic and social outcomes for all students across the state. The funds will help RISPE provide accessible and affordable high-quality teacher preparation programming designed specifically for the needs of Rhode Island's public school children.

For younger readers

This bill gives $300,000 to a program that helps train new teachers. The goal is to hire more teachers of color so that students have teachers who look like them and understand their backgrounds.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Aspiring teachers of colorPublic school studentsRhode Island School for Progressive Education (RISPE)Rhode Island public schools

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

Low risk

Low/Medium - While standard legislative appropriations are generally low risk, explicitly directing state funds to a program based on racial recruitment goals could potentially face scrutiny under recent Equal Protection interpretations.

Estimated cost
$300,000
Estimated revenue
Not specified

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion within the state's teaching workforce.
  • Addresses systemic racial inequities in education by actively recruiting underrepresented groups.
  • Supports culturally relevant teaching methods, which data shows improves outcomes for all students.
  • Provides financial support to make teacher preparation more accessible and affordable.
  • The $300,000 appropriation may be too small to create large-scale, systemic change.
  • Relies on a single non-profit entity rather than implementing structural, state-run reforms.
  • The funding is only a one-time appropriation for a single fiscal year rather than permanent funding.
For Conservatives
  • Addresses a specific workforce shortage (teachers) in the state.
  • Utilizes a targeted non-profit program rather than expanding state government bureaucracy.
  • Aims to improve overall educational outcomes, which can benefit the state's economy and communities.
  • Spends taxpayer money on a program explicitly focused on race and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives.
  • Directs public funds to a private entity specifically named the 'School for Progressive Education'.
  • Increases state spending and the overall budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Votes

Loading votes...

Full Bill Text

WHEREAS, There is an urgent need to diversify the teaching profession in Rhode Island and nationally to address the large and growing gap between the percentage of students of color and the percentage of teachers of color. Currently, fewer than five percent of teachers in Rhode Island identify as people of color; and

WHEREAS, Teachers from a similar background as their students are uniquely positioned to explain new material in a culturally relevant way. Although more teachers of color are being recruited across the nation, the pace of increase is slow and attrition rates are high, leaving growing gaps between the demand for such teachers and the supply; and

WHEREAS, The Rhode Island School for Progressive Education (RISPE) has the intentional mission to recruit more teachers of color to RI's public schools as a means of correcting centuries of injustice in the educational field. All the data shows that having teachers of color in the classroom improves outcomes of all kinds, academic and otherwise, for all our children; and

WHEREAS, The Rhode Island School for Progressive Education trains aspiring educators of color in high-quality teacher preparation programming that is accessible, affordable, and designed specifically for the needs of Rhode Island's public school children. RISPE will train a critical mass of educators who can contribute to a school culture shift in Rhode Island's public schools for the benefit of all the children who attend these schools; and

WHEREAS, The Rhode Island School for Progressive Education's highest aim is to ensure a strong educational system for a strong democracy and is committed to building a powerful educational workforce that reflects the strengths and diversity of our State's communities; and

WHEREAS, The Rhode Island School for Progressive Education alone cannot create opportunity for the many aspiring educators of color across our State without the financial contributions that support their program; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That there is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the sum of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) to the RI Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner for the Rhode Island School for Progressive Education, and the state controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw his orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of said sum, upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers. EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF JOINTRESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $300,0 TO THE RHODE ISLAND OFFICE OF THE POSTSECONDARY COMMISSIONER FOR THE RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL FOR PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION *** This resolution would authorize the appropriation of the sum of $300,000 to the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner for the Rhode Island School for Progressive Education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027.