Skip to main content
S 2245Education

Education - The Educational Equity and Property Tax Relief Act

This bill requires all public K-12 schools to employ one full-time social worker for every 250 students.

Held for study
Population
Affected
72
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 23, 2026Committee Senate Finance

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the state's education aid laws to mandate that every public school (grades K-12) must employ at least one full-time social worker for every 250 students. It specifically defines a social worker as someone holding a valid professional certificate from the state department of education. Additionally, the bill appropriates $2,000,000 in state funds for the fiscal year 2027 to assist school districts and municipalities in hiring the additional social workers required to meet this new staffing standard.

For younger readers

This new law helps make sure students have enough support at school. It says that for every 250 students in a public school, the school must hire at least one full-time social worker. A social worker is a trained professional who helps kids with their feelings and problems. The government is also setting aside extra money to help schools pay for these new workers. This means there will be more adults available to listen and help if a student is having a hard time.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
StudentsParentsSchool Social WorkersSchool AdministratorsTaxpayers
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 that children in public schools receive necessary emotional and social support.
  • Reduces the caseload burden on existing school staff by establishing a standard of one social worker for every 250 students, allowing for more personalized and effective care for vulnerable youth.
  • Demonstrates a commitment to public education and social welfare by allocating specific state funds to assist districts in hiring these essential professionals, rather than placing the entire financial burden on local communities.
  • The two million dollar appropriation for fiscal year 2027 may be insufficient to cover the actual costs of hiring enough social workers to meet the strict 1:250 ratio statewide, potentially leaving districts underfunded.
  • Fails to explicitly address the need for other mental health professionals, such as school psychologists or counselors, potentially narrowing the scope of support to only one type of provider.
  • Does not provide immediate funding for the years prior to fiscal year 2027, potentially delaying the full implementation of necessary support systems for students currently in crisis.
For Conservatives
  • Addresses behavioral and mental health issues within the school system, which could potentially reduce juvenile delinquency and improve overall safety without infringing on Second Amendment rights.
  • Directs funds specifically toward hiring professionals rather than general administrative overhead, ensuring that taxpayer money is used for direct services to students.
  • Allows municipalities to employ the social workers, maintaining a degree of local involvement in the hiring process rather than creating a centralized state bureaucracy.
  • Imposes a costly "unfunded mandate" on local school districts by setting a rigid staffing ratio, likely forcing property tax increases to pay for salaries and benefits not fully covered by the state appropriation.
  • Expands the size and scope of government employment within the education system, shifting focus and resources away from core academic subjects like math and reading.
  • Interferes with local control by dictating specific staffing levels from the state level, disregarding the unique needs or budget constraints of individual towns and school committees.

Votes

Loading votes...

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 2027 for the purpose of allowing school districts or municipalities to employ additional social workers.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.