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S 2634Standards & Wages

Education - Establishment of Charter Public Schools

This bill requires charter schools and mayoral academies to pay their teachers and administrators the same prevailing wages and benefits as traditional public school staff.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
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Introduced Feb 13, 2026Committee Senate Labor & Gaming

Plain-English Summary

This legislation mandates that teachers and administrators employed in Rhode Island charter public schools and mayoral academies must be paid prevailing wages and benefits comparable to those provided in traditional public schools. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is tasked with publishing these rates annually and enforcing compliance. Schools found violating these wage requirements must pay restitution to employees and face civil penalties of up to $500 per employee per day. Additionally, noncompliance will be a factor considered during the school's charter renewal process.

For younger readers

This new law makes sure that teachers and principals at charter schools get paid the same amount of money and have the same benefits as teachers at regular public schools. The people in charge of education for the state will check every year to make sure the schools are following this rule. If a charter school does not pay their teachers the right amount, they will have to pay the money back to the teachers, pay a fine to the state, and could get in trouble when asking to keep their school open.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Charter school teachersCharter school administratorsCharter public schoolsMayoral academiesDepartment 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
  • Ensures fair and equitable compensation for educators in charter schools, aligning their pay with unionized public school standards and preventing the exploitation of labor.
  • Strengthens the social safety net for charter school employees by guaranteeing benefits, which contributes to the overall economic stability of the workforce.
  • Prevents charter schools from undercutting traditional public schools by using lower labor costs to create an illusion of fiscal efficiency, promoting a more level playing field in education.
  • Could place a significant financial strain on smaller, independent charter schools that serve marginalized communities, potentially forcing them to cut student services or close.
  • May limit the ability of charter schools to hire diverse staff or those with non-traditional backgrounds if strict wage scales reduce hiring flexibility.
  • The imposition of fines and penalties diverts educational funds away from students and classrooms to pay for administrative violations.
For Conservatives
  • Increases financial transparency and accountability within charter schools by requiring them to report compensation data to the state.
  • Ensures that charter schools compete based on educational innovation and results rather than simply by reducing employee compensation costs.
  • Provides a clear, standardized rule of law regarding compensation, removing ambiguity in the hiring and budgeting process for these institutions.
  • Imposes heavy-handed government price controls on the labor market, stripping charter schools of the freedom to negotiate contracts and manage their own budgets.
  • Significantly increases the regulatory burden and bureaucracy by mandating annual reporting, audits, and state oversight of private employment contracts.
  • Undermines the core concept of charter schools as laboratories of innovation by forcing them to conform to the rigid structures of the traditional public school system.

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.