The bill proposes amendments to the Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act to enhance state funding for educational programs and expenses. It includes provisions for special education, career and technical education, pre-kindergarten programs, and the Central Falls, Davies, and the Met Center Stabilization Fund. The bill also addresses state funding for transportation costs for out-of-district non-public schools and within regional school districts. It introduces a regionalization bonus of two percent (2.0%) of the state's share of the foundation education aid for regionalized districts starting July 1, 2024, and removes previous provisions regarding the bonus in the second fiscal year and its cessation in the third fiscal year. Additionally, the bill increases support for English learners by applying a fifteen percent (15%) EL factor to the core-instruction per-pupil amount and delegates the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to prorate funds and recommend criteria for fund allocation.

Furthermore, the bill provides for state support for school resource officers (SROs) in public middle and high schools, offering reimbursement for half the cost of salaries and benefits for these positions. It sets requirements for the number of SROs based on school enrollment and specifies that SROs hired beyond the requirement will not be eligible for reimbursement. The bill also stipulates that schools eliminating existing SRO positions and creating new ones will not qualify for reimbursement. The regionalization bonus amendment and the provisions for SRO funding are set to take effect on July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
2057: 16-7.2-6