The bill amends "The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" to provide state funding for special education, career and technical education, pre-kindergarten programs, and the Central Falls, Davies, and the Met Center Stabilization Fund. It defines "extraordinary" special education costs as those exceeding four times the core foundation amount. The bill also includes new provisions for state funding of transportation costs to out-of-district non-public schools and within regional school districts, ensuring full funding for transportation categorical funds from the fiscal year 2025. Additionally, it offers a regionalization bonus for public school districts that regionalize, with specific percentages of the state's share of foundation education aid allocated for the first two fiscal years following regionalization, and includes prorating of funds if necessary.

The bill further proposes changes to the support for English Learner (EL) students, determining additional state support by multiplying an EL factor of fifteen percent by the core-instruction per-pupil amount for identified EL students. It requires funds to be used for high-quality services and managed according to the commissioner's requirements, with performance reports and fund usage approval. For school resource officers (SROs), the bill provides state support covering half the cost of salaries and benefits for officers at public middle and high schools, with requirements based on school enrollment and eligibility only for new positions established after July 1, 2018. The bill also includes a provision to fully fund transportation categorical funds from the fiscal year 2025 to support regional school districts. The act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
7206: 16-7.2-6