The bill amends Section 16-7.2-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.2 entitled "The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" to establish a permanent foundation education aid formula. The formula consists of a core instruction amount based on regional expenditure data and a supplementary amount to support high-need students. The bill introduces a change in the student success factor, increasing it from forty percent (40%) to forty-five percent (45%) for each child whose family income is at or below 185% of federal poverty guidelines. Additionally, the bill stipulates that beginning in fiscal year 2024, the number of students whose family income is at or below the poverty threshold will be determined by participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with a multiplier of 1.6 applied to the number of students directly certified through the Department of Human Services.

Furthermore, the bill adds a new provision that in local education agencies where over forty-five percent (45%) of resident children are classified as "poverty status," the student success factor will be increased to fifty percent (50%) of the core instruction per-pupil amount. The bill also outlines the responsibilities of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, including providing estimates of foundation education aid costs, reporting updated figures based on average daily membership, and evaluating the needs of multilingual learner students. The bill mandates the development of alternative methods to identify students from low-income families for fiscal year 2026 and requires annual reporting on local contributions to education aid. The act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
7909: 16-7.2-3