The bill amends Section 16-7.2-3 of the General Laws under "The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" to establish a permanent foundation education aid formula. This formula will calculate foundation education aid for each district based on a core instruction amount and additional support for high-need students. The core instruction amount will be derived from regional expenditure data and updated annually, while the support for high-need students will include factors based on family income and multilingual learner status.

Notably, the bill introduces a new provision that will include a student's enrollment in Medicaid in the calculations for the student success factor, starting with the FY 2026 calculation. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is required to utilize a student's enrollment in Medicaid in calculations related to the application of the student success factor, the calculation of the state share ratio, and the formulation of estimates pursuant to the relevant section.

The act is set to take effect upon passage, aiming to enhance educational equity and support for high-need students in the state.

Statutes affected:
259: 16-7.2-3