This bill amends Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, which pertains to the formation of a Regional School District between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island. Key changes include the reduction of the regional district school building committee from twelve to eight members, with four members from each town. The method of selecting members has been revised to include one town council member and two residents from each town. Additionally, the compensation for committee members will now be determined by an all-day referendum instead of a regional school district financial meeting.
The bill further modifies the apportionment of construction and operating costs, transitioning to a phased-in five-year rolling enrollment average starting in the 2024 fiscal year. Each member town's share of costs will be calculated based on pupil enrollment as of October 1 of each year, with the average enrollment for the previous five consecutive fiscal years used for future calculations.
It also updates the process for amending the agreement, lowering the petition requirement from 10% to 5% of registered voters in a member town. Proposed amendments must be approved by both town councils before being presented for a vote in an all-day referendum. The charter review subcommittee, which will consist of members from both town councils and citizens from each town, will review and recommend proposals for amendment. Overall, these changes aim to streamline the governance and financial management of the regional school district.