R.I. House Finance Postpones School-Financing Formula Vote (RI)
June 8, 2010
The House Finance Committee Friday postponed voting on one of the most important issues of the legislative session, establishing a fair and equitable school-financing formula. State Rep. Steven M. Costantino, D-Providence, chairman of the committee, said the group needed more time to consider the merits of various proposals.
“We won’t be voting today,” Costantino said at the outset. “We wil l schedule that vote early next week.”
Costantino said passing a formula this year remains a “top priority.” He wants to establish a new way to dole out more than $850 million a year in education aid to districts, charter schools and state-operated schools to go into effect in 2012, rather than in 2013, as some lawmakers have suggested.
House Speaker Gordon D. Fox and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed have both indicated their support for passing a formula this year.
Rhode Island is the only state without a formula. The last one expired about 15 years ago. Since then, lawmakers have simply added money in good years or cut in bad years, without taking into account changes in enrollment and student need.
This year, political and education leaders seem committed to passing a formula, even though it would create winners and losers — districts that would get more state education aid and districts that would receive less.
A proposal by the state Department of Education and researchers at Brown University would not require a large infusion of extra cash. It has received support from Costantino. House Bill 8094 would phase-in change over a 10-year period, giving communities time to adjust.
Another bill, proposed by Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, would dedicate extra money for children receiving special education and English language services.
Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist says the formula her department developed includes money for most of those services in it and, therefore, extra monies are not required.
Gist also said the department is willing to add transportation costs to their formula if lawmakers decide that is a priority.