Bill > H5594

This bill modifies Rhode Island's existing education intervention law by limiting the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's ability to intervene in struggling schools. Specifically, the bill restricts the department to intervening in no more than two schools within a single school district at any given time. The law, known as the Paul W. Crowley Rhode Island Student Investment Initiative, previously allowed broader intervention strategies for schools not meeting performance goals, including providing technical assistance, policy support, and resource oversight. If a school fails to improve after three years, the department could take progressive levels of control over the school's budget, program, and personnel, potentially leading to school reconstitution. The new provision does not apply to any interventions already in progress as of July 1, 2025, which is also the date the bill will take effect. The bill maintains the existing framework of supportive and progressive intervention strategies outlined in the Comprehensive Education Strategy and SALT (School Accountability for Learning and Teaching) principles, but caps the number of simultaneous school interventions within a district.

Education

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