Rhode Island General Laws
Chapter 16-7 - Foundation Level School Support [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]
Section 16-7-44. - School housing project costs.

§ 16-7-44. School housing project costs.
School housing project costs, the date of completion of school housing projects, and the applicable amount of school housing project cost commitments shall be in accordance with the regulations of the commissioner of elementary and secondary education and the provisions of §§ 16-7-35 — 16-7-47; provided, however, that school housing project costs shall include the purchase of sites, buildings, and equipment, the construction of buildings, and additions or renovations of existing buildings and/or facilities. School housing project costs shall include the cost of interest payment on any bond issued after July 1, 1988, provided that such bond is approved by the voters on or before June 30, 2003, or issued by a municipal public building authority or by the appropriate approving authority on or before June 30, 2003. Except as provided in § 16-7-41(d), for those projects approved after June 30, 2003, interest payments may only be included in project costs provided that the bonds for these projects are issued through the Rhode Island health and educational building corporation. School housing project costs shall exclude: (1) Any bond issuance costs incurred by the municipality or regional school district; (2) Demolition costs for buildings, facilities, or sites deemed surplus by the school committee; and (3) Restrictions pursuant to § 16-7-44.1. A building, facility, or site is declared surplus by a school committee when the committee no longer has such building, facility, or site under its direct care and control and transfers control to the municipality, § 16-2-15. The council on elementary and secondary education will promulgate rules and regulations for the administration of this section. These rules and regulations may provide for the use of lease revenue bonds, capital leases, or capital reserve funding, to finance school housing provided that the term of any bond, or capital lease shall not be longer than the useful life of the project and these instruments are subject to the public review and voter approval otherwise required by law for the issuance of bonds or capital leases. Cities or towns issuing bonds, or leases issued by a municipal public buildings authority for the benefit of a local community pursuant to chapter 50 of title 45 shall not require voter approval. Effective January 1, 2008, and except for interim finance mechanisms, refunding bonds, borrowing from the school building authority capital fund, and bonds issued by the Rhode Island health and educational building corporation to finance school housing projects for towns, cities, or regional school districts borrowing for which has previously been authorized by an enabling act of the general assembly, all bonds, notes, and other forms of indebtedness issued in support of school housing projects shall require passage of an enabling act by the general assembly.
History of Section.P.L. 1960, ch. 26, § 10; P.L. 1981, ch. 252, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 441, § 1; P.L. 1996, ch. 320, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 376, art. 9, § 5; P.L. 2007, ch. 222, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 236, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 370, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 9, art. 5, § 1; P.L. 2015, ch. 141, art. 9, § 1; P.L. 2018, ch. 47, art. 9, § 1.

Structure Rhode Island General Laws

Rhode Island General Laws

Title 16 - Education

Chapter 16-7 - Foundation Level School Support [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]

Section 16-7-1 - — 16-7-14. Repealed.

Section 16-7-15. - Statement of purpose.

Section 16-7-16. - Definitions.

Section 16-7-17. - Time of payment of state’s share of the basic program and approved expenditures.

Section 16-7-18. - Determination of mandated minimum program level.

Section 16-7-19. - Computation of standard local tax rate.

Section 16-7-19.1. - Optional incentive plan.

Section 16-7-20. - Determination of state’s share.

Section 16-7-20.1. - Annual report of number of children with disabilities receiving support.

Section 16-7-20.2. - Repealed.

Section 16-7-20.3. - Repealed.

Section 16-7-20.4. - Repealed.

Section 16-7-20.5. - Computation of regionalization bonus.

Section 16-7-20.6, 16-7-20.7. - Repealed.

Section 16-7-21. - Determination and adjustment of equalized weighted assessed valuation.

Section 16-7-22. - Determination of average daily membership.

Section 16-7-23. - Community requirements — Adequate minimum budget provision.

Section 16-7-23.1. - Special maintenance of effort rules for high local contribution and high per pupil expenditure communities.

Section 16-7-23.2. - School deficit reduction — Maintenance of effort provision.

Section 16-7-24. - Minimum appropriation by a community for approved school expenses.

Section 16-7-25. - Minimum program required.

Section 16-7-26. - Repealed.

Section 16-7-27. - School tax rate to be identified.

Section 16-7-28. - Separate revenue and expenditure records kept by school communities.

Section 16-7-29. - Minimum salary schedule.

Section 16-7-30. - School attendance when high school not maintained by community.

Section 16-7-31. - Failure of community to furnish funds — Withholding of state funds.

Section 16-7-32. - Annual review of expenditures.

Section 16-7-33. - Evaluation of operations — Recommendations.

Section 16-7-34. - Appropriation of funds.

Section 16-7-34.1. - Repealed.

Section 16-7-34.2. - Appropriation of funds for education of children with disabilities.

Section 16-7-34.3. - Reimbursement by the state for conventional public housing students.

Section 16-7-35. - Foundation program for school housing — Declaration of policy.

Section 16-7-36. - Definitions.

Section 16-7-37. - Reports from communities.

Section 16-7-38. - Time for payments to communities.

Section 16-7-39. - Computation of school housing-aid ratio.

Section 16-7-40. - Increased school housing ratio.

Section 16-7-41. - Computation of school housing aid.

Section 16-7-41.1. - Eligibility for reimbursement.

Section 16-7-42. - Other aid for school housing projects — Effect.

Section 16-7-43. - Repealed.

Section 16-7-44. - School housing project costs.

Section 16-7-44.1. - Program restrictions.

Section 16-7-44.2. - Repayment of school housing aid.

Section 16-7-45. - Annual appropriations.

Section 16-7-46. - Repealed.

Section 16-7-47. - Addition to existing aid.

Section 16-7-48, 16-7-49. - Repealed.