§ 16-7-22 — § 16-7-22. Determination of average daily membership.

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

Each community shall be paid pursuant to the provisions of § 16-7-17 an amount based upon the following provisions:

(1) On or before September 1 of each year the average daily membership of each city and town for the reference year shall be determined by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education from data supplied by the school committee in each community in the following manner: The aggregate number of days of membership of all pupils enrolled full time in grade twelve (12) and below, except that pupils below grade one who are not full time shall be counted on a full-time equivalent basis: (i) Increased by the aggregate number of days of membership of pupils residing in the particular city or town whose tuition in schools approved by the department of elementary and secondary education in other cities and towns is paid by the particular city or town; and (ii) Decreased by the aggregate number of days of membership of nonresident pupils enrolled in the public schools of the particular city or town; and (iii) Decreased further, in the case of a city or town that is a member of a regional school district during the first year of operation of the regional school district by the aggregate number of days of membership of pupils residing in the city or town who would have attended the public schools in the regional school district if the regional school district had been operating during the previous year, divided by the number of days during which the schools were officially in session during the reference year. The resulting figures shall be the average daily membership for the city or town for the reference year. For purposes of calculating the permanent foundation education aid as described in §§ 16-7.2-3(a)(1) and 16-7.2-3(a)(2), the average daily membership for school districts shall exclude charter school and state school students, and beginning in school year 2014-2015, include an estimate to ensure that districts converting from a half-day to a full-day kindergarten program pursuant to § 16-99-4 are credited on a full-time basis beginning in the first year of enrollment and are funded notwithstanding the transition plan pursuant to § 16-7.2-7.

(2) The average daily membership of pupils attending public schools shall apply for the purposes of determining the percentage of the state's share under the provisions of §§ 16-7-16(3), 16-7-16(10), 16-7-18, 16-7-19, 16-7-20, 16-7-21, and 16-7.2-4.

(3) In the case of regional school districts, the aggregate number of days of membership by which each city or town is decreased in subsection (1)(iii) of this section, divided by the number of days during which the schools attended by the pupils were officially in session, shall determine the average daily membership for the regional school district during the first year of operation. After the first year of operation, the average daily membership of each regional school district, except the Chariho regional high school district, shall be determined by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education from data supplied by the school committee of each regional school district for the reference year in the manner provided in subsection (1) of this section.

(4) [Deleted by P.L. 2025, ch. 278, art. 7, § 1.]

Legislative History

P.L. 1960, ch. 27, § 8; P.L. 1960, ch. 27, § 8; P.L. 1967, ch. 160, § 3; P.L. 1967, ch. 160, § 3; P.L. 1972, ch. 197, § 1; P.L. 1972, ch. 197, § 1; P.L. 1980, ch. 264, § 1; P.L. 1980, ch. 264, § 1; P.L. 1983, ch. 134, § 1; P.L. 1983, ch. 134, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 84, § 74; P.L. 1988, ch. 84, § 74; P.L. 1989, ch. 490, § 1; P.L. 1989, ch. 490, § 1; P.L. 1992, ch. 133, art. 43, § 1; P.L. 1992, ch. 133, art. 43, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 77, art. 22, § 5; P.L. 2001, ch. 77, art. 22, § 5; P.L. 2010, ch. 124, § 1; P.L. 2010, ch. 124, § 1; P.L. 2010, ch. 125, § 1; P.L. 2010, ch. 125, § 1; P.L. 2013, ch. 358, § 2; P.L. 2013, ch. 358, § 2; P.L. 2014, ch. 431, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 431, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 456, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 456, § 1; P.L. 2024, ch. 117, art. 8, § 3, effective June 17, 2024; P.L. 2025, ch. 278, art. 7, § 1, effective June 29, 2025; P.L. 2025, ch. 427, art. 2, § 5, effective July 2, 2025.