Gen.Laws 1956, § 16-2-5

GENERAL LAWS OF RHODE ISLAND ANNOTATED, 1956

TITLE 16. EDUCATION

CHAPTER 2. SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS

§ 16-2-5 Composition of town school committees -- Election and terms of members -- Vacancies.

The school committee of each town shall consist of three (3) residents of the town, or of such number as at the present time constitute the committee. In towns having annual elections of town officers the committee shall be divided as equally as may be into three (3) classes whose several terms of office shall expire at the end of three (3) years from the dates of their respective elections. In towns having biennial elections the committee shall be divided as equally as may be into two (2) classes whose several terms of office shall expire at the end of four (4) years from the dates of their respective elections. As the office of each class shall become vacant, the vacancy or vacancies shall be filled by the town at its regular town meeting for the election of state or town officers, or by the town council at its next meeting thereafter. In case of a vacancy by death, resignation, or otherwise than as is above provided, the vacancy shall be filled by the town council until the next regular town meeting for the election of state or town officers, when it shall be filled for the unexpired term thereof as is above provided. This section shall not apply to the city of Providence, the city of Central Falls, or the city of Woonsocket.

Gen.Laws 1956, § 16-2-5.1

§ 16-2-5.1 Professional development.

The department of elementary and secondary education in cooperation with the Rhode Island association of school committees shall develop a professional development educational program for Rhode Island school committees, that will include instruction in school finance; school law; duties and responsibilities of the committee; duties and responsibilities of the superintendent; ethics; the requirements of the open meetings law, annual performance evaluation of the school superintendent and the local school committee; and such other topics as the department of elementary and secondary education and the Rhode Island association of school committees may deem to be necessary.

Gen.Laws 1956, § 16-2-9.1

§ 16-2-9.1 Code of basic management principles and ethical school standards.

(a) School committees shall adopt the following code of basic management principles and ethical school standards:

The (District) does hereby establish a code of basic principles and ethical standards for school committee members acting individually and collectively as boards of education in the management of the public schools of (City or Town).

The school committee in accepts the obligation to operate the public schools in accordance with the fundamental principles and standards of school management, which principles include but are not limited to the following:

(1) Formulate written policy for the administration of schools to be reviewed regularly and revised as necessary.

(2) Exercise legislative, policy-making, planning and appraising functions and delegate administrative functions in the operation of schools.

(3) Recognize their critical responsibility for selecting the superintendent, defining his or her responsibilities, and evaluating his or her performance regularly without directly engaging in administrative processes.

(4) Accept and encourage a variety of opinions from and communication with all parts of the community.

(5) Make public relevant institutional information in order to promote communication and understanding between the school system and the community.

(6) Act on legislative and policy-making matters only after examining pertinent facts and considering the superintendent's recommendations.

(7) Conduct meetings with planned and published agendas.

(8) Encourage and promote professional growth of school staff so that quality of instruction and support services may continually be improved.

(9) Establish and maintain procedural steps for resolving complaints and criticisms of school affairs.

(10) Act only through public meetings since individual board members have no authority to bind the board.

(11) Recognize that the first and greatest concern must be the educational welfare of the students attending the public schools.

(12) Work with other committee members to establish effective board policies and to delegate authority for the administration of the schools to the superintendent.

(13) Avoid being placed in a position of conflict of interest, and refrain from using the committee position for personal gain.

(14) Attend all regularly scheduled committee meetings insofar as possible, and become informed concerning the issues to be considered at those meetings.

(b) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to limit or otherwise interfere with the rights of teachers and other school employees to collectively bargain pursuant to chapters 9.3 and 9.4 of title 28 or to allow any school committee or superintendent to abrogate any agreement reached by collective bargaining.