§ 16-26-3.1 - Board of Trustees. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 16-26-3.1

   § 16-26-3.1  Board of Trustees. – (a) The powers delegated and authorized in this chapter for the board ofregents for elementary and secondary education and the department of elementaryand secondary education shall be in addition to those previously authorized byany other general or public law.

   (b) The governance, funding, and programming of the RhodeIsland School for the Deaf shall be in accordance with the rules andregulations formulated by the board of regents for elementary and secondaryeducation pursuant to chapter 35 of title 42.

   (c) The purpose of this chapter is to restructure thegovernance of the Rhode Island School for the Deaf.

   (2) The School for the Deaf shall be operated as a localeducation agency and shall be governed by a board of trustees. With theexception of those powers and duties reserved to the director, the commissionerof elementary and secondary education, and the board of regents for elementaryand secondary education, the board of trustees shall have the powers and dutiesof a school committee.

   (3) The board of regents for elementary and secondaryeducation shall appoint the members of the board of trustees from nominationsmade by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education. The chairpersonshall also be selected in this manner. The board of regents for elementary andsecondary education shall determine the qualifications and terms of office ofmembers of the board of trustees. The board of trustees shall be comprised ofnine (9) individuals, not less than five (5) of whom shall be persons who aredeaf and hard of hearing. The commissioner may seek input on nominations ofpersons who are deaf and hard of hearing from organizations whose membership isprimarily made up of deaf and hard of hearing individuals, individuals who aredeaf and hard of hearing, or organizations whose purpose is advocacy forindividuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, as well as from other sources.For purposes of obtaining input from diverse sources regarding suggestions fornominations for the first trustees to be nominated by the commissioner, thecommissioner shall convene a public quorum to obtain broad input prior tomaking the initial nominations for the founding membership on the board oftrustees. No person in any way employed by or doing business with the RhodeIsland School for the Deaf shall serve on the board of trustees.

   (4) The board of regents shall establish strategic directionsfor the education of deaf and hard of hearing children in the state of RhodeIsland.

   (5) The board of regents shall provide parameters for budgetrequests, recommend a budget, and participate in budget development.

   (d) The commissioner of elementary and secondary educationshall recommend parameters for the overall budget requests, recommend a budget,and participate in budget development.

   (2) The commissioner shall approve the process for selectionof a director of the school.

   (e) The board of trustees shall meet monthly and servewithout compensation. Seven (7) members of the board of trustees shall berequired to attend teacher appeal meetings pursuant to § 16-13-4. Theboard of trustees shall have broad policy making authority of the operation ofthe school consistent with this subsection and the following powers and duties:

   (1) To identify the needs of deaf and hard of hearingchildren in the state of Rhode Island.

   (2) To develop educational policies to meet the needs of deafand hard of hearing children served by the school for the deaf.

   (3) To appoint a director of the school to serve as its chiefexecutive officer and to approve assistant directors from nominations made bythe director.

   (4) To provide policy guidance and participate in budgetdevelopment.

   (5) To develop staffing policies which ensure that allstudents are taught by educators of the highest possible quality.

   (f) The director shall serve at the pleasure of the board oftrustees with the initial appointment to be for a period of not more than five(5) years; provided, that the term and conditions of employment are subject tothe approval of the board of regents for elementary and secondary education.

   (2) It is the responsibility of the director to manage andoperate the school on a day to day basis. The director's responsibilities shallinclude the following:

   (i) To be responsible for the entire care, supervision, andmanagement of the school for the deaf.

   (ii) To recommend to the board of regents educationalpolicies to meet the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing children and toimplement policies established by the board of trustees.

   (iii) To present nominations to the board of trustees forassistant administrators and to appoint all other school personnel.

   (iv) To provide for the evaluation of all school personnel.

   (v) To establish a school based management approach fordecision making for the operation of the school.

   (vi) To report to the board of trustees on a regular basisthe financial condition and the operation of the school, and to report annuallyon the educational progress of the school.

   (vii) To establish appropriate advisory committees as neededto provide guidance and feedback on the operation of the school.

   (viii) To make himself or herself available to the board oftrustees and to attend board of trustees meetings to provide a link between theschool and the board of trustees.

   (g) With policy guidance from the board of trustees andextensive involvement of the administrators and faculty of the school, thedirector shall annually prepare a budget. The board of trustees will approvethe budget and transmit it to the commissioner of elementary and secondaryeducation. The board of regents for elementary and secondary education shallprovide parameters for the overall budget request. Based on review andrecommendations for the commissioner, the board of regents shall approve thetotal budget and incorporate it into its budget request to the governor and tothe general assembly. Line item budgeting decisions shall be the responsibilityof the director.

   (h) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to limit orinterfere with the rights of teachers and other school employees to bargaincollectively pursuant to chapters 9.3 and 9.4 of title 28 or to allow the boardof trustees or the director to abrogate any agreement by collective bargaining.Employees at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf shall continue to be stateemployees and the bargaining units which are presently established at theschool shall remain intact.