RI H8131

Creates a 13-member special joint legislative commission to study Rhode Island's charter school funding method, which has not been reviewed since the education funding formula was established in 2010.

Commission membership includes 3 House members, 3 Senate members, and representatives from charter school organizations, superintendents' association, League of Cities and Towns, teachers' unions, and school committees.

Requires assessment of administrative costs across district charter schools, independent charter schools, mayoral academy charter schools, and traditional school districts.

Commission must hold its first meeting by August 31, 2026, and submit a final report to the Governor and General Assembly by April 1, 2027.

Rhode Island currently has 24 charters encompassing 39 individual charter schools; the resolution notes that expansion has increased administrative expenditures, impacting classroom instruction resources.