Middletown Public Schools                                                                       No. 1030

 

 GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE

 

a.  AS ESTABLISHED BY RHODE ISLAND GENERAL LAWS 16-2-9

 

            The School Committee shall determine and control all policies affecting the administration, maintenance and operation of the public schools and shall have all the powers and be subject to all duties presented by the laws of the State and may provide rules and regulations for the use, operation and maintenance of public school properties, and for vacations of all officials and employees of the School Department.  (Section 805)

 

1)  To identify educational needs in the community.

 

2)  To develop education policies to meet the needs of the community.

 

3)  To provide for and assure the implementation of Federal and State laws, the regulations of the Board of Regents (Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education), and of local school policies, programs and directives.

 

4)  To provide for the evaluation of the performance of the school system.

 

5)  To have responsibility for the care and control of local schools.

 

6)  To have overall policy responsibility for the employment and discipline of school department personnel.

 

7)      To approve a master plan defining goals and objectives of the school system.  These goals and objectives shall be expressed in terms of what men and women should know and be able to do as a result of their educational experience.  The committee shall periodically evaluate the efforts and results of education in light of these objectives.

 

8)      To provide for the location, care, control and management of school facilities and equipment.

 

9)  To adopt a school budget to submit to the local appropriating authority.

 

10) To adopt any changes in the school budget during the course of the school year.

 

11)     To approve expenditures in the absence of a budget, consistent with State Law.

 

12)     To employ a Superintendent of Schools and assign such compensation and other terms and conditions as the School Committee and Superintendent shall agree, provided that in no event shall the term of employment of the Superintendent exceed three (3) years.

 

13)     To give advice and consent on the appointment by the Superintendent of all school department personnel.

 

14)     To establish minimum standards for personnel, to adopt personnel policies, and to approve a table of organization.

 

15)   To establish standards for the evaluation of personnel.

 

16)   To establish standards for conduct in the schools and for disciplinary actions.

 

17)   To hear appeals from disciplinary actions.

 

18)   To enter into contracts.

 

19)  To publish policy manuals, which shall include all School Committee policies.

 

20)     To establish policies governing curriculum, courses on instruction, and textbooks.

 

21)     To provide for transportation services which meet or exceed standards of the Board of Regents (Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education).

 

22)     To make such reports to the Department of Education as are required by the Board of Regents (Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education).

 

23)     To delegate, consistent with law, such responsibilities to the Superintendent as the committee may deem appropriate.

 

 

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

 

(b) The School Committees of each city, town or regional district shall have the power to bind their successors or successor committees by entering into contracts of employment in the exercise of their governmental functions.

 

(c)  Notwithstanding any provisions of the general laws to the contrary, the requirement defined in subsections (c) – (e) of this section shall apply.  The School Committee of each school district shall be responsible for maintaining a school budget, which does not result in a debt.

 

(d) The School Committee shall, within (30) days after the close of the first and second quarters of the state’s fiscal year, adopt such budget as may be necessary to enable it to operate without incurring a debt, as described in subsection (c) above.

 

(e)  In the event that any obligation, encumbrance or expenditure by a Superintendent of Schools or a School Committee is in excess of the amount budgeted or that any revenue in less than the amount budgeted, the School Committee shall within (5) working days of its discovery of potential or actual over expenditure or revenue deficiency, submit a written statement of the amount of an cause for such over obligation or over expenditure or revenue deficiency to the Town Council President and such other person who by local charter or statute serves as the city or town’s executive officer; such statement shall further include a statement of the School committee’s plan for corrective actions necessary to meet the requirements of subsection (c) above.  The plan shall be approved by the Auditor General.

 

b.  AS ESTABLISHED BY LAW AND TOWN CODE

 

            The Middletown School Committee is established in accordance with the General Laws of Rhode Island and within Article VIII of the Middletown Town Code and the powers and authorities so granted.

 

 

MEMBERSHIP

 

            The Middletown School Committee shall consist of five qualified electors of the Town of Middletown and shall hold no other paid public office or employment in the service of the Town or the State, nor any elective or non-civil service appointive office under the federal government.  (Section 801)

 

            If a vacancy occurs in the membership of the School Committee, for other than the expiration of the member’s term, the Town Council shall select a qualified person to fill the vacancy, to serve until the next regularly scheduled state or town election, at which time the electors shall select a qualified person to complete any unexpired portion of the term.  (Amended, November 5, 2002).

 

c.  AS ESTABLISHED BY THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE

 

1)      It is the duty of the School Committee to organize and administer the public schools of the Town of Middletown in accordance with the laws of the State of Rhode Island and the rules and regulations of the Board of Regents.

 

2)      The School Committee shall engage and evaluate a Superintendent of Schools and enter into a contract for his or her services as it deems appropriate and mutually agreeable.

 

3)       In accordance with the provisions of the laws of the State of Rhode Island and the charter for the town of Middletown, the Committee shall compile and adopt a budget for the support of the public schools for a period of July 1^st to June 30^th next ensuing.  The School Committee, in its budget submission for Town approval, shall include anticipated Federal and State revenues and such other monies as may be available or anticipated for the public school expenditures during the ensuing fiscal year.

 

4)      The Committee shall approve and authorize applications for Federal and/or State funds and otherwise regulate the expenditures of such funds in accordance with the purposes and intentions of such applications more particularly described in the original project description.

 

5)      The School Committee shall locate all schoolhouses and sites for same and shall not abandon or change such schoolhouses or sites without good cause.  The care and maintenance of all schoolhouses and school grounds are under the jurisdiction of the School Committee.

 

6)      The School Committee, with the assistance of the Superintendent of Schools, shall establish policies governing textbooks, library books, school supplies and other educational materials as deemed necessary.

 

7)      The administration, care, and control of the schools, including educational matters, shall be subject to formal policies adopted by vote of the School Committee and administered by the Superintendent of Schools.  Matters of emergency nature shall be decided by the Superintendent of Schools subject to the subsequent action of the School Committee.

 

8)      The School Committee, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, shall fix the salaries of all personnel regularly engaged in the service of the Middletown Public Schools in accordance with the procedures for such determinations as are or may be prescribed by Federal and/or State Laws and regulations, and existing personnel salary policies as are or may be adopted by the School Committee.

 

9)      The School Committee shall determine its staff needs for the ensuing school year and take such actions with reference to the engagement or re-engagement of personnel as is appropriate and consistent with the provisions of State Law.  Job descriptions recommended by the Superintendent shall be acted upon by the School Committee.

 

10)     Hearings on appeals from the decisions of the Superintendent of Schools may be granted.  The person directly concerned should submit to the Chairman a written request to be heard consistent with School Committee Policy on Meetings.

 

 

Revision – January 15, 2009