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2/23/2026
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Media Advisory: Online event tomorrow to call for state aid formula funding for civics education
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STATE HOUSE – Rep. June S. Speakman tomorrow will join Massachusetts leaders and educators who will participate in a panel discussion on the impact of dedicated funding for civics education, drawing on our neighboring state’s experience. Due to today’s blizzard, the event will be held online.
The event is scheduled tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 3 p.m. Members of the media are welcome and are asked to email mwhitty@rilegislature.gov for the meeting link. Members of the public are also welcome and may register for free at this link.
Entitled “Learning from Success: Building a Sustainable Civic Education Infrastructure in Rhode Island,” the event brings together key stakeholders from Massachusetts and Rhode Island to explore the transformative impact of dedicated civic education funding through Massachusetts’ experience with its $2.5 million Civics Project Trust Fund.
Representative Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol), along with Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Hanna M. Gallo (D-Dist. 27, Cranston, West Warwick), is sponsoring legislation to include funding for civics education (2026-H 7581, 2026-S 2233) as a categorical program funded in the state’s education funding formula, beginning with a $1 million allocation in the FY 2027 budget. In 2021, Rhode Island took a bold step by passing the Civics Literacy Act (also sponsored by Chairwoman Gallo), requiring all middle and high school students to demonstrate proficiency in civics through project-based learning, but no funding has ever been allocated to make it a reality for every student in every district.
The panel discussion will include Massachusetts Sen. Rebecca Rausch (D-Norfork, Worcester, Middlesex), the primary architect of the Massachusetts Civics Project Trust Fund; Dr. Kelly Siegel-Stechler, director of the Collaborative Discussion Project at the Interactivity Foundation who has studied how school climate affects long-term democratic engagement; Lynn Public Schools Assistant Director of Curriculum and former history teacher Kristen Tabacco, who has scaled the community-based civics project across nine secondary schools; and Geraldo Acosta, a lead teacher at Lawrence High School who works specifically to ensure that civic learning is accessible to Latino and multilingual learners. Representative Speakman will offer remarks on the need for similar funding in Rhode Island.
The event is hosted by the Rhode Island Civic Learning Coalition and the League of Women Voters of Rhode Island.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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