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5/12/2026
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Rep. O’Brien’s bills support public schools and teachers
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STATE HOUSE – Rep. William W. O’Brien, an unwavering supporter of Rhode Island’s public schools and teachers, is calling attention to his five-bill legislative package that aims to strengthen and support Rhode Island’s public school system. His five-bill legislative package aims to strengthen and support Rhode Island’s public school system.
“Our public schools are facing significant challenges, particularly a troubling shortage of qualified teachers. This critical issue will negatively impact current and future students if this problem is not solved, and a major cause of why Rhode Island has a teacher shortage is the pension system that’s offered. These bills will correct this issue, bring our state more in-line with our neighbors, and significantly help retain and attract desperately needed teachers for our students,” said Representative O’Brien (D-Dist. 54, North Providence).
The following bills are part of Representative O’Brien’s public school legislative package:
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2026-H 7160 would allow teachers and state and municipal employees to retire when they have at least 28 years of active service and their retirement age, when combined with the number of their years of service reaches, the 85.
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2026-H 7391 would reinstate, for all teachers and state employees who retired after July 1, 2012, their annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) for retirement plan year 2026.
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2026-H 7614 would provide that for the period up until July 1, 2027, an applicant for a teaching certificate in Rhode Island would not be required to complete a standardized teacher’s examination as a prerequisite to obtaining a teaching certificate.
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2026-H 7728 would allow emergency preliminary certificates for teaching to be issued for up to a total of five school years.
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2026-H 8170 would restore the rights of school administrators and staff members, who have retired to exceed the 90-day cap on post-retirement employment and work up to 180 days during a school year.
“Our kids deserve to have the best quality education, but this is only possible if we have enough teachers to educate our students. We must make changes to the current system or risk further and more disastrous teacher shortages in the future. Our kids deserve better, our teachers deserve better and I will continue to fight to ensure that our teachers have the support they need so that our students can be properly prepared for future successful lives,” concluded Representative O’Brien.
For more information, contact:
Andrew Caruolo, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-6124
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