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6/11/2026
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General Assembly creates panel to take hard look at education funding formula, Blue Ribbon proposal
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STATE HOUSE — Responding to a report from the Blue Ribbon Commission — a panel of local education leaders and community partners tasked with recommending a fair and equitable school funding system — the General Assembly has created a commission to study the feasibility of revamping the funding formula for all public education.
Introduced by House Education Committee Chairman Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston) and Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Hanna M. Gallo (D-Dist. 27, Cranston, West Warwick), the joint resolution (2026-H 8351Aaa, 2026-S 3368aa) sets up a 16-member panel to study the issue.
Since the adoption of Rhode Island’s current education funding formula in 2010, school districts and municipalities have experienced significant changes in enrollment patterns and student needs. In addition, inflation, rising operational costs and increasing expenditures related to transportation, multilingual learner services, special education, pension obligations and other educational needs have placed significant fiscal pressures on school districts and municipalities across the state.
“This revamping of the school funding formula is long overdue, and we need a new method that will strike a balance between the education needs of our students and our communities’ financial abilities,” said Representative McNamara. “We need a formula that will provide funding for more items that are necessary and fundamental for education, while the cost is borne jointly by the state and individual communities in a fair, transparent and equitable manner. Currently, many educational expenses, such as transportation and early childhood special education, are excluded from the funding formula and borne solely by our municipalities. That places an unbalanced fiscal burden on our school districts.”
In addition to studying the feasibility of implementing the recommendations contained in the Rhode Island Foundation’s Blue Ribbon Commission Report, the panel would be charged with evaluating the adequacy, equity, predictability and long-term fiscal sustainability of Rhode Island’s education funding formula, including the impact of declining enrollment, rising educational costs and differing levels of municipal fiscal capacity. The commission would also be expected to propose a transition plan not to exceed five fiscal years, specifying annual adjustments to state and municipal shares to achieve full implementation of the recommendations.
“Our education funding formula is much more than an equation that includes factors like the impacts of poverty, special education needs, charter enrollment, transportation, regionalization and how many multilingual learners a district has,” said Senator Gallo. “It’s a determinant of every child’s future. We have to get it right, because every single child in our schools needs and deserves a high-quality education. This is an excellent opportunity to examine the formula and ways we can improve it so we are doing the very best we can to put our resources to work for every Rhode Island student.”
In January, the Blue Ribbon Commission issued a report that took a holistic look at the existing funding formula and developed a forward-looking vision for what a modern, student-centered funding system can and should accomplish. The commission, chaired by David N. Cicilline, Rhode Island Foundation’s president and CEO, brought together diverse leading voices across the state to build a consensus vision for a new state funding system. Drawing on evidence and best practice informed by national experts and local partners, the commission presented a set of recommendations to make the way Rhode Island funds public education more fair, transparent and effective.
“We owe the Blue Ribbon Commission our sincere thanks,” said Senate President Valarie Lawson (D-Dist. 14, East Providence). “Their work gave Rhode Island something a credible, consensus-driven set of recommendations, based on sound principles, with broad support. The excitement we’ve seen this year from public officials, educators, and families confirms the funding formula needs to be changed. We want to make sure that when we update the funding formula we are doing it in a way that is equitable and built to last, and that it encompasses the total cost of educating a child.”
“The Blue Ribbon Commission did diligent work,” said Speaker of the House Christopher R. Blazejewski (D-Dist. 2, Providence. “They brought together educators, municipal leaders, advocates and researchers and produced a roadmap for modernizing a funding formula first adopted 15 years ago. This joint legislative commission will build on that work, assess the costs and mechanics of implementation and consider other relevant information to put us in the best possible position for future action. As a parent of school-age children, I join Rhode Island parents in recognizing the profound importance of a quality education.”
“We are grateful to the General Assembly for taking this important step, and we thank the bill’s sponsors and legislative leadership for their commitment to getting this right,” said Cicilline. “The enthusiasm we’ve seen from parents, teachers, town councils and school committees throughout Rhode Island makes clear that this moment is a priority. A special legislative commission that takes the time to carefully study feasibility, model costs and develop a thoughtful transition plan is exactly the kind of serious, structured process this reform deserves. We remain cautiously optimistic that Rhode Island is on the path to a fairer funding system for every child in every community.”
The special legislative commission will comprise three members of the Senate, three members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, along with representatives from the National Education Association Rhode Island, the American Federation of Teachers Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rhode Island Office of Management and Budget, the governor, the Rhode Island Association of School Committees, the Rhode Island School Superintendents Association, the Rhode Island Association of School Business Officials, the Rhode Island Government Finance Officers Association and the Division of Municipal Finance.
For more information, contact:
Daniel Trafford, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-1922
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