Coventry School Committee Policy #: 1030

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1030: SCHOOL COMMITTEE POWERS AND DUTIES

(a) The entire care, control, and management of all public school interests in Coventry is vested in the Coventry School Committee. The Coventry School Committee has, in addition to those enumerated elsewhere in Chapter 16 of the General Laws of Rhode Island, the following powers and duties:

(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 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 Town Council.

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






Policy #: 1030

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(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 of instruction, and text books.

(21) To provide for transportation services which meet or exceed standards of the 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 for elementary and secondary education.

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

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

(c) The Coventry School Committee shall have the power to bind their successors and
successor committees by entering into contracts of employment in the exercise of their
governmental functions.

(d) Notwithstanding any provisions of the general laws to the contrary, the requirement defined
in paragraphs (d) (e) and (f) of this section shall apply. The Coventry School Committee
shall be responsible for maintaining a school budget which does not result in expenses exceeding revenue.

(e) The School Committee shall, within thirty (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 (d).

Policy #: 1030

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(f) In the event that any obligation, encumbrance, or expenditure by the Superintendent of
Schools or the Coventry School Committee is in excess of the amount budgeted or that any
revenue is less than the amount budgeted, and the shortfall cannot be corrected through reclassification of other budgeted items, the School Committee shall by the next business
meeting following the discovery of potential or actual over expenditure or revenue deficiency
submit a written statement of the amount of and cause for the 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; the statement shall
further include a statement of the School Committee's plan for corrective actions necessary to
meet the requirements of subsection (d). The plan shall be approved by the auditor general.

Reference: Chapter 16-2-9 of the General laws of Rhode Island

1st Reading: 10-11-05 Adopted: 11-8-05
2nd Reading: 11-8-05