I. Mission,
Legal Structure, and System of Governance
Formerly #8200
B. Code of Ethical School Standards & Basic
Management Principles
2. School
Committee Powers and Duties
A. The entire care, control,
and management of all public schools interest in Narragansett is vested in the
Narragansett School Committee. The Narragansett School Committee has, in
addition to those enumerated elsewhere in Chapter 16 of the General Laws of
(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 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 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 policy 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 Narragansett School Committee to abrogate any agreement reached by
collective bargaining.
C. The Narragansett School Committees 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 subsections (d) through (f) of this
section shall apply. The Narragansett 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).
F. In the event that any obligation, encumbrance, or expenditure by
the superintendent of schools or the Narragansett 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 within five (5) working days of its
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
Accepted: February 13, 2003