Rhode Island public schools should be spending an average of $9,500 per student, according to a study released yesterday to the General Assembly.
Conducted by educational consulting firm R.C. Wood & Associates, the study was commissioned to determine the "base" cost of educating students - the average cost of educating students without special needs for English learning services or support for learning disabilities. The base cost does not include some expenses such as transportation.
A state committee, called the Joint Committee to Establish a Permanent Education Foundation Aid Formula, will use the study results to create a formula that would determine the level of state aid required by school districts from year to year.
School districts could require an extra $94 million per year, if the state acts in accordance with the report, according to a March 7 Providence Journal article.
The Corporation voted Feb. 24 to establish a $10 million endowed fund, which would have an annual payout of roughly $500,000, for public education in Providence following the recommendations released last year by the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice.
