There shall be a School Committee which shall consist of six
members, elected from the Town at large, to serve four-year terms,
or until their successors are elected and qualified. The terms of
the School Committee shall be arranged in such manner that three members
will be elected every two years.
[Amended 7-1997]
Members of the School Committee, as defined in this Charter,
shall, at the time of their election and during their term of office,
be residents for at least six months next preceding the election and
qualified electors of the Town of Glocester. No member of the School
Committee shall be eligible to accept any other paid appointed School
Department office during their term on the School Committee or for
a period of one year thereafter.
[Amended 7-1997; 11-2000; 11-2-2004; 11-4-2008]
1.
Vacancies. A vacancy shall exist in the School Committee if a member
dies, submits in the Office of the Town Clerk a resignation in writing,
ceases to meet the qualifications for membership, is convicted of
a felony or a crime of moral turpitude, or is absent from four consecutive
months of School Committee meetings, unless such absences are excused
by a majority vote of the whole School Committee, with reasons stated
at the time and appearing in the journal of the meetings from which
the School Committee member was excused.
2.
Forfeiture. A School Committee member shall forfeit that office if
that member violates any express prohibition of this Charter, state
or federal law.
3.
Filling of vacancies. The School Committee candidate from the last
General or Special Election receiving the next highest total of votes
shall fill any vacancy in the membership of the School Committee.
In the event of a tie the Town Council shall appoint. If the next
highest candidate is unavailable then the next available qualified
candidate shall be chosen until the list is exhausted. If no qualified
candidate is available from the list, the vacancy shall be filled
by a majority vote of the Town Council. The new candidate shall be
sworn into office at a Regular School Committee meeting no later than
30 days following certification by the Board of Canvassers as to the
eligibility of the member designated to fill the vacancy.
[Amended 11/4/2014]
The School Committee shall annually provide to the Town Council
its recommendations for compensation for its members, and the Council
shall forward these recommendations in the budget to be voted on at
a Financial Town Referendum for the approval of the townspeople.
1.
The School Committee shall elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson
from its membership and shall adopt its own rules and order of business.
2.
The School Committee shall determine and control all policies affecting
the administration, maintenance and operation of the public schools,
and shall have all the powers and be subject to all the duties as
prescribed by the laws of the State.
3.
The School Committee shall appoint a Superintendent of Schools as
its chief administrative agent and appoint a clerk to the School Committee.
4.
The School Committee shall have the power to inquire into the conduct
of any office, department or activity of the public schools and make
investigations as to school affairs.
5.
The appointment and removal of all school employees and fixing of
salaries shall be made by the School Committee and upon recommendation
of the Superintendent of Schools, except as may be provided otherwise
by the laws of the State. Except for the purpose of inquiry, the School
Committee, as far as is consistent with the laws of the State, shall
deal with the administration of the public schools solely through
the Superintendent of Schools and neither the School Committee nor
any member thereof shall give orders to any subordinate of the Superintendent
or other administrative officers to whom the work is delegated.
6.
The School Committee shall submit budget estimates to the Town Council
in the same manner provided by law as other Departments, but the budget
estimates and appropriations shall be considered by the Council and
in the Town's budget process in total only. The allocation of the
amounts appropriated shall be determined by the School Committee.
7.
The School Committee shall prepare a complete report of its finances
and activities at the close of the fiscal year. Such report shall
be included as a separate action in the annual report to the Council.
8.
The meetings of the School Committee, except when in Executive Session,
shall be open and accessible to the public. Final action shall be
taken only in open meeting.
9.
The School Committee shall have the power to issue subpoenas to compel
witnesses to testify and produce records as prescribed by law.
10.
The School Committee shall exercise such other powers and perform
such other duties as prescribed by law and as are not inconsistent
with this Charter.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
Whenever a new school building or an addition to an existing
building shall be planned, a Building Committee shall be formed consisting
of seven qualified electors appointed by the Town Council to serve
at the pleasure of the Council. The Building Committee shall be responsible
for the planning and supervision of all such construction relating
to new school buildings or additions to existing buildings. The Building
Committee shall be organized at the call of the Town Clerk after the
appropriation of funds and the acquisition of land have been completed.
Any member(s) may be removed without cause from the Building Committee
by a majority vote of the Town Council. Any vacancy in the membership
of the Building Committee shall be filled by the Town Council.
[Amended 12-17-2020 by Res. No. 2020-07]
In the event and so long as the entire public school system of the Town of Glocester shall be regionalized with that of another City or Town, pursuant to the General Laws of the State Of Rhode Island, now or hereafter in effect, the provisions of §§ C6-1 through C6-7, both inclusive, and all other provisions of this Charter relating to public schools shall be inoperative; provided, that in the event the regionalization agreement does not provide for the manner of the selection of the members of the School Committee from the Town of Glocester, members of the Glocester Regional Committee will be elected as in Article VI, Section I, of the Home Rule Charter. Any proposal for regionalization must be approved by the Town Council and placed on a referendum, by the Town Council, for elector approval.
The Public Works Department, when requested by the School Committee
and with the approval of the Council, may be made responsible for
the care and maintenance of school buildings and grounds, provided
that the cost of such care and maintenance shall be charged against
the appropriation for the schools.
[Added 11-2-2004]
The financial accounting responsibilities of the School Department
shall be performed by the Town Department of Finance.
[Added 11-2-2004; amended
11/4/2014]; 12-17-2020 by Res. No. 2020-07
If, at any time during the fiscal year, it is determined that
the remaining unexpended balance of the total appropriations for the
Glocester School Department will be insufficient to cover the items
budgeted, the Superintendent of Schools shall advise the School Committee
to reconsider the programs and revise allotments so as to forestall
any expenditures which would result in excess of appropriations. The
School Committee shall advise the Town Council and the Director of
Finance within 30 days of knowing that expenditures, encumbrances
and accruals would result in excess of appropriations. Remaining amounts
in any unappropriated fund balance may not be used to cover over expenditures
without the approval by vote of the taxpayers of the Town of Glocester
at a Financial Town Referendum.
