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The Rhode Island Foundation is partnering with the nationally recognized Annenberg Institute at Brown University to undertake a yearlong effort to study, assess and make recommendations for a new, equitable public education funding formula in Rhode Island. 
 
Helping to guide this work will be a Blue Ribbon Commission comprised of local education leaders and trusted community partners. The Commission is co-chaired by David N. Cicilline, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation; and Nora E. Gordon, Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy. 
 
“The education, success and wellbeing of students should be a top priority for every Rhode Islander. The current system for funding our schools is broken, unfair, unpredictable and insufficient. It is beyond time to develop a new approach that guarantees equal educational opportunities to every single student in our state,” said Cicilline.  
 
“Research shows that states can play a key role in ensuring opportunities for their students, including through how they finance schools. Local needs are always changing, and research on best practices in school finance has evolved since the current formula was written in 2010, so I'm grateful that the Foundation is taking this moment to revisit the formula,” said Gordon.   
  
“We are thrilled to partner on this critical work. Combining national research evidence, perspectives from leading scholars and practitioners, and diverse local expertise can provide invaluable guidance for policymakers in the state. Improving and making more equitable school funding is central to the state’s goals of boosting educational opportunity for all students,” said John P. Papay, director of the Annenberg Institute and associate professor of education at Brown. 

The members of the Commission are:  

• Rania Aghia, Rhode Island Teachers of English Language Learners   
• Mary K. Barden, National Education Association Rhode Island      
• Marcela Betancur, Latino Policy Institute   
• Maribeth Calabro, Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals  
• Peter Chung, Young Voices   
• Chiara Deltito-Sharrott, Rhode Island League of Charter Public Schools  
• Michael DiBiase, Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council   
• Timothy C. Duffy, Rhode Island Association of School Committees   
• Michael D. Hassell, Rhode Island Association of School Principals   
• Lisa A. Hildebrand, Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children   
• John Kelly, Meeting Street   
• Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies, The Economic Progress Institute    
• Jeannine Nota-Masse, Rhode Island Superintendents Association   
• Paige Parks, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT   
• Randy R. Rossi, Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns   
• Ramona Santos Torres, Parents Leading for Educational Equity 

Recommendations from the Commission and Annenberg are intended to inform legislative action to produce an equitable funding formula. 
 
In addition to regular meetings with the Foundation and the Annenberg Institute, the Commission members will engage with their respective constituencies, and the Foundation will lead a broader community engagement effort.  
 
Feeding into the recommendations for an education funding formula will be working groups on accountability and student perspective.   
 
Education and Student Success is one of the Foundation’s six Community Priorities. In just the past five years, the Foundation has awarded over $25 million in grants to support education priorities.  
 
“Education is the great equalizer. It is the cornerstone of healthy and prosperous communities. It supports growth, creates opportunity, enhances economic mobility and produces healthy people and strong communities,” said Cicilline.  
 
The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Through civic leadership, fundraising and grant-making activities, together with neighbors and partners, the Foundation is helping to create progress that lasts.