The text
1901. - [Members;] number, term, selection.#
There shall be a school committee which shall consist of five (5) members elected from the town by ward, to serve four-year terms, subject to recall as provided in this Charter, with their terms arranged in such manner that two (2) members are to be elected in November 2012, and three (3) members are to be elected in November 2014. Editor's note— This section was amended by Question 6 approved at the February 8, 1994, Special Election, and by Question 7 approved at the November 2, 2010, Election.
1902. - Qualifications.#
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 and qualified electors of the Town of West Warwick and shall hold no other paid public office or employment in the service of the town. No member of the school committee shall be eligible to accept any other paid appointed school department office during his or her term on the school committee or for a period of one (1) year thereafter.
1903. - Vacancies.#
A vacancy shall exist in the school committee if a member dies, resigns, ceases to meet the qualifications for membership, is recalled, or is convicted of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude and has exhausted all appeals from said conviction. Any vacancy in the membership of the school committee which occurs less than two years prior to the next general election shall be filled by the Town Council until the next general election, when the office shall be filled for the unexpired term thereof, provided that person selected to fill said vacancy shall be a member of the same political party as the person whose position they are selected to fill. In the event that the school committee member was unaffiliated, the Council may appoint any qualified elector who is unaffiliated or a member of any recognized political party.
(Amd. of 11-8-2022(3))
Editor's note— This section was amended by Question 6 approved at the February 8, 1994, Special Election.
1904. - Organization.#
The school committee shall determine its own rules and its order or [of] business and the time of its meetings.
1905. - Compensation.#
Members of the school committee shall receive such annual salaries or stipends as may be set by the school committee, provided that any increase shall not become effective until after completion of the term of any member of the school committee at the time [the] motion for said increase was approved.
1906. - Powers and duties.#
The school committee shall: (1)
Determine and control all policies affecting the administration, maintenance, and operation of public schools and shall have all the powers and be subject to all duties prescribed by the laws of the state, and may provide rules and regulations for the use, operation, [and] maintenance of public school properties.
(2)
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.
(3)
Appoint and establish the compensation of a superintendent of schools who shall be its chief administrative agent, and who shall have, under the direction of the school committee, the care and supervision of the public schools. The superintendent shall be subject to removal at the discretion of the school committee, following a public hearing, if the superintendent shall request the same. There shall be no right of appeal from the decision of the school committee.
(4)
Appoint and remove all school employees upon recommendation of the superintendent of schools, except as otherwise [shall] be provided by state law. Except for the purpose of inquiry, the school committee and its members 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 subordinates of the superintendent of schools, either publicly or privately.
(5)
Submit budget estimates in the same manner provided by state 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.
(6)
At its discretion, request the department of public works to maintain and care for school buildings and grounds, provided that the costs are charged against appropriations for the public schools.
(7)
Prepare a complete report of its finances and activities at the close of each fiscal year. Such reports shall be included as a separate section in the annual town report.
(8)
Exercise such other powers and perform such other duties as prescribed by state law and as are not inconsistent with this Charter.