(a)  Teaching service shall be on the basis of an annual contract, except as hereinafter provided, and the contract shall be deemed to be continuous unless the governing body of the schools shall notify the teacher, in writing, on or before March 1, that the contract for the ensuing year will not be renewed. If the dismissal or nonrenewal is based on fiscal exigency or program reorganization, the governing body shall notify the teacher on or before June 1 of the school year immediately preceding the school year in which the dismissal or nonrenewal is to become effective. Provided, however, that a teacher, upon request, shall be furnished a statement of cause for dismissal or nonrenewal of his or her contract by the school committee; provided further, that whenever any contract is not renewed, or the teacher is dismissed, the teacher shall be entitled to a hearing and appeal pursuant to the procedure set forth in § 16-13-4.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 16-13-2

  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • in writing: include printing, engraving, lithographing, and photo-lithographing, and all other representations of words in letters of the usual form. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-16
  • teacher: as used in this chapter means every person for whose position a certificate issued by the department of elementary and secondary education is required by law. See Rhode Island General Laws 16-13-1

(b)  Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prohibit, or at any time to have prohibited, a school committee from agreeing, in a collective bargaining agreement, to the arbitration of disputes arising out of a dismissal or nonrenewal of a nontenured teacher pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.

History of Section.
P.L. 1946, ch. 1775, § 2; G.L. 1956, § 16-13-2; P.L. 1970, ch. 222, § 1; 1995, ch. 387, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 278, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 335, § 1.