(a)  Prior to July 1, 2012, each teacher shall contribute into the system nine and one-half percent (9.5%) of compensation as his or her share of the cost of annuities, benefits, and allowances. Effective July 1, 2012, each teacher shall contribute an amount equal to three and three quarters percent (3.75%) of his or her compensation. Effective July 1, 2015, each teacher with twenty (20) or more years of total service as of June 30, 2012, shall contribute an amount equal to eleven percent (11%) of his or her compensation. The employer contribution on behalf of teacher members of the system shall be in an amount that will pay a rate percent of the compensation paid to the members, according to the method of financing prescribed in the state retirement act in chapters 8 — 10 and 10.3 of title 36. This amount shall be paid forty percent (40%) by the state and sixty percent (60%) by the city, town, local educational agency, or any formalized commissioner-approved cooperative service arrangement by whom the teacher members are employed, with the exception of teachers who work in federally funded projects and further with the exception of any supplemental contributions by a local municipality employer under chapter 10.3 of Title 36 which supplemental employer contributions shall be made wholly by the local municipality. Provided, however, that the rate percent paid shall be rounded to the nearest hundredth of one percent (.01%).

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 16-16-22

  • compensation: includes any and all salary paid for teaching services regardless of whether any part of the salary or compensation is derived from any state or federal grant or appropriation for teachers' salaries, as the term is defined in § 36-8-1(8). See Rhode Island General Laws 16-16-1
  • Service: means service as a teacher as described in subdivision (12) of this section. See Rhode Island General Laws 16-16-1
  • system: means the employees' retirement system of the state of Rhode Island created by chapter 8 of Title 36, and "retirement board" means the board established under that chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 16-16-1
  • Teacher: means a person required to hold a certificate of qualification issued by or under the authority of the board of regents for elementary and secondary education and who is engaged in teaching as their principal occupation and is regularly employed as a teacher in the public schools of any city or town in the state, or any formalized, commissioner approved, cooperative service arrangement. See Rhode Island General Laws 16-16-1
  • town: may be construed to include city; the words "town council" include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9

(b)  The employer contribution on behalf of teacher members of the system who work in fully or partially federally funded programs shall be prorated in accordance with the share of the contribution paid from the funds of the federal, city, town, or local educational agency, or any formalized commissioner-approved cooperative service arrangement by whom the teacher members are employed.

(c)  In case of the failure of any city, town, or local educational agency, or any formalized commissioner-approved cooperative service arrangement, to pay to the state retirement system the amounts due from it under this section within the time prescribed, the general treasurer is authorized to deduct the amount from any money due the city, town, or local educational agency from the state.

(d)  The employer’s contribution shared by the state shall be paid in the amounts prescribed in this section for the city, town, or local educational agency and under the same payment schedule. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the city, town, or local educational agency or any formalized commissioner-approved cooperative service arrangement shall remit to the general treasurer of the state the local employer’s share of the teacher’s retirement on the date contributions are withheld but no later than three (3) business days following the pay period ending in which contributions were withheld. The amounts that would have been contributed shall be deposited by the state in a special fund and not used for any purpose. The general treasurer, upon receipt of the local employer’s share, shall effect transfer of a matching amount of money from the state funds appropriated for this purpose by the general assembly into the retirement fund.

Upon reconciliation of the final amount owed to the retirement fund for the employer share, the state shall ensure that any local education aid reduction assumed for the FY 2010 revised budget in excess of the actual savings is restored to the respective local entities.

(e)  This section is not subject to §§?45-13-7 through 45-13-10.

History of Section.
P.L. 1948, ch. 2101, § 6; P.L. 1949, ch. 2375, § 1; P.L. 1951, ch. 2830, § 8; G.L. 1956, § 16-16-22; P.L. 1958, ch. 79, § 1; P.L. 1976, ch. 289, § 4; P.L. 1978, ch. 168, § 2; P.L. 1979, ch. 332, § 1; P.L. 1980, ch. 146, § 1; P.L. 1980, ch. 175, § 1; P.L. 1981, ch. 16, § 1; P.L. 1982, ch. 97, § 1; P.L. 1985, ch. 331, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 509, § 2; P.L. 1989, ch. 126, art. 29, § 1; P.L. 1991, ch. 6, art. 7, § 4; P.L. 1995, ch. 370, art. 15, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 86, § 36; P.L. 2009, ch. 5, art. 10, § 3; P.L. 2009, ch. 68, art. 7, § 9; P.L. 2010, ch. 9, § 2; P.L. 2010, ch. 10, § 2; P.L. 2011, ch. 408, § 10; P.L. 2011, ch. 409, § 10; P.L. 2015, ch. 141, art. 21, § 13; P.L. 2019, ch. 205, § 4; P.L. 2019, ch. 271, § 4; P.L. 2020, ch. 79, art. 2, § 7.