RI Gen. Laws §16-2-15
Location of schools Control of property.
(a) The school committee shall locate all schoolhouses, and shall not abandon, close, or change the location of any without good cause; and, unless otherwise provided by law, the school committee of each town shall have the care and control of all public school buildings and other public school property of the town, including repairs of the buildings and the purchase of furniture and other school equipment.(b) The school committee of any town may provide public school housing for the town by lease of buildings or portions thereof, furniture, and other school equipment, subject to the following provisions:
(1) During the period or periods to which the lease applies the property so leased shall be public school property of the town in all respects to the same effect as any public school building of the town;
(2) The lease shall provide for use and occupancy of periods at least the same as or equivalent to the periods during which public school buildings of the town are used and occupied;
(3) As applied to rooms for instruction the lease shall provide for exclusive use and occupancy during the periods thereof and may provide for common or concurrent use and occupancy of other areas of the property;
(4) The use and occupancy under the lease may be for purpose of instruction at particular grade levels or in particular courses of study and may provide for consecutive use and occupancy of specified areas of the property provided that total use and occupancy under such lease complies with the provisions of subsection (b)(2).
(c) Upon application of the school committee of any town, the commissioner of elementary and secondary education may prescribe by regulation standards for the leases in accordance herewith and in accordance with the Constitution, laws, and education policies and programs of the state. The expenses of the town under the lease shall constitute expenditures to support the basic program pursuant to the provisions of §§ 16-7-15 to 16-7-34.
