RIPEC

At our Directors and Trustees meeting this morning, we heard a panel discussion on @GovDanMcKee's energy proposal from key players: the governor’s Senior Advisor Reily Connaughton, @RIDPUC Administrator Linda George, and @wearerienergy's  Government Affairs Director Nicholas Ucci

Key points on the governor's proposal to impose an 8.99% tax rate on income over $1.0M  ▼

Last night we shared research in testimony before the RI General Assembly on charter public school performance 📚 Avg. of 90 additional days of learning in reading and 88 in math 📈 Outperform district schools on RICAS 🎒 Reductions in chronic absenteeism

Our testimony in opposition to a retroactive charter public school moratorium ⬇️ Charters are a bright spot in Rhode Island’s K–12 system. @CREDOatStanford found that RI charter students showed the strongest results relative to their district peers among the 29 states studied.

Our March newsletter is out The risks of a tax hike on higher earners, our analysis of chronic student absenteeism, an update on legislative advocacy, and more⬇️ Sign up to our mailing list on our website to get future editions in your inbox ripec.org/newsletter/mar…

A key issue in the millionaires tax debate: many RI businesses are pass-through entities. Business profits are taxed on the owner’s personal return—even when reinvested back into the company. Higher income taxes can directly affect hiring, growth, and reinvestment

Rhode Island’s income tax system is already among the most progressive in the country, ranking 15th highest in top income tax rates nationwide. At a time when most states are reducing income tax rates, Rhode Island would be moving in the opposite direction.

RIPEC President and CEO @MichaelPDiBiase testified last night in opposition to a plan to hike the tax rate by 50% on individual, family, and business pass-through income over $1M. Find the written testimony here: rilegislature.gov/Special/comdoc…

Our testimony to House Finance on the governor’s budget proposal to raise taxes on income over $1M.⬇️ This proposal carries significant and long-term risk to state revenues and the economic opportunities of all Rhode Islanders.

House Finance is considering a 50% tax hike on income over $1M but Rhode Island doesn’t have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem. Since FY19, state revenues grew 6.3% avg. annual vs. 4.2% inflation, yet lawmakers added $100M+ in new taxes and fees last year.

RIPEC Report: Has "Attendance Matters RI" been effective on school absenteeism #attendancematters #absenteeism #schools #RhodeIsland #education @RIPEC_ rinewstoday.com/ripec-report-h…

Find our full analysis and a one-page executive summary⬇️ ripec.org/2026-chronic-a…

Our new report on chronic absenteeism in RI found CFSD & PPSD are outperforming demographic-based predictions, cutting rates by 20+ points since 2022. What's driving progress? • Systemwide focus • Clear authority & accountability • Strong data use • Family communication

Rhode Island has made meaningful progress reducing chronic absenteeism, but too many students are still missing too much school. In our new report, we outline four recommendations to build on recent gains and address persistent gaps across districts: ripec.org/2026-chronic-a…

Rhode Island has reduced chronic student absenteeism from 34% to 22%—the 5th sharpest reduction nationally. Our new report breaks down what Rhode Island is doing right, and why chronic absenteeism remains too high: ripec.org/2026-chronic-a…

New: Rhode Island has made real progress reducing chronic absenteeism since the pandemic—but progress has been uneven. Some districts have improved dramatically. Others still face persistently high chronic absenteeism rates. Our analysis: ripec.org/2026-chronic-a…

Great reporting by @Eli_Sherman and @TimWhiteRI on Rhode Island’s progress, which ranks among the largest declines nationally, and the highly uneven recovery across districts. Our full analysis here: ripec.org/2026-chronic-a…

RIPEC’s February newsletter is out, featuring analysis of the Governor’s FY27 proposed budget, research on rent control, and updates on RI’s economy. 📬 Sign up on our website to get the next issue in your inbox. ripec.org/newsletter/feb…

More in our Key Performance Indicators Quarterly Briefing, released with @EdiTebaldi @BryantUniv ripec.org/2025-q4-kpi-br…

Rhode Island-based jobs dipped 600 (0.1%) in Q4, driven largely by losses in trade, transportation, and utilities and professional and business services (-1,200 each). Gains in education and health services (+1,600) helped steady the labor market.