Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1539 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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3	3	State of Arkansas 1
4	4	95th General Assembly A Bill 2
5	5	Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1539 3
6	6	4
7	7	By: Representatives A. Collins, D. Garner, Gonzales Worthen, McCullough, Springer 5
8	8	6
9	9	7
10	10	For An Act To Be Entitled 8
11	11	AN ACT TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 9
12	12	2003; TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL EDUCATION CATEGORY OF 10
13	13	FUNDING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION; AND FOR OTHER 11
14	14	PURPOSES. 12
15	15	13
16	16	14
17	17	Subtitle 15
18	18	TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT 16
19	19	OF 2003; AND TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL 17
20	20	EDUCATION CATEGORY OF FUNDING FOR 18
21	21	SPECIAL EDUCATION. 19
22	22	20
23	23	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 21
24	24	22
25	25	SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Legislative findings and intent. 23
26	26	The General Assembly finds that: 24
27	27	(1) Under the Arkansas Constitution, the General Assembly must 25
28	28	provide funding for an adequate and equitable education for every child in 26
29	29	the State of Arkansas; 27
30	30	(2) To provide an adequate and equitable education for every 28
31	31	child in the state, the General Assembly should adopt the recommendations 29
32	32	presented by the House Committee on Education and Senate Committee on 30
33	33	Education in the 2024 Educational Adequacy Study final report for funding 31
34	34	public schools in the upcoming biennium, except in the areas of special 32
35	35	education, staff pay, and mental health; 33
36	36	(3) Special education funding should be increased and moved from 34
37	37	foundation funding to categorical funding; 35
38	38	(4) Special education is underfunded by the state according to 36 HB1539
39	39
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41	41	the 2024 Educational Adequacy Study, with seventy -two percent (72%) of 1
42	42	superintendents reporting that their school districts are in moderate or 2
43	43	extreme need of more funding for special education teachers; 3
44	44	(5) Special education funds are currently allocated by the 4
45	45	number of students in a school district rather than the number of students 5
46	46	with special needs in a school district, leading to a mismatch of funds; 6
47	47	(6) Special education funds are part of foundation funding, 7
48	48	meaning they do not currently have to be spent on special education, but if 8
49	49	they were categorical funds, they would have to be spent on only special 9
50	50	education; 10
51	51	(7) Public school classified staff members should get a real 11
52	52	raise; 12
53	53	(8) Public school classified staff members are vital members of 13
54	54	a learning community and are often underpaid; 14
55	55	(9) Inadequate pay for public school classified staff members 15
56	56	negatively impacts a public school district's ability to recruit and retain 16
57	57	quality public school classified staff members, which negatively impacts the 17
58	58	student experience, school morale, and educational outcomes; 18
59	59	(10)(A) In 2023, the General Assembly approved foundation 19
60	60	funding, including what the biennial matrix called a “$2 salary increase”, 20
61	61	for public school classified staff members. 21
62	62	(B) Despite approving a salary increase, there was enough 22
63	63	money allocated for only five and four -tenths (5.4) full-time equivalent 23
64	64	classified staff members per five hundred (500) students, whereas there are 24
65	65	actually twenty-nine and eight-tenths (29.8) full-time equivalent public 25
66	66	school classified staff members per five hundred (500) students in Arkansas 26
67	67	public schools, meaning that the “$2 salary increase” was only a 30 cents 27
68	68	(30¢) per hour raise when spread among all full -time public school equivalent 28
69	69	classified staff members; 29
70	70	(11) The state should not only deliver on its previous promise 30
71	71	of funding a two dollars ($2.00) per hour raise for public school classified 31
72	72	staff members, but should catch up with inflation and deliver a four dollars 32
73	73	($4.00) per hour raise for public school classified staff members, ensuring 33
74	74	that the funding is there to pay every public school classified staff member 34
75	75	at least fifteen dollars ($15.00) per hour; 35
76	76	(12) Funding should be added for more counselors and social 36 HB1539
77	77
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79	79	workers in public schools; 1
80	80	(13) Mental health is a statewide crisis, especially among 2
81	81	youth; 3
82	82	(14) Public school counselors perform many functions that 4
83	83	directly and indirectly impact youth mental health, but due to limited public 5
84	84	school district funds and a statewide counselor shortage, public school 6
85	85	counselors are often overworked and asked to perform functions outside their 7
86	86	intended responsibilities; and 8
87	87	(15) The state should provide sufficient funding for either two 9
88	88	(2) counselors per five hundred (500) students or one (1) counselor and one 10
89	89	(1) social worker per five hundred (500) students to improve counselor 11
90	90	working conditions and student outcomes. 12
91	91	13
92	92	SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(a)(2), concerning per -student 14
93	93	foundation funding amounts under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is 15
94	94	amended to read as follows: 16
95	95	(2)(A) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year, the foundation 17
96	96	funding amount is equal to seven thousand six hundred eighteen dollars 18
97	97	($7,618) eight thousand one hundred sixty -five dollars ($8,165) multiplied by 19
98	98	the school district's average daily membership for the previous school year. 20
99	99	(B) For the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year and each 21
100	100	school year thereafter, the foundation funding amount is equal to seven 22
101	101	thousand seven hundred seventy -one dollars ($7,771) eight thousand three 23
102	102	hundred sixty-one dollars ($8,361) multiplied by the school district's 24
103	103	average daily membership for the previous school year. 25
104	104	26
105	105	SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(2)(A), concernign alternative 27
106	106	learning environment funding under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is 28
107	107	amended to read as follows: 29
108	108	(2)(A)(i) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year, alternative 30
109	109	learning environment funding shall be four thousand nine hundred eighty -seven 31
110	110	dollars ($4,987) five thousand two hundred twelve dollars ($5,212) multiplied 32
111	111	by the number of identified alternative learning environment students 33
112	112	enrolled during the previous school year. 34
113	113	(ii) For the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year, 35
114	114	alternative learning environment funding shall be five thousand eighty -six 36 HB1539
115	115
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117	117	dollars ($5,086) five thousand three hundred forty -one dollars ($5,341) 1
118	118	multiplied by the number of identified alternative learning environment 2
119	119	students enrolled during the previous school year. 3
120	120	(iii) Funding for students in alternative learning 4
121	121	environments shall be distributed based on rules promulgated by the State 5
122	122	Board of Education. 6
123	123	7
124	124	SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(3), concerning funding for 8
125	125	English learners under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is amended to 9
126	126	read as follows: 10
127	127	(3)(A) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year, funding for 11
128	128	students who are identified as English learners shall be three hundred sixty-12
129	129	six dollars ($366) three hundred seventy -five dollars ($375) for each 13
130	130	identified English learner. 14
131	131	(B) Funding for English learners shall be distributed to 15
132	132	public school districts for students who have been identified as not 16
133	133	proficient in the English language based upon a state -approved English 17
134	134	proficiency assessment instrument. 18
135	135	(C) Funds allocated for English learners to public school 19
136	136	districts under this subchapter shall be expended only for eligible 20
137	137	activities as identified in current rules promulgated by the State Board of 21
138	138	Education and are a supplement to funding for national school lunch students 22
139	139	provided in subdivision (b)(4) of this section. 23
140	140	(D) For the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year and each 24
141	141	school year thereafter, funding for students who are identified as English 25
142	142	learners shall be three hundred sixty-six dollars ($366) three hundred eight-26
143	143	four dollars ($384) for each identified English learner. 27
144	144	28
145	145	SECTION 5. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(4)(A), concerning Enhanced 29
146	146	Student Achievement Funding under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is 30
147	147	amended to read as follows: 31
148	148	(4)(A) Enhanced Student Achievement Funding for each identified 32
149	149	national school lunch student shall be as follows: 33
150	150	(i) For a public school district in which ninety 34
151	151	percent (90%) or more of the previous school year's enrolled students are 35
152	152	national school lunch students, the amount of per -student Enhanced Student 36 HB1539
153	153
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155	155	Achievement Funding for the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year is one thousand 1
156	156	six hundred thirteen dollars ($1,613) one thousand six hundred fifty -three 2
157	157	dollars ($1,653) and for the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year is one thousand 3
158	158	six hundred thirteen dollars ($1,613) one thousand six hundred ninety -four 4
159	159	dollars ($1,694); 5
160	160	(ii) For a public school district in which at least 6
161	161	seventy percent (70%) but less than ninety percent (90%) of the previous 7
162	162	school year's enrolled students are national school lunch students, the 8
163	163	amount of per-student Enhanced Student Achievement Funding for the 2023-2024 9
164	164	2025-2026 school year is one thousand seventy -six dollars ($1,076) one 10
165	165	thousand one hundred and three ($1,103) and for the 2024-2025 2026-2027 11
166	166	school year is one thousand seventy -six dollars ($1,076) one thousand one 12
167	167	hundred thirty dollars ($1,130) ; and 13
168	168	(iii) For a public school district in which less than 14
169	169	seventy percent (70%) of the previous school year's enrolled students are 15
170	170	national school lunch students, the amount of per -student Enhanced Student 16
171	171	Achievement Funding for the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year is five hundred 17
172	172	thirty-eight dollars ($538) five hundred fifty-one dollars ($551) and for the 18
173	173	2024-2025 2026-2027 school year is five hundred thirty-eight dollars ($538) 19
174	174	five hundred sixty-five dollars ($565). 20
175	175	21
176	176	SECTION 6. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(5)(C)(i), concerning 22
177	177	professional development funding for professional learning communities under 23
178	178	the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is amended to read as follows: 24
179	179	(C)(i) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year and each 25
180	180	school year thereafter, additional funding up to sixteen million five hundred 26
181	181	thousand dollars ($16,500,000) provided for professional development above 27
182	182	the amount in subdivision (b)(5)(A) of this section shall be used by the 28
183	183	Division of Elementary and Secondary Education for the development and 29
184	184	administration of professional learning communities for the benefit of public 30
185	185	school districts. 31
186	186	32
187	187	SECTION 7. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(6)(A), concerning the 33
188	188	statewide target average annual salary for teachers under the Public School 34
189	189	Funding Act of 2003, is amended to read as follows: 35
190	190	(6)(A)(i) Beginning with the 2021 -2022 school year, for school 36 HB1539
191	191
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193	193	districts identified by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education as 1
194	194	having an average annual teacher salary below the statewide target average 2
195	195	annual salary, teacher salary equalization funding shall be equal to one 3
196	196	hundred eighty-five dollars ($185) multiplied by the average daily membership 4
197	197	of the school district for the previous school year. 5
198	198	(ii) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 and 2024-2025 2026-6
199	199	2027 school years, the statewide target average annual salary shall be fifty -7
200	200	one thousand eight hundred twenty -two dollars ($51,822). 8
201	201	(iii) The House Committee on Education and the Senate 9
202	202	Committee on Education shall set jointly the statewide target average annual 10
203	203	salary for the 2025-2026 2027-2028 and 2026-2027 2028-2029 school years, and 11
204	204	each biennium thereafter, as part of the adequacy review process required 12
205	205	under § 10-3-2102. 13
206	206	14
207	207	SECTION 8. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b), concerning education 15
208	208	categories of funding in addition to state foundation funding aid, is amended 16
209	209	to add an additional subdivision to read as follows: 17
210	210	(7)(A) For the 2025 -2026 school year and each school year 18
211	211	thereafter, special education funding shall be three thousand eight hundred 19
212	212	sixty-two dollars ($3,862) multiplied by the number of students who receive 20
213	213	special education and related services required by an individualized 21
214	214	education plan. 22
215	215	(B) Funding for students who receive special education and 23
216	216	related services required by an individualized education plan under 24
217	217	subdivision (b)(7)(A) of this section shall be distributed based on rules 25
218	218	promulgated by the state board. 26
219	219	(C) Funding for students who receive special education and 27
220	220	related services required by an individualized education plan shall not be 28
221	221	incorporated into the state foundation funding aid amount established under 29
222	222	subsection (a) of this section. 30
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