Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
*TNL373* 03/31/2025 4:50:33 PM TNL373
State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1940 3
4
By: Representatives Walker, J. Mayberry, S. Berry, Cozart, Eaton, Hall, Hollowell, McClure, Milligan, 5
K. Moore, Painter, Pearce, Puryear, J. Richardson, Schulz, Vaught, Wooten 6
7
8
For An Act To Be Entitled 9
AN ACT CONCERNING A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT 10
IMPLEMENTS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL 11
WITHIN ITS DISTRICT; TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS 12
FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES AND 13
MAINTAINS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK; TO DECLARE AN 14
EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 15
16
17
Subtitle 18
TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A 19
PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES 20
AND MAINTAINS A FOUR -DAY SCHOOL WEEK; 21
AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. 22
23
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 24
25
SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -10-117 is amended to read as follows: 26
6-10-117. Four-day school week — Definition. 27
(a)(1) It is found and determined by the General Assembly that 28
granting local public school districts greater flexibility in scheduling 29
instructional time can reap educational benefits for the students and 30
financial rewards for the public school district. 31
(2) It is the intent of this section to authorize local public 32
school districts to initiate and maintain public school educational programs 33
on a four-day school-week basis, so long as if planned instructional time is 34
in accord with requirements established by meets the State Board of Education 35
requirements promulgated under subsection (d) of this section . 36 HB1940
2 03/31/2025 4:50:33 PM TNL373
(b) As used in this section, “four -day school week” means an 1
educational program in which all students attend school for four (4) days a 2
week but no fewer than the total number of hours required by the Standards 3
for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts in a five -4
day school week. 5
(c)(1) The board of directors of any a public school district is 6
authorized to may initiate and maintain a four -day school week in any or all 7
of the public schools in the public school district. 8
(2) The state board and the Department of Education shall not 9
have the authority to approve or deny the decision of a public school 10
district board of directors to initiate and maintain a four -day school week 11
in any or all of its public schools under subdivision (c)(1) of this section. 12
(d)(1) The State Board of Education state board shall establish 13
appropriate standards, guidelines, and rules for only the following: 14
(A) The determination of average daily membership of 15
public school districts and for the distribution of state aid to each local 16
school district that elects to operate any or all of the public schools of 17
its school district on a four -day school-week basis, to provide the school 18
district with an equitable share of aid funds designated to equate a four -day 19
school-week operation by the school district to the educational opportunities 20
provided by a school district offering a five -day school week; 21
(B) The requirement that each public school district that 22
initiates and maintains a four -day school week for any or all of its public 23
schools under this section shall: 24
(i)(a) Average six (6) hours of instruction per 25
school day and thirty (30) hours of instruction per school week . 26
(b) The hourly requirements under subdivision 27
(d)(1)(B)(i)(a) of this section may be met with four (4) seven -and-one-half-28
hour school instructional days. 29
(c) A public school district that initiates 30
and maintains a four -day school week in a public school that provides 31
instruction to students in grades nine through twelve (9 -12) shall meet the 32
clock-hour equivalency of one hundred twenty (120) clock hours for a Carnegie 33
unit; 34
(ii)(a) Provide documentation to the Division of 35
Elementary and Secondary Education to determine the success of the 36 HB1940
3 03/31/2025 4:50:33 PM TNL373
educational program. 1
(b) Assessment measures utilized by the 2
division under subdivision (d)(1)(B)(ii)(a) of this section shall include 3
without limitation state -approved criterion-referenced tests and other 4
assessment instruments required or approved by the division; and 5
(iii) Include the four -day school week on the agenda 6
for the public school district's required annual report to the public to 7
determine local support for and provide for continual community input into 8
the success and continuation of four -day school weeks; and 9
(C) The forfeiture of the ability to initiate and maintain 10
a four-day school week under this section if a public school district: 11
(i) Is classified by the state board as in need of 12
Level 5 — Intensive support; and 13
(ii) Demonstrates persistent underperformance, as 14
defined by state benchmarks, on the state -approved criterion-referenced test 15
and other assessment instruments required or approved by the division. 16
(2) Provided, however, that a A public school district shall not 17
receive any more state financial aid for offering a four -day school week of 18
instruction than it would have received for offering a five -day school week 19
of instruction. 20
(3) The state board and the department shall not promulgate 21
rules regarding public school districts that initiate and maintain a four -day 22
school week for any or all of its public schools that are in addition to the 23
requirements under this subsection (d). 24
(4) A public school district that initiates and maintains a 25
four-day school week for any or all of its public schools under this section 26
shall: 27
(A) Demonstrate compliance with the requirements under 28
subdivision (d)(1) of this section through a state -approved electronic 29
application; and 30
(B) Not be required to submit additional reports or 31
demonstrations of compliance with the requirements under subdivision (d)(1) 32
of this section to the state board or division. 33
34
SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 35
General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that school districts must 36 HB1940
4 03/31/2025 4:50:33 PM TNL373
determine and publish their school calendars in advance of the upcoming 2025 -1
2026 school year; that school districts must have their school calendars 2
established in order to prepare appropriate staffing, operational, and 3
financial needs; that parents, students, staff members, and others associated 4
with school districts must know in advance of the upcoming school year what 5
the school calendar will be in order to make necessary arrangements; and that 6
this act is immediately necessary to ensure school districts have the 7
required information to arrange for and provide constitutionally mandated 8
education to enrolled students. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, 9
and this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public 10
peace, health, and safety shall become effective on: 11
(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 12
(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 13
the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 14
bill; or 15
(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 16
overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36