Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 149 3
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By: Senator J. English 5
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING AMOUNTS UNDER 9
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 2003; AND FOR OTHER 10
PURPOSES. 11
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Subtitle 14
TO AMEND PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING AMOUNTS 15
UNDER THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 16
2003. 17
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6-20-2305(a)(2), concerning per -student 21
foundation funding amounts under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is 22
amended to read as follows: 23
(2)(A) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year, the foundation 24
funding amount is equal to seven thousand six hundred eighteen dollars 25
($7,618) eight thousand one hundred sixty -two dollars ($8,162) multiplied by 26
the school district's average daily membership for the previous school year. 27
(B) For the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year and each 28
school year thereafter, the foundation funding amount is equal to seven 29
thousand seven hundred seventy -one dollars ($7,771) eight thousand three 30
hundred seventy-one dollars ($8,371) multiplied by the school district's 31
average daily membership for the previous school year. 32
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(2)(A), concerning alternative 34
learning environment funding under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is 35
amended to read as follows: 36 SB149
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(A)(i) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year, 1
alternative learning environment funding shall be four thousand nine hundred 2
eighty-seven dollars ($4,987) five thousand two hundred twelve dollars 3
($5,212) multiplied by the number of identified alternative learning 4
environment students enrolled during the previous school year. 5
(ii) For the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year, 6
alternative learning environment funding shall be five thousand eighty -six 7
dollars ($5,086) five thousand three hundred forty -one dollars ($5,341) 8
multiplied by the number of identified alternative learning environment 9
students enrolled during the previous school year. 10
(iii) Funding for students in alternative learning 11
environments shall be distributed based on rules promulgated by the State 12
Board of Education. 13
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SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(3), concerning funding for 15
English learners under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is amended to 16
read as follows: 17
(3)(A) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year, funding for 18
students who are identified as English learners shall be three hundred sixty-19
six dollars ($366) three hundred seventy -five dollars ($375) for each 20
identified English learner. 21
(B) Funding for English learners shall be distributed to 22
public school districts for students who have been identified as not 23
proficient in the English language based upon a state -approved English 24
proficiency assessment instrument. 25
(C) Funds allocated for English learners to public school 26
districts under this subchapter shall be expended only for eligible 27
activities as identified in current rules promulgated by the State Board of 28
Education and are a supplement to funding for national school lunch students 29
provided in subdivision (b)(4) of this section. 30
(D) For the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year and each 31
school year thereafter, funding for students who are identified as English 32
learners shall be three hundred sixty-six dollars ($366) three hundred 33
eighty-four dollars ($384) for each identified English learner. 34
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SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(4)(A), concerning Enhanced 36 SB149
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Student Achievement funding under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is 1
amended to read as follows: 2
(4)(A) Enhanced Student Achievement Funding for each identified 3
national school lunch student shall be as follows: 4
(i) For a public school district in which ninety 5
percent (90%) or more of the previous school year's enrolled students are 6
national school lunch students, the amount of per -student Enhanced Student 7
Achievement Funding for the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year is one thousand 8
six hundred thirteen dollars ($1,613) one thousand six hundred fifty -three 9
dollars ($1,653) and for the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year is one thousand 10
six hundred thirteen dollars ($1,613) one thousand six hundred ninety -four 11
dollars ($1,694); 12
(ii) For a public school district in which at least 13
seventy percent (70%) but less than ninety percent (90%) of the previous 14
school year's enrolled students are national school lunch students, the 15
amount of per-student Enhanced Student Achievement Funding for the 2023-2024 16
2025-2026 school year is one thousand seventy -six dollars ($1,076) one 17
thousand one hundred three dollars ($1,103) and for the 2024-2025 2026-2027 18
school year is one thousand seventy-six dollars ($1,076) one thousand one 19
hundred thirty dollars ($1,130) ; and 20
(iii) For a public school district in which less 21
than seventy percent (70%) of the previous school year's enrolled students 22
are national school lunch students, the amount of per -student Enhanced 23
Student Achievement Funding for the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year is five 24
hundred thirty-eight dollars ($538) five hundred fifty-one dollars ($551) and 25
for the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year is five hundred thirty-eight dollars 26
($538) five hundred sixty-five dollars ($565). 27
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SECTION 5. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(5)(C)(i), concerning 29
professional development funding for professional learning communities under 30
the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is amended to read as follows: 31
(C)(i) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year and 32
each school year thereafter, additional funding up to sixteen million five 33
hundred thousand dollars ($16,500,000) provided for professional development 34
above the amount in subdivision (b)(5)(A) of this section shall be used by 35
the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education for the development and 36 SB149
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administration of professional learning communities for the benefit of public 1
school districts. 2
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SECTION 6. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(6)(A), concerning the 4
statewide target average annual salary for teachers under the Public School 5
Funding Act of 2003, is amended to read as follows: 6
(6)(A)(i) Beginning with the 2021 -2022 school year, for school 7
districts identified by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education as 8
having an average annual teacher salary below the statewide target average 9
annual salary, teacher salary equalization funding shall be equal to one 10
hundred eighty-five dollars ($185) multiplied by the average daily membership 11
of the school district for the previous school year. 12
(ii) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 and 2024-2025 2026-13
2027 school years, the statewide target average annual salary shall be fifty -14
one thousand eight hundred twenty -two dollars ($51,822). 15
(iii) The House Committee on Education and the 16
Senate Committee on Education shall set jointly the statewide target average 17
annual salary for the 2025-2026 2027-2028 and 2026-2027 2028-2029 school 18
years, and each biennium thereafter, as part of the adequacy review process 19
required under § 10-3-2102. 20
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