Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas Senate Bill SB149 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.
2	2	TNL156 01/30/2025 11:57:59 AM TNL156
3	3	State of Arkansas 1
4	4	95th General Assembly A Bill 2
5	5	Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 149 3
6	6	4
7	7	By: Senator J. English 5
8	8	6
9	9	7
10	10	For An Act To Be Entitled 8
11	11	AN ACT TO AMEND PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING AMOUNTS UNDER 9
12	12	THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 2003; AND FOR OTHER 10
13	13	PURPOSES. 11
14	14	12
15	15	13
16	16	Subtitle 14
17	17	TO AMEND PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING AMOUNTS 15
18	18	UNDER THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 16
19	19	2003. 17
20	20	18
21	21	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19
22	22	20
23	23	SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6-20-2305(a)(2), concerning per -student 21
24	24	foundation funding amounts under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is 22
25	25	amended to read as follows: 23
26	26	(2)(A) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year, the foundation 24
27	27	funding amount is equal to seven thousand six hundred eighteen dollars 25
28	28	($7,618) eight thousand one hundred sixty -two dollars ($8,162) multiplied by 26
29	29	the school district's average daily membership for the previous school year. 27
30	30	(B) For the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year and each 28
31	31	school year thereafter, the foundation funding amount is equal to seven 29
32	32	thousand seven hundred seventy -one dollars ($7,771) eight thousand three 30
33	33	hundred seventy-one dollars ($8,371) multiplied by the school district's 31
34	34	average daily membership for the previous school year. 32
35	35	33
36	36	SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(2)(A), concerning alternative 34
37	37	learning environment funding under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is 35
38	38	amended to read as follows: 36 SB149
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41	41	(A)(i) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year, 1
42	42	alternative learning environment funding shall be four thousand nine hundred 2
43	43	eighty-seven dollars ($4,987) five thousand two hundred twelve dollars 3
44	44	($5,212) multiplied by the number of identified alternative learning 4
45	45	environment students enrolled during the previous school year. 5
46	46	(ii) For the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year, 6
47	47	alternative learning environment funding shall be five thousand eighty -six 7
48	48	dollars ($5,086) five thousand three hundred forty -one dollars ($5,341) 8
49	49	multiplied by the number of identified alternative learning environment 9
50	50	students enrolled during the previous school year. 10
51	51	(iii) Funding for students in alternative learning 11
52	52	environments shall be distributed based on rules promulgated by the State 12
53	53	Board of Education. 13
54	54	14
55	55	SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(3), concerning funding for 15
56	56	English learners under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is amended to 16
57	57	read as follows: 17
58	58	(3)(A) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year, funding for 18
59	59	students who are identified as English learners shall be three hundred sixty-19
60	60	six dollars ($366) three hundred seventy -five dollars ($375) for each 20
61	61	identified English learner. 21
62	62	(B) Funding for English learners shall be distributed to 22
63	63	public school districts for students who have been identified as not 23
64	64	proficient in the English language based upon a state -approved English 24
65	65	proficiency assessment instrument. 25
66	66	(C) Funds allocated for English learners to public school 26
67	67	districts under this subchapter shall be expended only for eligible 27
68	68	activities as identified in current rules promulgated by the State Board of 28
69	69	Education and are a supplement to funding for national school lunch students 29
70	70	provided in subdivision (b)(4) of this section. 30
71	71	(D) For the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year and each 31
72	72	school year thereafter, funding for students who are identified as English 32
73	73	learners shall be three hundred sixty-six dollars ($366) three hundred 33
74	74	eighty-four dollars ($384) for each identified English learner. 34
75	75	35
76	76	SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(4)(A), concerning Enhanced 36 SB149
77	77
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79	79	Student Achievement funding under the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is 1
80	80	amended to read as follows: 2
81	81	(4)(A) Enhanced Student Achievement Funding for each identified 3
82	82	national school lunch student shall be as follows: 4
83	83	(i) For a public school district in which ninety 5
84	84	percent (90%) or more of the previous school year's enrolled students are 6
85	85	national school lunch students, the amount of per -student Enhanced Student 7
86	86	Achievement Funding for the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year is one thousand 8
87	87	six hundred thirteen dollars ($1,613) one thousand six hundred fifty -three 9
88	88	dollars ($1,653) and for the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year is one thousand 10
89	89	six hundred thirteen dollars ($1,613) one thousand six hundred ninety -four 11
90	90	dollars ($1,694); 12
91	91	(ii) For a public school district in which at least 13
92	92	seventy percent (70%) but less than ninety percent (90%) of the previous 14
93	93	school year's enrolled students are national school lunch students, the 15
94	94	amount of per-student Enhanced Student Achievement Funding for the 2023-2024 16
95	95	2025-2026 school year is one thousand seventy -six dollars ($1,076) one 17
96	96	thousand one hundred three dollars ($1,103) and for the 2024-2025 2026-2027 18
97	97	school year is one thousand seventy-six dollars ($1,076) one thousand one 19
98	98	hundred thirty dollars ($1,130) ; and 20
99	99	(iii) For a public school district in which less 21
100	100	than seventy percent (70%) of the previous school year's enrolled students 22
101	101	are national school lunch students, the amount of per -student Enhanced 23
102	102	Student Achievement Funding for the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year is five 24
103	103	hundred thirty-eight dollars ($538) five hundred fifty-one dollars ($551) and 25
104	104	for the 2024-2025 2026-2027 school year is five hundred thirty-eight dollars 26
105	105	($538) five hundred sixty-five dollars ($565). 27
106	106	28
107	107	SECTION 5. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(5)(C)(i), concerning 29
108	108	professional development funding for professional learning communities under 30
109	109	the Public School Funding Act of 2003, is amended to read as follows: 31
110	110	(C)(i) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 school year and 32
111	111	each school year thereafter, additional funding up to sixteen million five 33
112	112	hundred thousand dollars ($16,500,000) provided for professional development 34
113	113	above the amount in subdivision (b)(5)(A) of this section shall be used by 35
114	114	the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education for the development and 36 SB149
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117	117	administration of professional learning communities for the benefit of public 1
118	118	school districts. 2
119	119	3
120	120	SECTION 6. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2305(b)(6)(A), concerning the 4
121	121	statewide target average annual salary for teachers under the Public School 5
122	122	Funding Act of 2003, is amended to read as follows: 6
123	123	(6)(A)(i) Beginning with the 2021 -2022 school year, for school 7
124	124	districts identified by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education as 8
125	125	having an average annual teacher salary below the statewide target average 9
126	126	annual salary, teacher salary equalization funding shall be equal to one 10
127	127	hundred eighty-five dollars ($185) multiplied by the average daily membership 11
128	128	of the school district for the previous school year. 12
129	129	(ii) For the 2023-2024 2025-2026 and 2024-2025 2026-13
130	130	2027 school years, the statewide target average annual salary shall be fifty -14
131	131	one thousand eight hundred twenty -two dollars ($51,822). 15
132	132	(iii) The House Committee on Education and the 16
133	133	Senate Committee on Education shall set jointly the statewide target average 17
134	134	annual salary for the 2025-2026 2027-2028 and 2026-2027 2028-2029 school 18
135	135	years, and each biennium thereafter, as part of the adequacy review process 19
136	136	required under § 10-3-2102. 20
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