Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas Senate Bill SB607 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 SENATE BILL 607 3
6	6	4
7	7	By: Senators Crowell, J. Bryant, A. Clark, Dees, Flippo, B. Johnson, M. Johnson, B. King, F. Love, R. 5
8	8	Murdock, C. Penzo, J. Petty, Rice, J. Scott, D. Wallace 6
9	9	By: Representatives Walker, J. Mayberry, S. Berry, Cozart, Eaton, Hall, Hollowell, McClure, Milligan, 7
10	10	K. Moore, Painter, Pearce, Puryear, J. Richardson, Schulz, Vaught, Wooten 8
11	11	9
12	12	For An Act To Be Entitled 10
13	13	AN ACT CONCERNING A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT 11
14	14	IMPLEMENTS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL 12
15	15	WITHIN ITS DISTRICT; TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS 13
16	16	FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES AND 14
17	17	MAINTAINS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK; TO DECLARE AN 15
18	18	EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 16
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21	21	Subtitle 19
22	22	TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A 20
23	23	PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES 21
24	24	AND MAINTAINS A FOUR -DAY SCHOOL WEEK; 22
25	25	AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. 23
26	26	24
27	27	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 25
28	28	26
29	29	SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -10-117 is amended to read as follows: 27
30	30	6-10-117. Four-day school week — Definition. 28
31	31	(a)(1) It is found and determined by the General Assembly that 29
32	32	granting local public school districts greater flexibility in scheduling 30
33	33	instructional time can reap educational benefits for the students and 31
34	34	financial rewards for the public school district. 32
35	35	(2) It is the intent of this section to authorize local public 33
36	36	school districts to initiate and maintain public school educational programs 34
37	37	on a four-day school-week basis, so long as if planned instructional time is 35
38	38	in accord with requirements established by meets the State Board of Education 36 SB607
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41	41	requirements promulgated under subsection (d) of this section . 1
42	42	(b) As used in this section, “four -day school week” means an 2
43	43	educational program in which all students attend school for four (4) days a 3
44	44	week but no fewer than the total number of hours required by the Standards 4
45	45	for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts in a five -5
46	46	day school week. 6
47	47	(c)(1) The board of directors of any a public school district is 7
48	48	authorized to may initiate and maintain a four -day school week in any or all 8
49	49	of the public schools in the public school district. 9
50	50	(2) The state board and the Department of Education shall not 10
51	51	have the authority to approve or deny the decision of a public school 11
52	52	district board of directors to initiate and maintain a four -day school week 12
53	53	in any or all of its public schools under subdivision (c)(1) of this section. 13
54	54	(d)(1) The State Board of Education state board shall establish 14
55	55	appropriate standards, guidelines, and rules for only the following: 15
56	56	(A)(i) The determination of average daily membership of 16
57	57	school districts and for the distribution of state aid to each local public 17
58	58	school district that elects to operate any or all of the public schools of 18
59	59	its school district on a four -day school-week basis, to provide the public 19
60	60	school district with an equitable share of state aid funds. 20
61	61	(ii) The state aid funds under subdivision 21
62	62	(d)(1)(A)(i) of this section that are designated to equate a four-day school-22
63	63	week operation by the school district to ensure the educational opportunities 23
64	64	provided by a public school district offering a four -day school week are 24
65	65	equivalent to the educational opportunities provided by a public school 25
66	66	district offering a five -day school week or a public school that follows a 26
67	67	traditional calendar; 27
68	68	(B) The requirement that each public school district that 28
69	69	initiates and maintains a four -day school week for any or all of its public 29
70	70	schools under this section shall: 30
71	71	(i)(a) Average six (6) hours of instruction per 31
72	72	school day and thirty (30) hours of instruction per school week . 32
73	73	(b) The hourly requirements under subdivision 33
74	74	(d)(1)(B)(i)(a) of this section may be met with four (4) seven -and-one-half-34
75	75	hour school instructional days. 35
76	76	(c) A public school district that initiates 36 SB607
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79	79	and maintains a four -day school week in a public school that provides 1
80	80	instruction to students in grades nine through twelve (9 -12) shall meet the 2
81	81	clock-hour equivalency of one hundred twenty (120) clock hours for a Carnegie 3
82	82	unit; 4
83	83	(ii)(a) Provide documentation to the Division of 5
84	84	Elementary and Secondary Education to determine the success of the 6
85	85	educational program. 7
86	86	(b) Assessment measures utilized by the 8
87	87	division under subdivision (d)(1)(B)(ii)(a) of this section shall include 9
88	88	without limitation state -approved criterion-referenced tests and other 10
89	89	assessment instruments required or approved by the division; and 11
90	90	(iii) Include the four -day school week on the agenda 12
91	91	for the public school district's required annual report to the public to 13
92	92	determine local support for and provide for continual community input into 14
93	93	the success and continuation of four -day school weeks; and 15
94	94	(C) The forfeiture of the ability to initiate and maintain 16
95	95	a four-day school week under this section if a public school district: 17
96	96	(i) Is classified by the state board as in need of 18
97	97	Level 5 — Intensive support; and 19
98	98	(ii) Demonstrates persistent underperformance, as 20
99	99	defined by state benchmarks, on the state -approved criterion-referenced test 21
100	100	and other assessment instruments required or approved by the division. 22
101	101	(2) Provided, however, that a A public school district shall not 23
102	102	receive any more state financial aid for offering a four -day school week of 24
103	103	instruction than it would have received for offering a five -day school week 25
104	104	of instruction. 26
105	105	(3) The state board and the department shall not promulgate 27
106	106	rules regarding public school districts that initiate and maintain a four -day 28
107	107	school week for any or all of its public schools that are in addition to the 29
108	108	requirements under this subsection (d). 30
109	109	(4) A public school district that initiates and maintains a 31
110	110	four-day school week for any or all of its public schools under this section 32
111	111	shall: 33
112	112	(A) Demonstrate compliance with the requirements under 34
113	113	subdivision (d)(1) of this section through a state -approved electronic 35
114	114	application; and 36 SB607
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117	117	(B) Not be required to submit additional reports or 1
118	118	demonstrations of compliance with the requirements under subdivision (d)(1) 2
119	119	of this section to the state board or division. 3
120	120	4
121	121	SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 5
122	122	General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that school districts must 6
123	123	determine and publish their school calendars in advance of the upcoming 2025 -7
124	124	2026 school year; that school districts must have their school calendars 8
125	125	established in order to prepare appropriate staffing, operational, and 9
126	126	financial needs; that parents, students, staff members, and others associated 10
127	127	with school districts must know in advance of the upcoming school year what 11
128	128	the school calendar will be in order to make necessary arrangements; and that 12
129	129	this act is immediately necessary to ensure school districts have the 13
130	130	required information to arrange for and provide constitutionally mandated 14
131	131	education to enrolled students. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, 15
132	132	and this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public 16
133	133	peace, health, and safety shall become effective on: 17
134	134	(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 18
135	135	(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 19
136	136	the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 20
137	137	bill; or 21
138	138	(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 22
139	139	overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 23
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