Education Bill Summary

ACHIEVEMENT GAP PACKAGE

SB 889 – Bryles – Strengthen Monitoring and Reporting of Poverty Funding

This bill will increase the transparency of money spent on programs to help low income children do better in school, called “poverty funding”.  It asks the Department of Education to develop a comprehensive report to identify innovations, flag ineffective programs and ensure that poverty funding is spent on the most effective solutions.  It will give educators, parents and policy makers the information they need to keep making gains on the gap.

Passed.

SB 987 – Elliott – Poverty Funding Carryover Transparency

“Poverty funding” that follows a child into school is spent by most districts each year to help close the achievement gap, but some districts carryover their poverty funding year-to-year, building surpluses while children lack the programs they need.  This bill will require districts that carry over more than 20% of their poverty funding to get permission from the Department of Education and report details on why they are carrying over the money.

Failed to pass House Education Committee.

HB 2164 – Rainey – Reform Commission on Closing the Achievement Gap

The Commission has not been as effective as Arkansas’ children need it to be.  This bill will modify the makeup of the commission, removing one member and adding more parents from diverse areas around the state and adding more low-income representatives.  It also expands the duties of the Commission and requires them to make a report before the Legislature every year on their efforts to help Arkansas close the achievement gap.

Passed.

SB 943 – Elliott – Expand Access to School Improvement Data

This bill will require each school district to host basic information on a website that parents, students and the public have a right to know, such as: school improvement plans and processes for making the plans; parental involvement plans; professional development plans; local achievement gap task force activities; and extra services the school is required to offer students such as tutoring and after school programs.

Passed.

HB 2163 – Rainey – Improve Interventions For Under Performing Schools

This bill will allow the Arkansas Department of Education to intervene in under performing school districts earlier in the school improvement process, conduct audits to identify needs fast and boost professional development with more hands on strategies.  We can give students the support they need to excel more quickly and shorten the time that schools struggle.

Passed –ACT 949

SUPPORTED

HB 1646 – Rainey – Election Reform for Multi-County School Districts

This bill will make it easier to vote in school board elections by making sure that districts that cross county lines open at least one polling place in each county where the district has constituents.  Current law only requires districts to open a polling place in the county where the district is physically located and some constituents have to drive as far as 50 miles to vote.

Passed.

Priority:
SH799 – Elliott – Dream Act

Give every student who graduates from an Arkansas high-school the opportunity to pay in-state college tuition if they have the grades and desire to improve their education regardless of their immigration status.

Failed in the Senate.