Stricken language will be deleted and underlined language will be added.
1 State of Arkansas
2 94th General Assembly A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2023 HOUSE BILL 1268
4
5 By: Representatives McCullough, F. Allen, Clowney, A. Collins, Ennett, D. Ferguson, K. Ferguson, V.
6 Flowers, D. Garner, Hudson, Magie, Nicks, Perry, J. Richardson, Scott, T. Shephard, Springer, D.
7 Whitaker
8 By: Senators G. Leding, L. Chesterfield, S. Flowers, F. Love, R. Murdock, C. Tucker
9
10 For An Act To Be Entitled
11 AN ACT TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE RAISE ACT OF
12 2023 FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - DIVISION OF
13 ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION FOR THE FISCAL
14 YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2024; TO CREATE THE RAISING
15 ARKANSAS'S INVESTMENT IN SCHOOLS AND EDUCATORS
16 (RAISE) ACT OF 2023 AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
17
18
19 Subtitle
20 AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION -
21 DIVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY
22 EDUCATION - THE RAISE ACT OF 2023
23 APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2023-2024 FISCAL
24 YEAR.
25
26
27 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
28
29 SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. This act shall be known and may be cited as
30 the "Raising Arkansas's Investment in Schools and Educators (RAISE) Act of
31 2023".
32
33 SECTION 2. APPROPRIATION - ARKANSAS TEACHER RAISES. There is hereby
34 appropriated, to the Department of Education, to be payable from the Division
35 of Elementary and Secondary Education Public School Fund Account, for the
36 payment of raises for all teachers in the state of Arkansas as defined by
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1 Arkansas Code 6-17-2402(3) of the Department of Education - Arkansas Teacher
2 Raises for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, the following:
3
4 ITEM FISCAL YEAR
5 NO. 2023-2024
6 (01) ARKANSAS TEACHER RAISES $350,000,000
7
8 SECTION 3. APPROPRIATION - EDUCATOR COMPENSATION REFORM PROGRAM. There
9 is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Education, to be payable from
10 the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education Public School Fund
11 Account, for grants and aid to provide additional funding to school districts
12 currently below the statutory minimum teacher salary schedule as defined in
13 Arkansas Code § 6-17-2403(b) and revised by this act of the Department of
14 Education - Educator Compensation Reform Program for the fiscal year ending
15 June 30, 2024, the following:
16
17 ITEM FISCAL YEAR
18 NO. 2023-2024
19 (01) EDUCATOR COMPENSATION REFORM GRANTS
20 AND AID $30,000,000
21
22 SECTION 4. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS
23 CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. ARKANSAS
24 TEACHER RAISES FUNDING. Upon the effective date of this Act, or as soon
25 thereafter as practical, the Department of Education shall provide raises to
26 all full-time equivalent teachers in the state as defined by Arkansas Code §
27 6-17-2402(3) at the amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per full-time
28 equivalent teacher working in a public school district. The Department of
29 Education may promulgate rules for the distribution of these funds and shall
30 fully budget, allocate, and expend the total amount necessary to provide the
31 full raise amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each full-time
32 equivalent teacher as defined by Arkansas Code § 6-17-2402(3).
33
34 SECTION 5. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS
35 CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. EDUCATOR
36 COMPENSATION REFORM PROGRAM SUB-FUND. Upon the effective date of this Act,
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1 or as soon thereafter as practical, the Arkansas State Treasurer shall
2 transfer thirty million ($30,000,000) from the Educational Adequacy Fund to
3 the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education Public School Fund Account
4 to be used solely for the implementation of the Educator Compensation Reform
5 Program. Funds shall be kept separate from all other monies in the Division
6 of Elementary and Secondary Education Public School Fund Account in the
7 Educator Compensation Reform Program Sub-Fund and are to be utilized over a
8 one-year period, effective on July 1, 2023 to assist school districts in
9 ensuring that all full-time equivalent educators as defined by Arkansas Code
10 § 6-17-2402(3) in Arkansas public school districts receive a minimum annual
11 salary of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) by June 30, 2024. The Educator
12 Compensation Reform Sub-Fund shall not be considered part of a school
13 district's net legal balance or net legal balance revenues for the purpose of
14 meeting the requirements on limitation of fund balances pursuant to Arkansas
15 Code § 6-20-2210. The Arkansas Department of Education shall promulgate
16 rules to administer this section.
17
18 SECTION 6. SPECIAL LANGUAGE - CODE AMENDMENT. Arkansas Code § 6-17-
19 2402(3), concerning the definition of "teacher" under the Teacher
20 Compensation Program of 2003, is amended to read as follows:
21 (3) "Teacher" means:
22 (A) An individual who is required to hold a teaching license from the
23 Division of Elementary and Secondary Education and who is engaged directly in
24 instruction with students in a classroom setting for more than seventy
25 percent (70%) of the individual's contracted time;
26 (B) A guidance counselor; or
27 (C) A librarian;
28 (D) A curriculum specialist;
29 (E) An instructional facilitator; or
30 (F) Any other full-time employee of a public school district who is
31 not in an administrator or director-level role and who is required to hold a
32 teaching license issued by the State Board of Education as a condition of
33 employment.
34
35 SECTION 7. SPECIAL LANGUAGE - CODE AMENDMENT. Arkansas Code § 6-17-
36 2403(b), concerning the minimum teacher compensation schedule, is amended to
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1 read as follows:
2 (b) Each school district in the state shall have in place a salary
3 schedule with at least the following minimum levels of compensation for a
4 basic contract:
5 (1) For the 2019-2020 school year:
6 Years of Experience BA Degree Salary MA Degree Salary
7 0 $32,800 $37,450
8 1 33,250 37,950
9 2 33,700 38,450
10 3 34,150 38,950
11 4 34,600 39,450
12 5 35,050 39,950
13 6 35,500 40,450
14 7 35,950 40,950
15 8 36,400 41,450
16 9 36,850 41,950
17 10 37,300 42,450
18 11 37,750 42,950
19 12 38,200 43,450
20 13 38,650 43,950
21 14 39,100 44,450
22 15 39,550 44,950;
23 (2) For the 2020-2021 school year:
24 Years of Experience BA Degree Salary MA Degree Salary
25 0 $33,800 $38,450
26 1 34,250 38,950
27 2 34,700 39,450
28 3 35,150 39,950
29 4 35,600 40,450
30 5 36,050 40,950
31 6 36,500 41,450
32 7 36,950 41,950
33 8 37,400 42,450
34 9 37,850 42,950
35 10 38,300 43,450
36 11 38,750 43,950
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1 12 39,200 44,450
2 13 39,650 44,950
3 14 40,100 45,450
4 15 40,550 45,950;
5 (3) For the 2021-2022 school year:
6 Years of Experience BA Degree Salary MA Degree Salary
7 0 $34,900 $39,550
8 1 35,350 40,050
9 2 35,800 40,550
10 3 36,250 41,050
11 4 36,700 41,550
12 5 37,150 42,050
13 6 37,600 42,550
14 7 38,050 43,050
15 8 38,500 43,550
16 9 38,950 44,050
17 10 39,400 44,550
18 11 39,850 45,050
19 12 40,300 45,550
20 13 40,750 46,050
21 14 41,200 46,550
22 15 41,650 47,050; and
23 (4) For the 2022-2023 2023-2024 school year and each school year
24 thereafter:
25 Years of Experience BA Degree Salary MA Degree Salary
26 0 $36,000 $50,000 $40,650 $54,650
27 1 36,450 50,450 41,150 55,150
28 2 36,900 50,900 41,650 55,650
29 3 37,350 51,350 42,150 56,150
30 4 37,800 51,800 42,650 56,650
31 5 38,250 52,250 43,150 57,150
32 6 38,700 52,700 43,650 57,650
33 7 39,150 53,150 44,150 58,150
34 8 39,600 53,600 44,650 58,650
35 9 40,050 54,050 45,150 59,150
36 10 40,500 54,500 45,650 59,650
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1 11 40,950 54,950 46,150 60,150
2 12 41,400 55,400 46,650 60,650
3 13 41,850 55,850 47,150 61,150
4 14 42,300 56,300 47,650 61,650
5 15 42,750 56,750 48,150 62,150.
6
7 SECTION 8. COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER LAWS. Disbursement of funds
8 authorized by this act shall be limited to the appropriation for such agency
9 and funds made available by law for the support of such appropriations; and
10 the restrictions of the State Procurement Law, the General Accounting and
11 Budgetary Procedures Law, the Revenue Stabilization Law, the Regular Salary
12 Procedures and Restrictions Act, or their successors, and other fiscal
13 control laws of this State, where applicable, and regulations promulgated by
14 the Department of Finance and Administration, as authorized by law, shall be
15 strictly complied with in disbursement of said funds.
16
17 SECTION 9. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the General
18 Assembly that any funds disbursed under the authority of the appropriations
19 contained in this act shall be in compliance with the stated reasons for
20 which this act was adopted, as evidenced by the Agency Requests, Executive
21 Recommendations and Legislative Recommendations contained in the budget
22 manuals prepared by the Department of Finance and Administration, letters, or
23 summarized oral testimony in the official minutes of the Arkansas Legislative
24 Council or Joint Budget Committee which relate to its passage and adoption.
25
26 SECTION 10. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the
27 General Assembly, that the Constitution of the State of Arkansas prohibits
28 the appropriation of funds for more than a one (1) year period; that the
29 effectiveness of this Act on July 1, 2023, is essential to the operation of
30 the agency for which the appropriations in this Act are provided, and that in
31 the event of an extension of the legislative session, the delay in the
32 effective date of this Act beyond July 1, 2023, could work irreparable harm
33 upon the proper administration and provision of essential governmental
34 programs. Therefore, an emergency is hereby declared to exist and this Act
35 being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health
36 and safety shall be in full force and effect from and after July 1, 2023.
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Statutes affected: HB 1268: 6-17-2403(b), 6-17-2402(3), 6-20-2210