The bill SB1181 amends the funding structure for Arizona Online Instruction (AOI) by aligning it with the funding calculations for students in remote settings under an instructional time model (ITM). Currently, full-time AOI students receive 95% of the base support level (BSL) funding, while part-time students receive 85%. The new bill proposes that both full-time and part-time AOI students will be funded in the same manner as students in remote settings, which could potentially increase their funding to 100% for the first 40% of instructional time and 95% for the remaining 60%.

Additionally, the bill modifies the requirements for AOI schools regarding the tracking of instructional time. Instead of maintaining a daily log of time spent on academic tasks, AOI schools will now be required to ensure that students meet the statutory minimum instructional time and hour requirements. The bill also allows AOI schools to adopt an ITM to fulfill these requirements and provides flexibility in how instructional hours are calculated for average daily membership (ADM) purposes. Overall, these changes aim to enhance funding equity and instructional accountability for online education in Arizona.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-808
Senate Engrossed Version: 15-808