The proposed bill amends Arizona Revised Statutes to establish new class size requirements for public schools, mandating that by the 2028-2029 school year, schools must adopt policies that set average and maximum class sizes for various grade levels and career technical education programs. Specifically, the average class sizes are set at 18 for K-3, 22 for grades 4-8, 25 for grades 9-12, and 20 for career technical education, with maximum sizes of 21, 27, 30, and 25 respectively. The bill also outlines conditions under which schools can exceed these limits, such as seeking waivers or in specific subjects like music, while prohibiting the establishment of split-grade classes to circumvent these requirements.

Additionally, the bill appropriates $1 billion annually from the state general fund to support the classroom site fund, which is intended to enhance funding for class size reduction efforts. The existing law's provisions regarding the classroom site fund are retained, but the new language emphasizes that the funds should not supplant existing school site funding. Overall, the bill aims to improve educational outcomes by enforcing stricter class size regulations and providing substantial financial support for implementation.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-120.04, 15-977, 2028-2029, 4-8, 9-12