The bill amends the Revised School Code by adding Section 1153a, which mandates that starting in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, the Michigan legislature must appropriate annual funds to school districts specifically to support English language learners. To qualify for this funding, school districts are required to administer the WIDA ACCESS or WIDA Alternate ACCESS assessments to their English language learners.

The distribution of funds to eligible school districts will be based on the number of full-time equivalent English language learners and their performance on the assessments. Specifically, districts will receive 75% of the target foundation allowance for learners scoring between 1.0 and 1.9, 50% for those scoring between 2.0 and 2.9, and 35% for those scoring between 3.0 and 3.9 on the WIDA assessments. This tiered funding structure aims to provide targeted financial support based on the proficiency levels of English language learners.

Statutes affected:
House Introduced Bill: 380.1, 380.1852