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Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate unanimously approves overhaul of K-12 school funding
Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee Chair Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, speaks on a bill in the Alabama Senate on April 3, 2025 in Montgomery, Ala. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Senate Thursday unanimously approved a bill that would revamp the way the state funds public K-12 schools. SB 305, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would establish the Renewing Alabama's Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) program along with a dedicated Fund to move the state toward a funding model aimed at getting more resources to special needs students. 'We took a big step as a state today in that we established this RAISE Act fund, because we're acknowledging that it does take more to educate children in poverty, or English language learners or special education students or gifted students,' Orr said after the vote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The bill would transition to a formula meant to support students with greater needs through an updated funding structure. Alabama currently allocates funds based on a formula that ties funding more to headcount than student needs. Most states have weighted funding for different student needs. 'We want to provide more resources to our education community, our K-12 education communities and schools and get them help to do the job that they have to do with additional resources, and that's important,' Orr said. Under the proposed system, schools would receive supplemental funds, or 'weights,' based on the number of students they enroll who fall into specific categories, including poverty, special education, English language learners, gifted status, and those attending charter schools. The exact amount of additional funding generated per student would depend on the category and would be determined annually in the state's Education Trust Fund budget, subject to available funding. The Senate also approved a related bill to shift $375 million from the Educational Opportunities Reserve Fund — a state savings account for education built from budget surpluses — into the newly proposed RAISE Fund. According to Orr, this amount is intended to fund the program for its initial three years. 'If the Legislature does its part over the years, slowly increasing that funding amount, I see much better things in the public education system in our state,' he said, adding that 'if the locals will use the money wisely and use it to make good choices, that will move the needle for students.' Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, asked Orr why charter schools were included in the weights, saying there are greater needs. Orr said that, unlike public school systems, charter schools don't typically get local funding, and if they do, it's not much. Orr said the weighted funding would help 'make up for the loss of local funds.' 'In the same spirit, why can't we give some of that money to the public school that's got the D to pull it up, instead of kicking it to the curve and sayiing, 'We got to bring something else in new, because we got a D situation,'' Smitherman said. The bill now moves to the House for consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Student funding formula changes get approval from Alabama Senate committee
Students walk through the hallways of Livingston Jr. High School in Livingston, Ala. on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. An Alabama Senate committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would shift the state's method of funding schools from a pure average daily attendance model to one that includes weights for certain groups of students, such as those in rural schools and English Language Learners. (Will McLelland/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama Senate committee on Tuesday approved legislation to overhaul the state's student funding formula. SB 305, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would establish the Renewing Alabama's Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) program and create the RAISE Fund to help address the needs of underserved students through a new funding system. The state currently distributes money to schools based on average daily attendance. The new formula would provide weighted funding for students in poverty, English language learners, special education and gifted categories, as well as charter school students. 'An English language learner that doesn't speak English costs more to educate that child than a native Alabamian that comes from an English-speaking home, and so we want to help those school districts that have those challenges with additional resources,' Orr said after the committee meeting. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The committee also approved a related bill that will transfer $375 million from the state's Educational Opportunities Reserve Fund, a state savings account for budget surpluses intended for educational initiatives, into the newly created RAISE Fund. Orr said that the transfer is intended to fund the program for the first three years, though he left the possibility of additional appropriations open in a conversation with reporters after the meeting. 'We could do more if we wanted to. There's nothing that requires us to, but we wanted to start drawing down from the Educational Opportunity Fund . . . we don't know about the economy, and we see what's going on with Wall Street and tariffs, so we want to hold some back in case we need it,' Orr said. The senator said during the committee meeting that $100 million of the $375 million would be spent on the move to the new funding system in the first year; $125 million for the second year and $175 million for the third year. Orr said it was important to give school districts long-term stability. 'We don't want to pull the rug from beneath them… they go out and hire teachers and make investments relying on us,' he said. 'This is a long-term commitment.' The legislation came after months of discussions between lawmakers and advocates who pushed for a weighted student formula that would provide a base amount per student with additional weights for different student needs, such as English language learners. The bill passed without much discussion, though one senator voiced his support for the measure. 'There are so many of the one-size-fits-all solutions that we're forced into, many times for political reasons,' said Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road. 'I look forward to supporting this program.' Orr said the bill is a step toward more equity in education. 'It's a challenge and the research shows to educate children coming in those particular areas, it certainly costs more money … but if you don't start, you won't get there,' Orr said. The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
