Executive Viewpoint

SESSION DRAWING TO A CLOSE, NEW LAWS AHEAD

Dr. Mike Hernandez, AAEA Executive Director

The 95th General Assembly is scheduled to conclude the Regular Session later this month. The next few weeks will be a grind for legislators and constituents alike. There is still plenty of business that has to be completed before adjournment. Outside of education-specific policy, some big-ticket items have to be resolved. The funding for constructing the new prison will take center stage over the next few weeks. This is planned to be an extensive operation in Franklin County that is expected to house around 3000 inmates. This is a continuation of the work from the 2023 session that dealt with the criminal justice system here in Arkansas. The state employee pay plan is another item that will receive some attention in the coming weeks, along with the state budget overall, as part of the Revenue Stabilization Act or RSA. RSA is the last item that the legislature will need to pass before they go home. This is the balanced budget for the upcoming biennium. Some constitutional amendments will be considered for release to all Arkansans. The legislature can recommend up to three constitutional amendments to the voters. You can find the Senate amendments here and the House amendments here. The next few weeks will be a hard slog, but there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

In the education realm, there are still many items of note that will be decided. School funding for the biennium will have to be approved based on the recommendations of the Joint Adequacy Committee. There has been some discussion about changes based on health insurance costs, which are scheduled to increase for district contributions from the current $234.50. This will be one thing to look for in any finalized funding levels. The current bills filed that deal with these changes are SB149 and HB1312. These are mirror bills that will need to start moving soon to get finalized before the session ends. Enhanced Transportation through SB425, has hit a snag in the Senate Education Committee. There are several concerns over the lack of transparency with the formula. Many have had issues in trying to understand the ups and downs of the funding over each cycle since its inception. Districts losing funding versus those gaining funding certainly make for a debate of who likes SB425 and who does not. I believe that this has been something that has been part of the adequacy process for years and doesn’t need to be altered haphazardly at the 11th hour. If there is a desire to change it, let’s take some time to study and change in a way that makes sense. We have lived with the current formula this long, and I am leery of snap decisions. However, if it does not pass, funding levels are supposed to remain at the level they were previously.

Facility Insurance is also recommended for overhaul through SB481 and HB1821. This is after almost two years of work by the ALC Executive Subcommittee that studied the issue with the aid of consultants, which created recommendations to create a new model for insurance for public schools, higher education institutions, and state-owned buildings. The hope is that this plan can keep costs down for facility insurance in the future and hopefully lead to lower costs. Some unknowns at this time include what effect this will have on depreciation or deductibles for schools. These questions have been asked of the sponsors, and answers are expected soon. It is always unsettling when there are major changes, but it appears that if this proposal moves forward, clearer answers will come as the insurance policies are solidified. These bills are more of the framework of how the program will be set up with an initial $136 million. Recent weather events have changed the way we think about facility insurance and costs. It does seem that rates are falling, but for how long and what insurance coverage will look like in the future remains a moving target. Stay tuned for this.

The topic that has historically been a part of just about every legislative session is school start dates and calendars. This one is no different. HB1864 seeks to change some aspects of the school calendar process. In the past 3-5 years, we have seen several districts take advantage of the flexibility provided in developing a yearly calendar. Districts have opted for a traditional, four-day, 12-month, or alternative calendar. HB1864 repeals several pieces of code that relate to the various calendars and replaces the language with a flexible start date beginning on July 1 and ending the year by June 30. A district would have to initially schedule 178 onsite days and at least 1068 hours. However, if a day has been missed due to an exceptional or emergency circumstance as outlined in the bill, then the 1068 hours would have to be met. This does allow for some flexibility at the local level in dealing with circumstances that arise now and then. The new schedule would take place in the 2026-2027 school year. This will be positive for some, but those with shortened schedules will inevitably not be a fan. This is perfectly understandable, and we enjoy the aspects of local control when they are afforded to us. No, you did not ask for it, but my personal opinion is that I wish we could go more school days than the 178. Don’t get me wrong. I know many communities have worked hard to gain consensus over the years to develop a school calendar that best meets their needs. No one is ever going to be 100% in favor of one calendar or another. I also know there is limited research on both sides of the argument. Regardless of the outcome, my challenge is that we as administrators advocate for the most QUALITY time possible with students in front of teachers who are delivering effective instruction. If you are going four days a week, you must ensure that your staff are prepared to teach bell-to-bell with at least seven and a half hours of instructional time. Administrators should regularly review local data for positive or negative impacts of whatever schedule you are trying and check to make sure it still works for your community. The same can be repeated for any schedule you are looking at. It all comes down to how you are leading the way for instruction and learning in your district. Adult feelings are important, but it is your responsibility to ensure that feelings don’t come at the expense of students. I am certain that if done right, you can see achievement and growth in any variation. We must become students of this concept and do more action research on what is truly best for kids. If anyone is interested in exploring moving to 200 student contact days in the future (at least with elementary), give me a shout. I would like to explore that with you and investigate possible funding sources. Always remember, we are competing nationally and globally. Beating the neighbors is nice, but we need to push Arkansas forward. It will take all of us to do it. Policy cannot do it alone.

There will be other policy changes as a result of the session. We are working hard to develop our notes for upcoming presentations after the session ends. We will likely see you at an upcoming conference or at your local Education Service Cooperative. I have been very blessed with some hard-working legislative committee members who have worked tirelessly to help during this session. Please thank them if you have a chance. Be sure to check the Bill Tracker as well as the Acts of 2025 page which we have recently started. Thank you for all that you do, and I look forward to seeing you soon!