# Arkansas HB1206: AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - DIVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION - PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR. Arkansas HB1206, AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - DIVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION - PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR., is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Joint Budget Committee; status enacted, last action 2025-04-17 (Notification that HB1206 is now Act 792); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1206-2025 - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arkansas HB1206 - State: Arkansas - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - DIVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION - PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR. - Status: enacted - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-23 - Last action: 2025-04-17, Notification that HB1206 is now Act 792 - Sponsor: Joint Budget Committee - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (132 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 14 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Arkansas funds schools and employee pay: benefit, high. For July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, the law provides about $3.481 billion for school grants and special programs. Basic school funding gets about $2.207 billion. Teacher pay receives $190 million for minimum salaries and raises, plus $60 million to help equalize salaries across districts. Employee insu… - Funding for school technology and innovation: benefit, medium. For FY 2025–2026, the school computer network receives about $33.328 million for staff, operations, equipment, and data access. This includes about $29.246 million for maintenance and operations, with up to 45 regular employees across 14 job types. Technology Grants receive about $3.603 million, an… - Matching grants help low-income students learn: benefit, medium. For FY 2025–2026, Enhanced Student Achievement Funding receives about $246.723 million, and its matching grant program receives $5.6364 million. The law sets aside $5.3 million for district matching grants serving identified National School Lunch students. Eligible spending covers evidence-based tu… - Retirement contributions for eligible school workers: benefit, low. In FY 2025–2026, school districts must pay employer retirement contributions for workers eligible under Teacher Retirement Board rules. About $14.777 million in matching funds supports covered education service areas, vocational centers, Arkansas Easter Seals, and Correction Department school emplo… - Added summer opportunities for gifted students: benefit, low. For FY 2025–2026, the law adds $250,000 for Governor’s School and gifted education. The Department must use it to add AEGIS summer enrichment grants or extend Governor’s School from four to six weeks. The Department must approve the Governor’s School curriculum before each program year begins. It m… - Funding for statewide teacher training systems: benefit, low. Professional Development Funding receives about $37.176 million for FY 2025–2026. The Commissioner can authorize up to $3.5 million of that funding for statewide teacher training support systems. The Department develops and runs these systems to support student achievement. The law does not require… - Funding helps students join academic competitions: benefit, low. For FY 2025–2026, the Department must spend or commit at least $302,000 for named student academic events and grants. Allocations are $100,000 each for Quiz Bowl and State History Day, plus $75,000 for regional and state science fair grants. Creativity in Arkansas and Destination Imagination each r… - Funding supports Arkansas university education program: benefit, low. For FY 2025–2026, the law transfers $200,000 to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Fund for Arkansas/STRIVE. The university cannot charge indirect costs against this money. The funding supports the program, not direct payments to households. - Grants support schools needing targeted help: benefit, low. For FY 2025–2026, Education Renewal Zones receive about $1.333 million for staff, operations, and grants. That amount includes $1.10115 million for grants supporting targeted school improvement work. The funds go to the program and grant recipients, not directly to families. - Reading campaign and materials for students: benefit, low. For FY 2025–2026, R.I.S.E. Arkansas funding supports a statewide reading campaign with parents, teachers, and community partners. The campaign promotes reading at home, in schools, and across communities. Up to $9.5 million of the program’s funding can buy and distribute high-quality instructional… - School reimbursements for reservoir-separated students: benefit, low. In FY 2025–2026, Arkansas districts can receive reimbursement for contracted schooling in an adjoining state for reservoir-separated pupils. The reservoir must cover at least 12,000 acres at normal water level and completely separate their area from their district. The shortest road trip to their o… - Special education support for children: benefit, low. For FY 2025–2026, special education receives $17.934 million for high-cost cases and $22.89792 million for early childhood services. The $2.802527 million Special Education Services allocation supports summer programs for students with disabilities who need them. It also funds special education for… - Unused funds support isolated school districts: benefit, low. For FY 2025–2026, Isolated Funding receives $7.896 million, and Special Needs Isolated Funding receives $3 million. Unused Isolated Funding must transfer to Special Needs Isolated Funding. Districts qualifying under state law receive proportional shares first. Any balance is divided equally among r… - Preschool funding with limits on administration: mixed, medium. The Better Chance early childhood program receives $114 million for FY 2025–2026. The Department can use up to 2% of available funds for administration, leaving that money unavailable for other program uses. Up to 1.8% covers administration and grantee monitoring; the remaining 0.2% needs a written… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Joint Budget Committee ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-10 | Senate | Senate Vote - Thursday, April 10, 2025 1:37:56 PM | pass | 34 | 0 | | | 2025-04-09 | House | House Vote - Wednesday, April 9, 2025 4:47:31 PM | pass | 98 | 0 | | ## Actions (19) - 2025-04-17: Notification that HB1206 is now Act 792 (House) - 2025-04-11: Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office. (House) - 2025-04-10: TO BE ENROLLED (House) - 2025-04-10: Returned from the Senate as passed. (House) - 2025-04-10: Returned to the House as Passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-10: EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED (Senate) - 2025-04-10: Read the third time and passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and placed on the calendar. (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Received from the House. (Senate) - 2025-04-09: EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED (House) - 2025-04-09: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House) - 2025-04-09: Considered in the Committee of the Whole, and recommended do pass. (House) - 2025-04-09: RULES SUSPENDED (House) - 2025-04-08: Returned by the Committee Do Pass (House) - 2025-03-18: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (House) - 2025-03-18: Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. (House) - 2025-03-18: Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment. (House) - 2025-01-23: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE (House) - 2025-01-23: Filed (House) ## Bill text - HB1206 - Introduced, 2025-01-23: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1206.pdf) - Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=792.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related bills - HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR. (enacted) - HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS. (failed) - HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO SET PENALTIES FOR A VIOLATION OF THE PROHIBITION OF SOLICITATION OF INJURED INDIV… (failed) - SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE USE OF ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS; AND TO REGULATE ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS FACILITIES. (failed) - HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO ALLOW A MUNICIPALITY TO PETITION TO SET ASIDE THE SALE OF PROPERTY TO CERTAIN P… (failed) - HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TO REQUIRE THAT A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BE SELECTED A… (failed) ## Sources - [HB1206 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1206.pdf) - [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=792.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related - [HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1265-2025) - [HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1686-2025) - [HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1237-2025) - [SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE US…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB440-2025) - [HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1695-2025) - [HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HR1012-2025) - [Arkansas bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas/bills) - [Arkansas state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1206-2025 (as of 2026-10-16).