All Roll Calls
Yes: 126 • No: 0
ArkansasHB19382025 Regular SessionHouse
TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE CONCERNING THE CREATION OF DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLANS AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE DIVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION.
Sponsored By: Jane English (Republican), Joey L. Carr (Republican)
Enacted
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 3 mixed.
Schools get one planning application system
Arkansas's state education agency must create one application system for districts and open-enrollment charter schools. It combines required state plans and federal funding applications. It covers federal Title funds, family engagement, health and wellness, and Enhanced Student Achievement Funding requirements. Alternative learning funding and gifted and talented programs are also included. Schools must still meet the requirements for these plans and programs.
Schools must publish yearly learning plans
Arkansas public schools and open-enrollment charter schools must create yearly improvement plans with reading and parent involvement plans. Reading lessons and teacher training must follow the science of reading and fit school needs; parents help develop involvement plans. School plans go to districts by May 1 for the next school year, are posted online by August 1, and undergo yearly monitoring and evaluation. Districts and charter schools must also submit yearly strategic plans by June 30 and post approved plans by October 1. These replace the former district support plans and cover reading and math help, faster learning, funding priorities, and support for struggling schools. The struggling-school rules follow federal education law as it existed on January 1, 2025. Regional education cooperatives review and monitor member plans yearly, while the state works with them to review plans and approve funding uses.
State drops explicit teacher-access fairness check
Arkansas's state education agency must still check whether all students have access to excellent educators. The law removes the explicit requirement to assess whether that access is fair across students.
Schools face tighter student funding rules
Arkansas districts must budget 100% of their covered Enhanced Student Achievement Funding each year for listed supports. Allowed uses include academic specialists, tutors, dyslexia help, learning interventions, and social, emotional, behavioral, physical and mental health resources. Funds can also support preschool, after-school tutoring, early reading help, career coaches, concurrent credit courses, and college or career preparation. Districts can fund extra core-subject teachers, recruitment and retention pay, and extra pay for teacher leadership or added student-support duties. Those teacher uses require districts to meet minimum salary requirements for accreditation-required teaching positions without using this funding. Districts must justify proposed transfers to the state education agency, which can direct spending on listed supports. If the agency finds that spending causes a loss of federal funding, the money can instead support other academic programs or salaries. The State Board of Education must set implementation rules, and the agency must create compliance forms.
Schools keep wellness goals, drop committees
Arkansas districts must include health and wellness goals in their strategic plans. Goals address nutrition and physical activity awareness, local standards, classroom lessons, staff training, and student nutrition education and activity. They also cover physical education lessons and teacher training. The law removes the requirement to convene a school nutrition and physical activity advisory committee.
Schools lose separate achievement plan oversight
Arkansas districts no longer need separate three-year Enhanced Student Achievement plans or yearly reviews and updates. The repeal includes the old July 1, 2022 filing requirement. The law also ends state monitoring of those plans and required responses after three consecutive years without progress. It removes the state report to legislative education committees every odd-numbered year on plan progress and funding use.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsors
Jane English
Republican • Senate
Joey L. Carr
Republican • House
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
Senate vote • 4/14/2025
Senate Vote - Monday, April 14, 2025 2:30:59 PM
Yes: 33 • No: 0
House vote • 4/8/2025
House Vote - Tuesday, April 8, 2025 3:33:26 PM
Yes: 93 • No: 0
Actions Timeline
Notification that HB1938 is now Act 807
4/17/2025HouseCorrectly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office.
4/15/2025HouseTO BE ENROLLED
4/14/2025HouseReturned from the Senate as passed.
4/14/2025HouseReturned to the House as passed.
4/14/2025SenateRead the third time and passed.
4/14/2025SenateReturned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass
4/9/2025SenateRead first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE
4/8/2025SenateReceived from the House.
4/8/2025SenateRead the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.
4/8/2025HouseReturned by the Committee Do Pass
4/7/2025HouseRead the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on EDUCATION COMMITTEE- HOUSE
3/31/2025HouseFiled
3/31/2025House
Bill Text
HB1938 - Introduced
3/31/2025
Act Version
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