Title 16 — Title 16

There is created the Teacher Excellence and Accountability for Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) Salary Schedule Program. History: (Act 2021-340, §1.)

For the purposes of this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (1) DEPARTMENT. The State Department of Education. (2) ELIGIBLE TEACHER. A teacher employed by a local board who satisfies all the criteria for application in the program provided in this art…

The department shall administer the program and may establish necessary procedures for the administration of the program. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules necessary to implement this article. History: (Act 2021-340, §3.)

(a) An eligible teacher shall satisfy each of the following criteria to participate in the program: (1) Hold a valid Alabama professional educator certificate or valid alternate certificate, approved for middle level or secondary math, science, or computer science courses. (2) Te…

[Effective until October 1, 2026.] AMENDED BY ACT 2026-283, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANGUAGE. (a) A participating teacher shall be offered a preliminary or advanced contract under the provisions of this article. (b) 1. A participating teacher not meeting th…

(a) In addition to the other provisions of this article, participating teachers shall be eligible for the hard-to-staff supplement. The hard-to-staff supplement shall be five thousand dollars ($5,000) per year. (b)(1) To qualify for the hard-to-staff supplement, a participating t…

(a) The TEAMS Fund is created in the State Treasury for the purpose of providing funding for differential pay and salary supplements to participating teachers as provided by this article. The Legislature shall appropriate to this fund amounts sufficient to sustain the operation o…

(a) Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year and each year thereafter, each participating teacher shall be employed on a 189-day contract with the local board. (b) After completion of a preliminary contract period, the local board, upon the recommendation of the local superintend…

(a) If the local board, upon the recommendation of the local superintendent, votes to terminate the employment of a participating teacher before the completion of his or her contract without cause, the teacher shall be paid the balance of salary and benefits due for the contract …

(a)(1) The department may develop a model participating teacher contract for use pursuant to this article. (2) Each model preliminary contract shall include a provision to ensure a participating teacher’s adequate progress toward advanced contract qualification, to include benchm…

(a) Public charter schools created pursuant to the Alabama School Choice and Student Opportunity Act, Chapter 6F, shall be allocated TEAMS positions and funding in the same manner as local boards under this article, provided the public charter school complies with all requirement…

Any appropriate local governing body is authorized at any meeting of said governing body in any calendar year to appropriate any funds it may deem proper and expedient out of the general funds of the governing body’s treasury to local boards of education for the construction, rep…

This article shall be known and may be cited as the Renewing Alabama’s Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) Act. History: (Act 2025-257, §1.)

For purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) AVERAGE DAILY MEMBERSHIP (ADM). Average enrollment from the first 20 days of school after Labor Day of the preceding year. (2) BASE FUNDING FACTOR. The sum certified by the Legislative Fiscal Offic…

(a) There is established a fund in the State Treasury for the public schools of this state which shall be known as the Renewing Alabama’s Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) Fund. The fund shall be used to provide additional funding for public schools for the purpose of addr…

Learning Series. (a) The department shall implement this article commencing with the 2025-2026 school year contingent upon funding being appropriated by the Legislature for such purpose. (b) The funding described in this article shall be allocated in accordance with this article …

(a)(1) DETERMINING THE ANNUAL COST OF THE RAISE PROGRAM. Subject to available funding for the RAISE Fund for any fiscal year of the state, the RAISE Fund weighted allocations for each qualifying student group shall be established in the annual Education Trust Fund appropriations …

(a) Each LEA shall produce an accountability plan and report that: (1) Establishes goals for the achievement of qualifying students in weighted categories. These goals shall be in alignment with the student achievement goals established in Alabama’s plan under the Every Student S…

(a) By January 1, 2028, the Legislature shall establish the RAISE Act Review Committee to review the overall progress of the RAISE Act and make recommendations for continuous improvement. (b) The committee shall be led by the Chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Com…

(a) By July 1, 2028, the Legislature shall establish the RAISE Act Accountability and Implementation Board to establish a hearing process to monitor the progress of LEAs and schools to ensure that RAISE Act funds are spent effectively and hold them accountable for results. (b) Th…

Department Duties. (a) The department shall develop, with the support of an external partner with expertise in streamlining state and federal funding, a unified application that aligns policy priorities, planning, and budgeting in one application. The unified application shall st…

Purposes. (a) When approved at a referendum election held for such purposes in the manner hereinafter prescribed, any local board of education may divert any earmarked revenue derived by it from county sales and use taxes heretofore levied and imposed by local laws enacted by the…

(a) It shall be unlawful for any official in the State of Alabama having the custody of, or in any manner connected with the handling or having the authority to direct the use of any of the public school funds arising under the provisions of Sections 257, 258, 259 and 260 of the …

The State Treasurer is hereby authorized and empowered to accept from the federal government or any instrumentality thereof, in the name of and for the State of Alabama, any grant from the federal government or any appropriation made by the Congress of the United States or any al…

Designated State Agency in Administration. The State Board of Education is hereby designated as state agency in the administration, distribution and supervision of the expenditure of any funds herein provided and is hereby authorized and empowered, insofar as it is not specifical…

Fund. In addition to all other funds appropriated for the public schools of the state there is hereby appropriated to the Foundation Program Fund for each fiscal year any and all funds which may be made available to the State of Alabama by the federal government or any instrument…

(a) Any county board of education and any city board of education may issue and sell interest-bearing tax anticipation warrants for the purpose of paying the costs of erecting, acquiring, providing, constructing, purchasing, altering, enlarging, improving, repairing and equipping…

(a) Warrants issued pursuant to the provisions of this article may bear such rate or rates of interest, not exceeding 12 percent per annum, payable semiannually (provided that the first interest payment date may be at any time not later than nine months after the date of such war…

Any county board of education and any city board of education may from time to time sell and issue refunding warrants for the purpose of refunding the principal of warrants then outstanding that were issued by the said board of education under the provisions of either this articl…

Before issuing any warrants hereunder, the board of education by which such warrants are proposed to be issued shall cause an application for approval of such issue to be filed with the State Superintendent of Education. Such application shall be in such form and shall contain su…

Warrants issued pursuant to the provisions of this article shall be legal investments for executors, administrators, trustees and other fiduciaries. History: (Acts 1959, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 57, p. 224, §5.)

All warrants and interest coupons issued pursuant to the provisions of this article and all income derived therefrom shall forever be exempt from all state, county, municipal and other taxation under the laws of Alabama. History: (Acts 1959, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 57, p. 224, §6.)

Nothing herein contained shall be construed to authorize any local board of education to pledge, for the benefit of any warrants issued hereunder, any portion of the Foundation Program Fund moneys paid, apportioned or allocated to it under the provisions of this chapter, nor any …

The provisions of this article shall not be deemed to restrict, abridge or revoke any power which any county or city board of education had prior to the adoption of this article. Without in any way limiting the generality of the foregoing, it is hereby declared that all county an…

to Require. County and city boards of education are hereby authorized to require county and city public school principals and such other persons as may be charged with the custody and responsibility for handling public school funds to give bond in an amount to be fixed by the cou…

of Premiums. County and city boards of education are hereby authorized to expend public school funds in order to pay the necessary premiums on the surety bonds authorized in Section 16-13-8 and to pay for audits of such funds. History: (Acts 1953, No. 66, p. 97, §2.)

In any county in which a special county tax shall have been voted under the constitution for such purpose or for school purposes generally, and in any school district in which a special district tax shall have been voted under the constitution for such purpose or for school purpo…

Before issuing any warrants hereunder the county board of education or the city board of education, as the case may be, shall cause an application for approval of such issue to be filed with the State Superintendent of Education. Such application shall be in such form and shall c…

All warrants issued hereunder shall be executed in the name of the issuing county or city board of education, as the case may be, by the president of such board, shall be sealed with the seal of such board and attested by the secretary of the board. Coupons attached to such warra…

The following form of warrant shall be valid and sufficient for warrants issued hereunder, but any other appropriate form may be used: “No. ___ $ ____ State of Alabama county (city) board of education of the County (City) of ____. County, (City, District No. _____) capital outlay…

Capital outlay warrants issued hereunder shall be payable within the period of usefulness of the improvement or property for which the warrants are issued as estimated by the county or city board of education, which estimate shall be conclusive. In no event shall any warrant issu…

All warrants issued hereunder shall bear interest at not exceeding eight percent per annum payable semiannually; provided, that the first interest payment date may be at any time not later than nine months after the date of issue. If the principal of or interest on any warrant at…

All warrants issued hereunder shall be sold to the highest bidder at public sale unless sold at a better price within 30 days after failure to receive any acceptable bid at a duly advertised public sale in accordance with this section. A public sale shall be either on sealed bids…

Warrants issued hereunder may be sold at such price or prices as the issuing board of education may deem advisable; provided, that no series of warrants issued hereunder shall be sold at a price resulting in an average annual net interest cost to the issuing board greater than ei…

All warrants issued hereunder by a county or city board of education shall be payable solely from the county or city board of education’s apportioned share of the proceeds of the special tax in respect of which they were issued, but this shall not prohibit their payment from any …

All warrants issued hereunder may be made payable as to principal and interest at such banks within or without the State of Alabama as the issuing board of education may designate. The county or city superintendent of education and the custodian or treasurer of school funds, as t…