SB151 Alabama 2022 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Arthur OrrSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2022

Title

Education budget, appropriations for the support, maintenance, and development of public education

Summary

SB151 is a broad education budget bill that would allocate Education Trust Fund and related funds to support Alabama public schools, higher education, and workforce programs for FY2023, covering debt service, capital projects, and a wide range of instructional and student-services initiatives.

What This Bill Does

It allocates funds from the Education Trust Fund and other sources for public education, debt service, and capital outlays for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023. It funds a broad mix of programs across K-12, community colleges, and universities, including the Alabama Reading Initiative, AMSTI, dual enrollment, and workforce development, with distributions to districts, campuses, and state agencies. It provides salary supplements and annual stipends for credentialed teachers (National Board Certified Teachers and Certified Academic Language Therapists) and offers targeted incentives and professional development, while establishing reporting requirements and one-time capital funding through PSCA bonds. It also addresses literacy program compliance, uses federal stimulus funds for pandemic-related needs, and sets rules on fund use and transfers to ensure accountability.

Who It Affects

• K-12 students across Alabama, who would benefit from reading coaches, at-risk and early literacy programs, math and science initiatives, mental health services, and school safety funding.
• Teachers and credentialed staff, including National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) and Certified Academic Language Therapists (CALT), who would receive salary supplements, annual stipends, and additional incentives and professional development opportunities.
• Local boards of education and school systems, which would receive and administer grants and funds, implement programs, and report on outcomes; they also gain some flexibility in allocating funds within line items.
• Higher education institutions (state universities and the community college system), which would receive operational, maintenance, and program support funds, as well as targeted grants for research, STEM, and teacher prep initiatives.
• State agencies and the Alabama Department of Education (DOE), which would administer the funds, oversee programs, ensure compliance with literacy requirements, and report expenditures and outcomes to Legislature.

Key Provisions

• Appropriations from the Education Trust Fund and other funds to support public education, debt service, and capital outlays for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023.
• Funding for the Alabama Reading Initiative, including provision of reading coaches for grades K-3 (minimum allocations to districts) and prohibiting funds from being used for unrelated salaries, with reporting to DOE and legislative committees.
• Salary supplements and annual stipends for National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) and Certified Academic Language Therapists (CALT), with prorated amounts for part-time staff and renewal requirements to continue receiving the supplement; additional eligibility-based $5,000 supplements for NBCTs in hard-to-staff or high-need settings.
• Extensive higher education funding, including operations, maintenance, auxiliary enterprises, restricted funds, and program-specific support for all state universities and the comprehensive system (including AMSTI, EPSCoR, STARS, and transfer/mobility initiatives) with semi-annual reporting to lawmakers.
• One-time capital funding and grants funded partly through PSCA bond proceeds (Section 4), amounting to $125 million to be distributed to education entities for capital projects, with the option to use funds for construction costs, equipment, and maintenance; funds are not ongoing and must be recaptured if unspent.
• Compliance requirement that teacher-preparation programs in colleges and universities receiving ETF funds comply with literacy-related credit-hour requirements; noncompliance could trigger funding reductions (up to $1,000,000 or 0.5% of funding, whichever is greater).
• Use of federal stimulus funds for pandemic-related education needs, with guidance that LEAs must spend a significant portion (not less than $100,000,000) on safely reopening schools and related measures, and with reporting requirements to DOE and lawmakers.
• Grant administration and reporting requirements, including annual or semi-annual reporting to the Governor and legislative committees on expenditures, program outcomes, and grant recipients.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Education Trust Fund