HB533 Alabama 2025 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Danny GarrettRepresentative

Republican

Session

2025 Regular Session

Title

Alabama Renewing Alabama's Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) Act created, additional funding for public schools authorized based on the individual needs of students

Summary

The bill would create the Renewing Alabama's Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) Act to fund public K-12 schools based on student needs and replace multiple funding processes with a single unified application.

What This Bill Does

It establishes the RAISE Fund in the State Treasury to provide additional funding for public K-12 schools aimed at addressing student needs and improving outcomes. It creates a weighted funding system that adds per-student funding weights for groups such as poverty, special education (tiered), English Language Learners, charter school students, gifted students, and other groups, and uses these weights to determine funding. It requires a unified application system by 2028-2029 to streamline all state and federal funding applications and reporting, along with a RAISE guide and professional learning for LEA leaders. It sets up two governance bodies—the RAISE Act Review Committee and the RAISE Act Accountability and Implementation Board—to monitor progress, review data, recommend revisions, and enforce accountability, with LEAs required to report data and use funds for the groups that generated them.

Who It Affects

• Local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools: will receive RAISE funding based on weighted allocations, must submit data through the unified application, and must use funds to support the identified student groups.
• Students categorized by the bill's weighted groups (poverty, special education, English Language Learners, charter school students, gifted, etc.): will receive targeted funding as their group weights determine per-student funding and program priority.

Key Provisions

• Establishes the Renewing Alabama's Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) Fund in the State Treasury to provide additional funding for public K-12 schools, with funds allocated to address student needs and improve outcomes.
• Implements a weighted funding framework that assigns per-student funding weights for poverty, special education (tiered I-III), English Language Learners, charter school students, gifted students, and other groups, to determine LEA funding amounts.
• Requires a unified application system by the 2028-2029 budget cycle to streamline all state and federal funding applications and reporting, and directs creation of a RAISE guide and related professional learning for LEA leaders.
• Creates two oversight bodies: the RAISE Act Review Committee to evaluate progress and recommend revisions, and the RAISE Act Accountability and Implementation Board to monitor LEAs, approve corrective actions, and hold hearings if needed.
• Mandates LEA accountability reports and data submissions disaggregated by weighted groups, with funding and outcomes reported in the Education Report Card for state, LEA, and school levels.
• directs the Department of Education to audit current laws and regulations to reduce burdens, develop the unified system with an external partner, and oversee implementation and periodic updates to improve efficiency and student outcomes.

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