SB305 Alabama 2025 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Arthur OrrSenator

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

SB305 creates the RAISE Act and a dedicated RAISE Fund to provide targeted extra funding for public K-12 schools based on students' needs, with a unified funding application and new accountability and oversight.

What This Bill Does

It establishes the RAISE Fund in the State Treasury to provide additional funding for public schools to address student needs and improve outcomes. It creates a weighted funding system where LEAs receive funds based on student groups (poverty, special education, English Language Learners, charter school students, and gifted students) using a base funding factor and defined weights. It requires LEAs to provide required data and accountability plans, use funds for the groups that generate them, and participate in a unified application starting in 2028-2029, along with new professional learning and reporting requirements. It also sets up oversight bodies to review progress, approve corrective actions, and conduct periodic audits to reduce bureaucracy and improve effectiveness.

Who It Affects

• LEAs (county boards, city boards, and public charter schools) will receive weighted funding, must submit required data and accountability plans, and use funds according to the act; they will also participate in the new unified funding application and related professional learning.
• Students who generate weighted allocations (poverty-identified; special education; English Language Learners; charter school students; gifted students) will receive targeted funding intended to address their specific needs and improve academic outcomes.

Key Provisions

• Creates the Renewing Alabama's Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) Fund in the State Treasury to provide additional funding for public K-12 schools, funded from Education Trust Fund appropriations and other legislative sources, with funds remaining in the RAISE Fund for its purposes.
• Establishes weighted allocations for qualifying students based on group-specific weights (poverty, special education tiers I-III, English Language Learners, concentrated ELL, charter school, gifted) applied to the base funding factor, with defined maximum ranges and rules for calculation.
• Requires LEAs to provide required data, an accountability plan, and progress reports, and to ensure funds are used to serve the student groups that generated them; LEAs must submit a unified application starting in the 2028-2029 school year.
• Mandates creation of a unified application by the Department of Education (with an external partner) to align priorities, planning, and budgeting and streamline all state and federal funding reporting; the unified application becomes operational for the 2028-2029 budget cycle.
• Implements an accountability framework with the RAISE Act Accountability and Implementation Board (established by July 1, 2028) to monitor progress, review plans, hold hearings, and approve corrective actions if needed.
• Creates the RAISE Act Review Committee (established by January 1, 2028) to review overall progress, recommend improvements, and report findings annually to the Governor, State Board, and legislative committees; includes diverse appointments from the Governor, Legislature, and education leadership.
• Requires a comprehensive audit of state laws, regulations, and reporting requirements that affect public schools, to be conducted starting June 1, 2025, with findings and corrective-action recommendations to be reported by November 1, 2026.
• Requires the Department to publish a RAISE Act guide (by July 1, 2025 and every June 1 thereafter until the unified application is ready) and to provide a professional learning series on the Act; LEA budgeting staff must participate beginning in the specified timeframe.
• Adds reporting enhancements to the Education Report Card, disaggregating academic outcomes and funding by each weighted student group and including per-pupil funding and total funding for those groups.
• Establishes a mechanism for flexibly using weighted funds across groups when serving students with the greatest needs, while maintaining federal maintenance of effort requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

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