Bill > SB305

This bill establishes the Renewing Alabama's Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) Act, which creates a new funding mechanism for public schools in Alabama that allocates additional resources based on specific student characteristics. Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, the act establishes a RAISE Fund that will provide weighted allocations for students in various categories, including those experiencing poverty, students with special needs, English Language Learners, charter school students, and gifted students. Each student group will generate additional funding through a percentage multiplied by a base funding factor, with Local Education Agencies (LEAs) having flexibility in how they spend these funds while ensuring they serve the specific student populations that generated the money. The bill also mandates significant accountability measures, including requiring LEAs to create annual accountability plans with achievement goals, establishing a RAISE Act Review Committee to evaluate the program's progress, and creating a RAISE Act Accountability and Implementation Board to monitor fund usage and student outcomes. Additionally, the bill requires the development of a unified application system by the 2028-2029 school year to streamline funding applications and reporting, and directs the State Department of Education to conduct an audit of existing school regulations to identify and potentially eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic requirements.