State Board unanimously approves FY2027 foundation appropriation, adopts rules to implement RAISE Act
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Summary
At its Oct. 9 meeting the Alabama State Board of Education unanimously approved the fiscal year 2027 foundation appropriation request and adopted administrative-code rules the board says will implement the RAISE Act; the board opened the rules to a 30–35 day public-comment period.
The Alabama State Board of Education on Oct. 9 unanimously approved the fiscal year 2027 foundation appropriation request, voted to adopt the corresponding foundation program apportionment, and adopted administrative code changes the board said will implement the RAISE Act.
The approvals amount to the board’s public authorization of the state’s main school-funding plan for the coming year and follow legislative action earlier in 2025. Doctor Mackey, staff member, told the board the rule changes set by the board will make the legislature’s RAISE Act effective at the administrative level and that the rules will be posted for about 30–35 days of public comment before returning for final action in December.
Board members moved and seconded each item and recorded unanimous votes. The board first considered and approved the fiscal year 2027 foundation appropriation request and the foundation program apportionment. Later in the meeting the board voted to adopt an amended Alabama Administrative Code rule 290-2-1-.01 related to annual appointment of foundation program funds and to adopt a new Alabama Administrative Code rule 290-2-1-.06 pertaining to annual apportionment procedures; both vote motions passed unanimously.
Doctor Mackey summarized the connection between the statutory change and the administrative steps. “The board has put on the table a rule that'll actually make that effective,” he said, noting that the legislature funded the change earlier in the year and that the board’s rulemaking is the administration needed to put the funding mechanism into operation.
Board members and staff emphasized the scale of the decisions. Doctor Mackey noted that the funding involved “amount to more than $5,000,000,000 a year in school funding” while stressing that much of the work to prepare the budget and rules took place before the public meeting. The board did not receive substantive public comment at the meeting on these items.
The board’s action begins the agency’s formal rulemaking timeline: the newly posted rules will be open for public comment for roughly a month, and if there is not substantial opposition they will return to the board for final adoption as permanent rules in December.