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House approves RAISE Act enabling bill to distribute $166 million to districts by student need
Summary
The House passed the RAISE Act enabling legislation to add needs‑based funding on top of the existing foundation program and moved money from the education reserve fund to stand up the program.
The Alabama House on April 22 passed legislation enabling the RAISE Act, a new needs‑based funding program lawmakers said will distribute additional money to school districts on top of the current foundation program.
Chairman Jeremy Garrett, speaking for the bill, described it as a “hybrid” model that leaves each district’s traditional foundation funding intact while adding about $166 million this year to be distributed with weights for poverty, English‑language learners, special education, gifted students and a charter school weight. Garrett said districts that lack access to local revenue will not receive the charter weight. He told the House the model moves Alabama toward a student‑needs approach used in other states.
Representative Kent Insler (Montgomery) thanked committee staff and Garrett for work on the bill; other members questioned how the funds would be routed and how accountability would be enforced. Garrett said the bill includes accountability provisions intended to ensure additional funds are spent on the targeted student needs rather than reallocated to unrelated expenditures.
To fund the program, the House also approved a companion move to transfer funds from the Education Opportunity Reserve Fund. Representative Garrett explained that SB 111 (the reserve‑fund measure) would transfer $375 million to the RAISE Fund representing three years of expected contributions (roughly $105 million this year, $125 million next year and $150 million the following year). The joint package also temporarily moves up to $80 million to the CHOOSE Act (school choice program) to meet unexpectedly high application demand; any unused CHOOSE Act money would revert to the reserve fund.
Supporters said the new formula will direct more money to higher‑need districts and add strict reporting and accountability provisions. Supporters also said the reserve‑fund transfers establish a multiyear commitment so the program can proceed without annual fund moves. The House adopted the bills as substituted and amended; recorded votes on the floor showed large, bipartisan majorities.
Representative Travis and others asked for clarifications on how rural counties and high‑need districts would benefit. Garrett and other supporters said the RAISE weighting will send proportionally more funds to districts with high poverty or other defined student needs, and that the bill includes monitoring to confirm funds reach the intended purposes.
