Senate Education Committee advances adequacy changes, approves several school bills; nurse pay proposal defeated

The Senate Education Committee met to consider a package of House bills affecting K‑12 policy and funding, approving most measures on the agenda while rejecting a separate school nurse pay proposal.

The committee moved to adopt a House version of the adequacy bill that removes a prior earmark for professional learning communities (PLCs) and advanced a companion supplemental that redirects those funds for implementation of the state—s LEARNs initiative. Lawmakers also approved a measure clarifying paid maternity leave for teachers when contract breaks fall inside leave periods, a bill allowing cities to petition the State Board of Education to reopen or host a local public elementary or satellite school under certain consolidation conditions, a recall process for school-board members, and a measure that creates excused absences for children of fallen service members and first responders. A proposal to require the Department of Education to provide an online searchable textbook and library portal received no second and did not move forward. A standalone bill to raise school nurses— pay and direct the agencies to pursue Medicaid billing for nursing services was debated at length but failed to pass.

Why it matters: The session centered on how the Legislature will prioritize professional development funding and the balance between statewide contracts versus district-directed spending. Committee action reshapes where some targeted dollars flow and signals how lawmakers plan to pair LEARNs implementation with district-level discretion. The defeat of the school‑nurse pay bill leaves the question of how to address nurse recruitment and compensation unresolved.

Most significant outcomes

- Adequacy / PLC funding: Representative Keith Roach (State Representative, District 78) described the House bill as matching the Senate version "with the only change... striking that language out" referring to the earmark of $16,500,000 for PLCs. The committee approved the House adequacy bill and later advanced House Bill 1874, a companion supplemental that removes the specific dollar earmark and directs the funds toward implementation of LEARNs and professional development administered to districts. Jacob Levy of the Arkansas Department of Education told the committee the department has been prorating professional learning dollars to districts and that the supplemental will give districts more flexible access to funds tied to LEARNs rollout.

- Maternity leave technical fix: The committee approved a narrowly focused change to leave rules to ensure when a teacher—s maternity leave overlaps contract breaks (for example, Christmas or spring break) those days are treated as paid days for the purpose of the four-week paid leave benefit; the sponsor framed the bill as not adding leave but clarifying pay treatment.

- Textbook portal (no action): A bill to authorize the Department of Education to create an online portal allowing parents to search and view textbooks and selected library materials was discussed as optional and contingent on funding; fiscal estimates ranged from about $1 million to $2.5 million depending on vendor choice. The motion failed for lack of a second and the committee did not move the bill.

- Local elementary/satellite school petitions: A measure allowing a second-class city that agrees with a receiving (consolidated) district to petition the State Board of Education to reestablish a local public elementary or satellite school passed. Sponsors said the bill does not create a new district, only a petition process when the local city and receiving district both agree.

- School-board recall process: A bill creating a recall mechanism for locally elected school-board members cleared the committee. Sponsors said the measure sets a high petition threshold (35 percent of eligible voters) and limits recall petitions to one per term; a successful recall would be decided by voters at the next scheduled school-board election and any vacancy would be filled under the vacancy process the Legislature recently adopted.

- Excused absences for children of fallen service members and first responders: House Bill 1986 was approved. The sponsor said the measure is intended to excuse students who attend organized events supporting children of fallen service members or first responders and includes safeguards for make‑up work and standardized testing.

- School nurses pay/Medicaid billing (defeated): Representative Julie Mayberry and several school‑nurse witnesses urged the committee to pass a bill that would raise school-nurse pay scales and direct agencies to pursue Medicaid billing for nursing procedures done in school settings. Witnesses described high caseloads and presented district-level data (for example, testimony noted roughly 80,000 school nurse office visits in one large district with 21,000 students). Committee members debated fiscal responsibility, local control, and timing; the motion to pass the nurse-pay bill failed in committee.

What supporters and opponents said

Representative Keith Roach, sponsor of the House adequacy measure, said the House version simply removes the PLC earmark "and that goes back to the whole discussion about PLCs that we had several months ago." Greg Rogers of the Department of Education explained that because the RFP process changed last year, the department has been prorating professional learning funds to districts and that the bill would allow districts to apply those funds toward targeted LEARNs implementation.

John Eubanks, a former school-board member who testified in favor of continuing statewide PLC support, urged caution about eliminating a longstanding statewide PLC contract, saying he had heard from superintendents and teachers that PLCs produced measurable classroom benefits.

Representative Julie Mayberry, who sponsored the nurse-pay bill, argued for urgency and described a two‑year implementation window in the bill to give ADE and DHS time to pursue Medicaid billing changes. Jacqueline McKeown, a district director of health services testifying for nurses, told the committee many nurses leave because school pay is significantly below hospital pay; she cited statewide comparisons showing school nurses make substantially less than other RNs.

Next steps and context

The committee recessed and later reconvened to finish the remaining bills on its agenda. Approved measures will move forward through the Senate process and, if passed by the full Senate and enrolled, to conference with the House as required. The nurse-pay proposal, having failed in committee, will not advance from the Senate Education Committee in its current form; sponsors said they will continue working with agencies to pursue Medicaid billing and other funding paths.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 1312 (adequacy, House version): committee action – approved (removed PLC earmark). Sponsor: Representative Keith Roach. Note: the bill strikes the $16,500,000 PLC line from the House adequacy language.

- House Bill 1874 (companion supplemental to adequacy): committee action – approved. Purpose: remove specific PLC dollar earmark and designate funds for implementation of LEARNs/professional development to districts.

- House Bill 1719 (teacher maternity‑leave clarification): committee action – approved. Effect: treats contract break days that fall within paid maternity leave as paid days for calculating the four-week leave.

- House Bill 1806 (optional parent textbook/library portal): committee action – no action (motion lacked a second). Fiscal range discussed: approximately $1,000,000 to $2,500,000 if mandated.

- House Bill 1966 (petition process for local/satellite elementary schools): committee action – approved. Effect: allows a second-class city and the receiving (consolidated) district to petition the State Board for a local elementary/satellite school.

- House Bill 1933 (school-board recall process): committee action – approved. Key points: 35% petition threshold; one recall petition per term; vacancy process tied to existing statutory vacancy rules.

- House Bill 1986 (excused absences for children of fallen service members and first responders): committee action – approved. Provides excused absence when students attend qualifying events; includes requirements for make-up work and testing protections.

- House Bill 1242 (school nurse pay / Medicaid billing direction): committee action – failed in committee after extended debate. Sponsors urged continued agency work on Medicaid billing as an alternative funding path.

Meeting context: The committee debated funding priorities and program accountability, with several members emphasizing local district flexibility while others urged maintaining statewide supports for professional development. The session included testimony from state education staff, vendor representatives, school nurses, and former local-school officials.

Sources and evidence: Committee testimony and remarks recorded in the committee transcript, including presentations by Representative Keith Roach; Representative Bridal (Bridal) McKenzie and Senator Brianne Davis; Greg Rogers and Jacob Levy (Arkansas Department of Education); vendor testimony from Austin Grinder (Mullenix and Associates); testimony from Representative Julie Mayberry and school-nurse witnesses; and remarks by John Eubanks and Gary Newton related to PLC implementation and LEARNs.