An act CONCERNING THE ARKANSAS TEACHER OF THE YEAR 10 ACT, the official text

Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.

1 State of Arkansas                  A Bill
2 95th General Assembly

3 Regular Session, 2025                                           HOUSE BILL 1477

4

5 By: Representative Barker

6 By: Senator J. Bryant

7

8                            For An Act To Be Entitled

9   AN ACT CONCERNING THE ARKANSAS TEACHER OF THE YEAR

10  ACT; TO ALLOW THE GOVERNING BODY OF AN OPEN-

11  ENROLLMENT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL TO SUBMIT AN

12  APPLICANT FOR CONSIDERATION FOR THE ARKANSAS TEACHER

13  OF THE YEAR; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

14

15

16                                   Subtitle

17                       TO ALLOW THE GOVERNING BODY OF AN OPEN-

18                       ENROLLMENT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL TO

19                       SUBMIT AN APPLICANT FOR CONSIDERATION

20                       FOR THE ARKANSAS TEACHER OF THE YEAR.

21

22 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:

23

24  SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 6-17-2503(b)-(d), concerning the

25 application process for the Arkansas Teacher of the Year Act, are amended to

26 read as follows:

27  (b) The process shall allow that each Arkansas school district board

28 of directors may and each governing body of an open-enrollment public charter

29 school to submit a single applicant for the Arkansas Teacher of the Year.

30  (c) The applicants An applicant shall be reduced to sixteen (16)

31 finalists representing one (1) applicant for each of the fifteen (15)

32 education service areas and one (1) applicant for school districts in Pulaski

33 County submitted to the division by a school district board of directors or

34 governing body of an open-enrollment public charter school under subsection

35 (b) of this section no later than April 1 of the year in which the Arkansas

36 Teacher of the Year is selected.

    *TNL188*                                                    02/13/2025 8:24:57 AM TNL188
                                                                            HB1477

1         (d) In By submitting an application for Arkansas Teacher of the Year,

2 a school district or governing body of an open-enrollment public charter

3 school agrees that if its applicant is selected, the school district or open-

4 enrollment public charter school shall place that teacher on paid

5 administrative leave for the school year immediately following his or her

6 selection, as provided in � 6-17-2504.

7

8         SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 6-17-2503(f), concerning reimbursement to a

9 school district that has a teacher placed on paid administrative leave under

10 the Arkansas Teacher of the Year Act, is amended to read as follows:

11        (f) During the school year in which a school district's or an open-

12 enrollment public charter school's Arkansas Teacher of the Year is on paid

13 administrative leave, the division shall reimburse the school district or

14 open-enrollment public charter school as provided in � 6-17-2505.

15

16        SECTION 3. Arkansas Code � 6-17-2504 is amended to read as follows:

17        6-17-2504. School district and open-enrollment public charter school

18 responsibility.

19        (a) Each school district and open-enrollment public charter school

20 whose applicant is selected as Arkansas Teacher of the Year shall place that

21 teacher on paid administrative leave for the school year immediately

22 following the teacher's selection as Arkansas Teacher of the Year for the

23 time period that the teacher actually serves as the Arkansas Teacher of the

24 Year.

25        (b) The teacher shall be entitled to return to his or her former

26 employment with the school district or open-enrollment public charter school

27 for the school year following the paid administrative leave provisions of

28 this section.

29        (c) The school district or open-enrollment public charter school shall

30 be responsible for providing a replacement teacher or restructuring class

31 loads during the school year in which the teacher selected as Arkansas

32 Teacher of the Year is on administrative leave.

33        (d) A school district or open-enrollment public charter school that

34 employs a substitute teacher to replace the Arkansas Teacher of the Year

35 shall not be subject to any earning limitations set in place by law or the

36 Arkansas Teacher Retirement System.

                                          2         02/13/2025 8:24:57 AM TNL188
                                                                    HB1477

1        (e) Each school district or open-enrollment public charter school

2 classroom teacher contract shall reflect the administrative leave provisions

3 of this section for any teacher selected as Arkansas Teacher of the Year.

4

5        SECTION 4. Arkansas Code � 6-17-2505(a), concerning reimbursement to a

6 public school district that has a teacher who is on paid administrative leave

7 under the Arkansas Teacher of the Year Act, is amended to read as follows:

8        (a) During the school year in which a school district's or an open-

9 enrollment public charter school's Arkansas Teacher of the Year is on paid

10 administrative leave, the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

11 shall reimburse the school district or open-enrollment public charter school

12 for:

13            (1) The teacher's salary and benefits; and

14            (2)(A) Incidental expenses incurred by the teacher as a result

15 of his or her participation in the Arkansas Teacher of the Year Program.

16            (B) All incidental expenses shall be approved by the

17 division.

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

              3  02/13/2025 8:24:57 AM TNL188