Ark. Code § 6-15-215 The Arkansas Smart Core Incentive Funding Program - Definitions

• Library: Arkansas Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current with legislation from the 2023 Regular and First Extraordinary Sessions.
• Year: 2023
• Citation: Ark. Code § 6-15-215

(a) The General Assembly finds that:

(1) The skills and knowledge gained through Arkansas's Smart Core curriculum provide the academic foundation required for high school graduates to succeed in their first year of college or in a job that promises a well-paying career track; and

(2) School districts should encourage all students who are capable of completing the Smart Core curriculum to do so.

(b) As used in this section:

(1) "Eligible high school" means each public high school in a school district that meets the criteria to receive incentive funding under subsection (f) of this section and the program rules adopted under this section by the State Board of Education;

(2) "Smart Core" means the curriculum established by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education under the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts that is part of Smart Future, a state initiative focused on improving Arkansas public high schools for all students; and

(3) "Smart Core graduate" means a student who graduated from an Arkansas public high school after having successfully completed the Smart Core curriculum.

(c) The Arkansas Smart Core Incentive Funding Program is established to provide a financial incentive to:

(1) Assist with a public high school's efforts to encourage public high school students to complete the Smart Core curriculum;

(2) Promote programs that contribute to student success, including without limitation:

(A) Tutoring;

(B) Quality after-school and summer programs that may include literacy, math, and science specialists in elementary school; and

(C) Professional development for mathematics, science, literacy, foreign language, and Advanced Placement instruction; and

(3) Provide support to school counselors to improve student services.

(d)

(1)

(A) A school district that receives incentive funding under this section shall provide the incentive funding to each eligible high school in the school district.

(B) The eligible high school shall spend the incentive funding only for the purposes identified in subsection (c) of this section.

(2) A school district that receives incentive funding under the program shall not use the incentive funding to provide increases to the salary schedule of the school district.

(e)

(1) Subject to an appropriation and available funding for the program, the division shall pay incentive funding to a school district under this section based on an annual percentage of Smart Core graduates from a public high school in the school district.