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HB 1945

Appropriation; Hinds County for construction projects, road and water association improvements and public safety enhancements.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Earle Banks and 8 co-sponsors

Allows students to transfer to another public school within their resident district, expanding intra-district choice.

Died In Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 1945

Summary — HB 1945 (95th General Assembly, 2025)

Subtitle: To amend the Arkansas Opportunity Public School Choice Act; to amend the Public School Choice Act of 2015; and to allow a student to transfer to another public school within his or her resident district.

Main purpose and intent

HB 1945 would expand and clarify public school choice in Arkansas by expressly allowing students to transfer to another public school within their resident school district (in addition to transfers to nonresident districts). The bill updates multiple sections of existing choice statutes to set application windows, effective dates, capacity rules, and responsibilities of receiving districts, with the intent of increasing parental/student mobility and clarifying administrative procedures.

Key provisions and changes

  • Explicit intra-district transfers: Amends several provisions to permit a student to transfer to another public school within the student's resident district under the Arkansas Opportunity Public School Choice Act and the Public School Choice Act of 2015.
  • Application timing: Requires parents/guardians (or students 18+) to notify both resident and nonresident districts of a transfer request no earlier than January 1 and no later than May 1 of the school year preceding the intended transfer (subject to an exception in subsection (n)).
  • Effective date of transfer:
    • Generally becomes effective at the beginning of the next academic year.
    • Exception: transfers eligible under subsection (n) take effect immediately upon written acceptance by the receiving district.
  • Continuity and irrevocability: A transfer is an irrevocable election for each subsequent entire school year and remains in force until the student completes high school or timely reapplies under other transfer provisions.
  • Capacity / lack-of-capacity claims:
    • A district may claim lack of capacity only if it has reached the maximum student-to-teacher ratio allowed by federal/state law, accreditation rules, or applicable regulations.
    • A district may claim lack of capacity if, on the application date, 95% or more of the seats at the relevant grade level are filled.
    • Standards for capacity may include program/class/grade/building capacity; a district may assert lack of capacity only if it has reached at least 90% of the maximum authorized student population.
  • Credits and diplomas: A receiving district must accept graduation credits awarded by the sending district and must award a diploma to a transferring nonresident student if the student meets the receiving district’s graduation requirements.
  • Behavior and attendance obligations: Transfer students must remain in attendance, comply with the receiving school’s code of conduct, and the parent/guardian must meet parental involvement requirements; failure to comply may result in forfeiture of the choice option.
  • Miscellaneous: Clarifies that the amendments should not restrict tuition agreements, and retains language limiting transfers that would conflict with judicial orders remedying past racial segregation.

Who is affected

  • Primary: students and parents/guardians seeking intra-district transfers; students eligible under the Opportunity/Public School Choice Acts.
  • School districts: resident and receiving districts (enrollment management, capacity planning, credit/diploma processing).
  • District administrators and school boards: responsible for processing applications, asserting capacity limits, and enforcing attendance/behavior conditions.
  • Potential indirect effects on classroom staffing and resource allocation where transfers change enrollments.

Procedural/timeline notes and status

  • Introduced: January 17, 2025 (sponsored by Rep. McCollum; Senators B. Davis and J. Dotson added as sponsors on amendment).
  • Amendment H1 was adopted (amendments adjusting capacity language, effective dates, and other technical edits).
  • The bill text provided is the engrossed version as of April 7, 2025.
  • Recorded metadata is inconsistent: the bill header lists status “Died In Committee” (Appropriations A) with a 2025-02-26 note, but the document also contains later engrossment and amendment actions (April 2025). If you need official final disposition, consult the Arkansas General Assembly bill tracking page or the clerk for the 95th General Assembly for definitive status.

Fiscal impact

  • A fiscal impact statement included from the Arkansas Department of Education indicates “No Fiscal Impact.”

If you want, I can:
- Produce a redlined summary showing exactly which Arkansas Code sections would change, or
- Prepare a one-page briefing tailored to district superintendents explaining operational steps to implement the bill.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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