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HB 709

K-3 Literacy and Improvement Act.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Amber Baker and 22 co-sponsors

The bill creates a pilot grant program to fund teacher assistants in K–3 to boost early literacy, with 16 selected units and $14.8 million/year for 2025–2027.

Passed 1st Reading
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Bill Summary · HB 709

HB 709 — K-3 Literacy and Improvement Act (Summary)

Status: Passed 1st Reading
Introduced: (filed Nov 12, 2024 — bill text effective dates in bill)
Effective date (if enacted): July 1, 2025

Main purpose

Establish a pilot grant program to fund additional teacher‑assistant (TA) positions in participating public schools (including charter schools) serving kindergarten through grade 3, with the goal of supporting early‑grade literacy and instructional improvement.

Key provisions

  • Creates the "Additional Teacher Assistant Grant Program" administered by the State Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
  • Staffing ratios funded by the program:
    • Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade: one teacher assistant per classroom.
    • 3rd grade: one teacher assistant per every three classrooms.
  • Program participation and selection:
    • Local school administrative units (LEAs) and charter schools may apply.
    • The DPI must produce an application within 30 days after the act becomes law.
    • Applications are due no later than 60 days after they are released.
    • The DPI will select one LEA and one charter school from each of the state’s eight educational districts (total of 16 participating public school units).
    • Selections must be made within 30 days after the application period closes.
  • Funding and payment method:
    • Grants are calculated using an estimated statewide average salary and benefits per TA position and assume an average class size of 21 students per classroom.
    • Appropriates $14,800,000 in nonrecurring General Fund dollars for each year of the 2025–2027 fiscal biennium (i.e., $14.8 million per year) for the Program.
  • Effective date: July 1, 2025 (per bill text).

Who is affected

  • Participating LEAs and charter schools (selected 16 units) — will receive grant funds to fund TA equivalents.
  • Students in K–3 classrooms at participating schools — may see increased adult support in classrooms.
  • Classroom teachers and school staff — may gain TA assistance to support instruction, small‑group literacy interventions, and classroom management.
  • Department of Public Instruction — responsible for application, selection, and distribution of funds.
  • State budget — one‑time (nonrecurring) appropriation of $14.8M per year for two years.

Timeline & implementation

  • DPI must produce the application within 30 days after enactment.
  • Applicants have up to 60 days after application release to submit.
  • DPI selects participants within 30 days after the application period ends.
  • Funds are appropriated for the 2025–2027 biennium; the act specifies July 1, 2025 as the operative date.

Potential impact and considerations

  • Intended as a targeted pilot to increase adult support in early grades to improve literacy outcomes.
  • Scale is limited (16 school units), so statewide effects would depend on future expansion.
  • Fiscal impact is explicit: $14.8M/year in nonrecurring funds; actual instructional impact will depend on how funds translate into on‑site TA staffing and how grantees deploy assistants for literacy support.
  • The program’s design (selection of one LEA and one charter per educational district) aims to provide geographic representation across the state.

If you want, I can:
- Draft a short briefing for school districts considering applying;
- Extract likely per‑position grant amounts using the bill’s assumptions (average salary/benefits and class size), if you provide a target salary estimate; or
- Prepare pros/cons and metrics the DPI could use to evaluate the pilot’s effectiveness.

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

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