BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – With new state funding on the way, Alabama school districts could soon be hiring more reading specialists, expanding summer programs or offering targeted support for English learners.
That’s the kind of investment lawmakers envisioned when they passed the RAISE Act — a new funding formula aimed at meeting the needs of students who require more resources to succeed.
But along with the additional money come new expectations: Districts must show how they plan to use the funding and whether it leads to measurable gains in student achievement.
This approach follows the model used in Alabama’s recent literacy and numeracy initiatives, which tie increased resources to stronger accountability measures. Supporters of the RAISE Act say the same principle applies here.
“From the beginning of this process, state leaders have been talking about more money and more accountability, hand in hand,” A+ Education Partnership President Mark Dixon told Alabama Daily News. “The goal here is to move the needle for kids and we’ve got to make sure that if we’re going to invest this money, that we want to make sure that it is spent well over time.”
Dixon’s organization helped form the Every Child Alabama Coalition, a group of education and business leaders focused on replacing Alabama’s outdated funding formula.
The RAISE Act adds $166 million in targeted funding for high-needs students for the 2025–26 school year, with $108 million in new funding and $58 million repurposed from existing Education Trust Fund allocations that already support specific student groups.
Student groups receiving weights include students in poverty, special education students, English learners, gifted students and charter school students in districts where local funding exceeds the value of 10 mills.
House Education Policy Chair Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, said accountability was essential to gaining broad support for the new formula.
“What I really like about our (law), it has a really good accountability system set up so that if we give any district more money… then we expect to see a growth in that student achievement,” she told Alabama Public Television’s Capitol Journal.
Senate Education Budget Chairman Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, agreed, while also cautioning that results will take time.
“It’s not fair to give a mid-sized or large school system a couple million dollars and say ‘oh by the way, next year we’re going to see how your test scores are,’” he said. “This is a long-term process.”
Lawmakers committed to fund $125 million in new funding in FY27 and $150 million in FY28.
“We’ve got to do our part as far as the legislative side to fulfill our commitment of funding for these subcategories,” Orr said. “And if we don’t do that, then the accountability measures, while we always expect improvement, we can’t tie it to the increased funding if we don’t live up to our commitment.”
With that legislative commitment in place, the next step is implementation—starting with a set of new responsibilities for the Alabama State Department of Education and local school districts.
The first requirement is for the ALSDE to create a RAISE Act “guide,” outlining what data schools must collect and when to report it. That must be completed by July 1.
The accountability plan
On the school district side, starting with the FY27 education budget, in order to receive the new funding, they must submit an accountability plan to the ALSDE. These plans will detail how funding will be used and how the district will measure whether it’s helping students.
The plans must include:
- Academic goals for students in the subgroups receiving additional funding
- A district- and school-level spending plan showing how the money will be used
- An annual analysis of how students in these subgroups performed compared to the previous year
The first round of plans is due by Nov. 1, 2026. These initial submissions will not include year-over-year performance comparisons, since the funding will just have begun. Updated plans will be submitted annually, each Nov. 1.
By the 2028–29 school year, districts will use a new “unified application” to submit their accountability plans. This application will integrate planning, budgeting and reporting into one annual document.
The unified application
According to the law, the unified application must align “policy priorities, planning and budgeting in one application.”
Dixon said that will help districts focus their efforts on implementation rather than paperwork.
“Then the following year, we have the results,” he said.
ALSDE must create the application by Feb. 1, 2028, in time for districts to use it for the 2028–29 school year.
In preparation, ALSDE must also audit all current funding mechanisms for targeted student groups. The law requires the audit to be conducted with the help of an external partner. By Nov. 1, 2026, the state superintendent must release a public report recommending changes that will “empower schools, reduce bureaucracy and improve student achievement.”
Required training for school and district officials
Making sure that education officials know how to use RAISE Act funding to raise achievement for high-needs students is a key part of the law.
By Jan. 1, 2027, ALSDE must develop or purchase training for school officials on strategies and services proven to improve outcomes for weighted student groups.
A student can be counted in more than one group. For example, a student could be in poverty, gifted and enrolled at an eligible charter school. A district’s total weighted funding is based on the previous year’s enrollment of students in each subgroup.
Lawmakers can adjust the weights or which groups are weighted in the future based on input from the newly-created RAISE Act Review Committee.
Report card additions
To provide a clearer picture of how RAISE Act funding is being used and whether it’s working, the law requires new reporting on the state school report card.
The new section must include achievement and growth data for each of the subgroups receiving weighted funding. In some cases, this data has not previously been shared publicly. For example, there’s currently no requirement to report academic outcomes for gifted students.
The state report card must also include the total and per-student funding provided to each subgroup.
New committees created
Two new oversight committees will help monitor how well the RAISE Act is working and whether changes are needed.
The RAISE Act Review Committee must be in place by Jan. 1, 2028. It will include 11 members: the Governor, state superintendent, Finance Director, chairs of the House and Senate education budget and policy committees, and four legislators – one Republican and one Democrat from each chamber – appointed by legislative leadership.
This committee must meet at least once a year and publish a public report by Nov. 1 assessing academic performance and recommending any changes to the weights or other elements of the funding system.
The RAISE Act Accountability and Implementation Board must be established by July 1, 2028. Its job is to track how schools and districts are using RAISE Act funding and whether students are benefiting.
The board will include 15 members: the Governor, state superintendent, chairs of the House and Senate education budget and policy committees, six additional members with education policy or school turnaround experience appointed by legislative leaders, two members of the ALSDE’s Office of School Improvement and one person appointed by the Governor with charter school experience.
If schools fall short of their goals, this board will have the authority starting in 2033 to hold public hearings.
The public hearing process
The details of that public hearing process – including how progress is measured and what triggers a hearing – must be developed by ALSDE in partnership with the Accountability and Implementation Board by July 1, 2030.
After a hearing, ALSDE will recommend corrective action. The board will then either approve or amend the plan. Possible interventions could include limiting a district’s decision-making power over how it spends RAISE Act dollars, or implementing academic supports directed by the state.
RAISE Act accountability timeline
The timeline in implementing all of these pieces looks like this:
June 1, 2025 – RAISE Act becomes effective, ALSDE hires external partner and begins to audit existing funding processes
July 1, 2025 – RAISE Act guide published by the ALSDE
Oct. 1, 2026 – First round of RAISE Act funding allocated, totaling $166 million
Nov. 1, 2026 – District accountability plans due to Review Committee
Nov. 1, 2026 – State Superintendent files public report of process audit and recommendations to “empower schools, reduce bureaucracy and improve student achievement”
Jan. 1, 2027 – RAISE Act training for district and school officials created or purchased by ALSDE will roll out
Nov. 1, 2027 – District accountability plans due to Review Committee
Jan. 1, 2028 – RAISE Act Review Committee established, first report due Nov. 1, 2028
Feb. 1, 2028 – Unified application must be completed and operational; training for school officials must be available from ALSDE
July 1, 2028 – RAISE Act Accountability and Implementation Board established
Nov. 1, 2028 – RAISE Act Review Committee report due
2028-29 school year – Districts use the unified application
Nov. 1, 2029 – RAISE Act Review Committee report due
July 1, 2030 – ALSDE will propose a public hearing process
Nov. 1, 2030 – RAISE Act Review Committee report due (and continues on Nov. 1 of each year)
July 1, 2033 – ALSDE will identify schools or districts that have not made “adequate progress” on goals of RAISE Act funding and recommend them for public hearings in front of the RAISE Act Accountability and Implementation Board