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BILL # HB 2409 |
TITLE: artificial intelligence; statewide education program |
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SPONSOR: Kolodin |
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PREPARED BY: Gordon Robertson |
STATUS: House Engrossed |
The House Engrossed version of HB 2409 would establish an Arizona Artificial Intelligence Program within the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to offer an AI education course each summer to Arizona residents. The bill would require the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to develop portions of the curriculum related to small businesses and to identify volunteer instructors available to provide the course, as well as facilities whose use for classroom space local governments may offer to ADE at no charge.
Estimated Impact
We estimate the bill would not have a direct impact on General Fund spending for public school basic state aid formula costs because enrollment in the AI education course created under this bill would not affect a student's average daily membership (ADM) calculation during the regular school year.
To the extent such resources are available, the bill allows the course to be taught by volunteers in spaces provided to the state free of charge by private or local government entities. If such resources are not available, ADE may incur operational costs to either hire instructors or make space available for the instruction of the course. Under the bill, ADE would be required to cover such costs with existing state resources.
Neither ADE nor OEO has yet responded to our request for their perspective.
Our estimate assumes the following:
1) Students enrolled in public school through either in-person or Arizona Online modalities generate ADM when they meet specific instructional hour requirements while enrolled in a course of study required by the State Board of Education (SBE) as a prerequisite to graduation. Because the optional AI education course created by this bill does not satisfy the course of study and competency requirements established by SBE, attendance in the course would not affect a student's underlying formula funding during the course of the regular school year.
2) We assume ADE would be responsible for the development of the AI course's digital hygiene and civic integrity curriculum. The bill specifies that OEO would develop the AI for small business and entrepreneurship portion of the curriculum, but does not assign responsibilities for the digital hygiene and civic integrity portion.
3/11/26