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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
K-12 education; 2026-2027.
Purpose
Makes statutory and session law changes relating to K-12 education necessary to implement the FY 2027 state budget.
Background
The Arizona Constitution prohibits substantive law from being included in the general appropriations, capital outlay appropriations and supplemental appropriations bills. However, it is often necessary to make statutory and session law changes to effectuate the budget. Thus, separate bills called budget reconciliation bills (BRBs) are introduced to enact these provisions. Because BRBs contain substantive law changes, the Arizona Constitution provides that they become effective on the general effective date, unless an emergency clause is enacted.
S.B. 1856 contains the budget reconciliation provisions for changes relating to K-12 education.
Provisions
Basic State Aid
1. Increases the base level for FY 2027 from $5,113.26 to $5,215.53.
2. Increases the charter additional assistance amount per student for FY 2027:
a) from $2,131.90 to $2,174.54, for students in preschool programs for children with disabilities, kindergarten programs and grades 1 through 8; and
b) from $2,484.69 to $2,534.38, for students in grades 9 through 12.
3. Increases the transportation support level formula per-route-mile amount for FY 2027 as follows:
|
FY 2026 |
FY 2027 |
|
|
3.01 |
3.07 |
|
|
Between 0.5 and 1.0 |
2.47 |
2.52 |
|
Over 1.0 |
3.01 |
3.07 |
Alhambra
Elementary School District Basic State Aid Recalculation
(Repeals on January 1, 2028)
4. Requires the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to:
a) recalculate the basic state aid amount for the Alhambra Elementary School District in FY 2025 as the result of a change in the assessed valuation of property within the school district; and
b) increase the basic state aid amount for the Alhambra Elementary School District in FY 2027 by $852,000.
Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Property Proceeds Fund
5. Establishes the Property Proceeds Fund (Property Fund), consisting of the proceeds from the sale or lease of Arizona State School for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB) school buildings and grounds.
6. Requires ASDB to administer the Property Fund and deposit all monies that ASDB receives for the sale or lease of school buildings and grounds on or after July 1, 2026, in the Property Fund, except as specified.
7. Specifies that Property Fund monies are subject to legislative appropriation and exempt from lapsing.
8. Requires the State Treasurer, on notice from ASDB, to invest and divest Property Fund monies and credit monies earned from investment to the Property Fund.
9. Requires ASDB, in any fiscal year in which the Legislature appropriates monies from the Property Fund to ASDB, to prepare an expenditure plan for the monies and submit the plan to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) for review.
10. Stipulates that, before ASDB may sell school buildings or grounds, ASDB must:
a) determine the appraised value of the school buildings or grounds by ordering independent appraisals from at least two different firms;
b) submit a proposal to sell school buildings or grounds to the Joint Committee on Capital Review for review; and
c) sell the school buildings or grounds pursuant to the statutory procedures for the disposition of real property by a state agency.
11. Specifies that ASDB must procure appraisal services pursuant to the Arizona Procurement Code and award an appraisal services contract to a firm only if the appraiser is well qualified and a designated team member of a nationally recognized real estate appraisal association, institute or society.
12. Allows ASDB to use any appraisal that is ordered as prescribed as the appraised value of the school buildings or grounds.
13. Determines that ASDB is not required to deposit monies in the Property Fund if ASDB receives the monies for:
a) fees, rentals and other charges for the use of school facilities for nonschool events;
b) proceeds from the lease of school buildings or grounds to a school; or
c) proceeds from the lease of school buildings or ground for a period of less than one year.
14. Specifies that a lease of school buildings or grounds for less than one year that includes an automatic lease renewal resulting in a total lease duration that exceeds one year is considered a lease for more than one year.
School Safety and Threat Identification Pilot Program (Repeals on January 1, 2028)
15. Establishes the School Safety and Threat Identification Pilot Program (School Safety Pilot Program) within ADE.
16. Requires ADE to select a school district that requests to participate, has between 80 and 85 schools and provides instruction to students in kindergarten programs and each of grades 1 through 12 (K-12) to participate in the School Safety Pilot Program.
17. Requires, if sufficient monies are available, the participating school district to install in each school building a biometric identification system that includes at least two camera sensors and that:
a) detects the presence of individuals who are registered sex offenders or have a criminal history record;
b) supports the identification of missing, endangered or runaway minors if information about the minor has been lawfully provided to the school district and an alert has been authorized;
c) issues an alert within 60 seconds;
d) complies with state and federal privacy laws; and
e) uses data that is derived from verified law enforcement agencies.
18. Specifies that a participating school district may not install a biometric identification system that:
a) records or stores video or audio footage;
b) transmits or stores biometric data;
c) stores images in the camera sensors; or
d) allows live monitoring or viewing of any camera sensor footage.
19. Subjects each potential biometric identification system alert to review by a trained analyst before the alert is issued.
20. Specifies that a biometric identification system alert may be filtered by the school district.
21. Requires ADE, by September 30, 2027, to submit a report on the implementation of the School Safety Pilot Program to the Governor, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and provide a copy to the Secretary of State.
Child Sexual
Abuse and Assault Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program
(Repeals on January 1, 2029)
22. Establishes the Child Sexual Abuse and Assault Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program (Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program) within ADE.
23. Requires ADE, by July 1, 2027, to allow public schools to apply to participate and select six public schools from the applicants to participate in the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program during the 2027-2028 school year.
24. Requires ADE to consult with the Department of Child Safety (DCS) and organizations that are operated by survivors of grooming or human trafficking in developing the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program and the associated curriculum.
25. Requires the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program to include, for teachers, at least four hours of in-person, evidence-based instructional modules provided by a selected organization, which may include:
a) training on the prevention and identification of, and responses to, child sexual abuse and assault, including exploitation, grooming, grooming with the intent to exploit and technology-facilitated abuse; and
b) resources to further student, teacher and parental awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse and assault, including exploitation, grooming, grooming with the intent to exploit and technology-facilitated abuse.
26. Requires the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program to include, for the parents of students who are enrolled in a participating school:
a) at least three hours of in-person, evidence-based instruction provided by a selected organization; and
b) age-appropriate educational materials that are designed for K-12 children relating to child sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention, including exploitation, grooming behaviors and grooming with the intent to exploit.
27. Allows the evidence-based instruction for parents to include instruction in:
a) skills to recognize:
i. child sexual abuse and assault;
ii. boundary violations and unwanted forms of contact;
iii. grooming behaviors, including manipulation, trust building, secrecy, desensitization and isolation;
iv. exploitation and grooming with the intent to exploit, including online grooming, sextortion and technology-facilitated exploitation; and
v. patterns, tactics and warning signs associated with grooming and exploitation; and
b) strategies that:
i. promote disclosure;
ii. reduce self-blame; and
iii. mobilize bystanders.
28. Requires the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program to include a uniform child sexual abuse and assault response policy and reporting procedure that is based on best practices, which may include:
a) actions that victims of child sexual abuse and assault may take to obtain assistance;
b) intervention and counseling options for victims of child sexual abuse and assault;
c) access to educational resources to enable victims of child sexual abuse and assault to succeed in school; and
d) uniform procedures for reporting instances of child sexual abuse and assault to school staff members.
29. Allows ADE to contract with a provider to implement the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program if the provider is able to demonstrate it can meet the prescribed requirements.
30. Requires ADE to select one or more organizations to provide the instructional modules for teachers, instruction for parents, or both.
31. Specifies that ADE, in selecting organizations to provide the instructional modules or instruction, must only select organizations that:
a) are organized and operated for the purpose of preventing child sexual abuse, promoting grooming awareness or preventing human trafficking; and
b) ensure that the individuals who will provide instruction to teachers and parents are either qualified survivors of grooming or human trafficking or advocates who have direct expertise in child sexual abuse, grooming and human trafficking prevention.
32. Requires ADE, beginning on the general effective date, to gather stakeholder input to develop an Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program curriculum, including scheduling stakeholder meetings.
33. Specifies that ADE must solicit input on the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program curriculum from representatives of:
a) DCS;
b) organizations that are organized and operated for the purpose of preventing child sexual abuse, grooming or human trafficking; and
c) survivors of child sexual abuse, grooming and human trafficking.
34. Requires ADE to select an organization to develop the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program curriculum, coordinate stakeholder input and ensure that the curriculum is survivor-informed and prevention-focused.
35. Specifies that ADE must select an organization to develop the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program curriculum that:
a) is organized and operated for the purpose of preventing child sexual abuse, grooming or human trafficking; and
b) demonstrates that the organization has experience providing survivor-informed prevention education.
36. Subjects the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program curriculum to approval by the State Board of Education and ADE.
37. Requires ADE to make the age-appropriate educational materials available to the public on ADE's website and provide the webpage address for the educational materials to each participating public school and the Department of Health Services (DHS) Director.
38. Prohibits a participating public school from requiring any parent to participate in the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program.
39. Requires, on the enrollment of a student, a participating public school to provide to the student's parent the ADE webpage address that contains the age-appropriate educational materials.
40. Requires each participating public school, by October 1, 2028, to submit a report to ADE and provide a copy to DCS that includes:
a) the number of parents who received the evidence-based instruction through the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program and the number of hours of instruction that the selected organizations provided;
b) the number of teachers who completed the evidence-based instructional modules provided through the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program;
c) any testimony or comments from teachers or the parents of students relating to the Awareness and Prevention Pilot Program; and
d) whether the school intends to continue providing instructional modules to teachers, instruction to parents, or both, through the selected organizations in subsequent school years.
41. Requires DHS to include the ADE webpage address that contains the age-appropriate educational materials in the maternal mental health condition educational materials and information that is compiled and provided to parents.
42. Defines grooming and exploitation.
Miscellaneous
43. Conforms the tax year 2026 qualifying tax rates to reflect the required truth-in-taxation rate adjustment.
44. Authorizes the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to use Failing Schools Tutoring Fund monies in FY 2027 for the following school improvements:
a) providing assistance to school districts and charter schools for professional development and coaching for teachers and principals;
b) monitoring the progress of school districts and charter schools towards improved academic outcomes; and
c) outreach to ensure that schools and parents have access to tutoring opportunities.
45. Requires, by September 1, 2026, ADE to report the proposed expenditures for FY 2027 Failing Schools Tutoring Fund monies to the Governor, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the JLBC Director and the Governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting Director.
46. Continues to state as the intent of the Legislature and the Governor that school districts increase the total percentage of classroom spending over the previous year’s percentages in the combined categories of instruction, student support and instructional support as prescribed by the Auditor General.
47. Makes technical and conforming changes.
48. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
June 8, 2026
MH/hk