To make an appropriation to fully reimburse the stipends paid to teachers to complete science of reading professional development.
HB880 is an appropriations bill that would provide state funding to fully reimburse school districts, community schools, and STEM schools for stipends paid to teachers who complete professional development in the science of reading and evidence-based literacy instruction. The bill creates or uses the Literacy Improvement appropriation item and sets the funding at $6,938,636 for fiscal year 2026, with no appropriation shown for fiscal year 2027.
The bill also directs the Director of Budget and Management to transfer $1,105,400 from the General Revenue Fund to the Literacy Improvement Fund and to establish the accounting needed to administer the appropriation. The reimbursement is tied to the teacher training requirements established under prior legislation, specifically the science of reading professional development provisions referenced in H.B. 33 and amended by H.B. 147.
If enacted, HB880 would increase state spending by appropriating funds to reimburse local education providers for teacher stipends connected to required literacy training. It would affect school districts, community schools, STEM schools, and the Department of Education and Workforce by supplying a dedicated funding stream for science-of-reading professional development costs and by moving General Revenue Fund dollars into the Literacy Improvement Fund. The bill would not create a new education mandate, but it would change how existing training-related stipend costs are financed.
The bill appears generally supportive of literacy initiatives and teacher professional development, with its stated purpose focused on fully reimbursing costs already incurred by schools for science-of-reading training. Because the bill was only introduced and there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no documented opposition or debate in the available materials. The available context suggests a straightforward funding measure rather than a controversial policy change.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided record. Potential areas of concern, based on the bill text alone, could include the size of the appropriation, the use of General Revenue Fund dollars, and whether the reimbursement formula fully covers all affected districts and schools. However, no speaker, committee member, or vote record is available to show that any of these issues were actively disputed.