The 2026 Legislative Session:
Which Education Bills Passed and Which Didn’t?

The 2026 Alabama Legislative Session ended on April 9. During session, the Legislature passed many bills that will impact Alabama’s students:

Bills that Became Law

2027 Education Budget Package: This year, the package includes over $12 billion for students, schools, and education pursuits in K-12 and higher education. Four bills made up the budget this year:

• $10.5 billion from the Education Trust Fund (HB238)
• $419 million from the FY 2026 Supplemental Budget (HB235)
• $1 billion from the Advancement and Technology Fund (HB236)
• $500 million from the Education Opportunities Reserve Fund (HB237)

Within the budget package, the legislature increased funding for The RAISE Act. This year, RAISE will provide $191 million to districts to fund student needs, and another $399 million will move from the EORF to the RAISE Fund to fund future years. More information about the RAISE Act can be found here.

Alongside the budget, this year the Legislature passed the CHEER Act, which creates outcomes-based funding for public higher education programs. Colleges and universities will set their own performance goals, and the legislature will distribute funds based on achievement of those goals.

More information about the 2027 Education Budget is available on our Budget Watch.

Three Cueing Ban (SB168): Sponsored by Sen. Donnie Chesteen and Rep. Leigh Hulsey, this law strengthens the Alabama Literacy Act of 2019 by requiring schools to use the Science of Reading to teach children how to read and prohibiting the use of three cueing as a teaching method. This law goes into effect on June 1, 2026. To learn more about three cueing, check out our one pager and the Sold a Story Podcast.

Computer Science Graduation Requirement (HB329): Sponsored by Rep. David Faulkner and Sen. Donnie Chesteen, this law adds computer science as a high school graduation requirement, starting with the class of 2032. The law also states that completing a required computer science course will not fulfill a student’s College and Career Readiness Indicator requirement, unless the course also qualifies as another indicator, such as achieving CTE completer status or earning a qualifying score on an Advanced Placement test.

The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act (HB78): Sponsored by Rep. Jeana Ross, this law requires the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education, the State Department of Human Resources, and the ALSDE to develop screen time limits in preschools, daycares, and kindergarten classrooms for children 2-5 years old. The law prohibits screen time in these settings for children under 2 years old. These regulations will be in place by the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year.

Some other bills that passed will affect teachers and school systems. These include:

• Teacher 2% Pay Raise and Retiree Bonus (HB239): Sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins, this law increases the teacher salary schedule by 2% and provides a one-time bonus to teacher retirees, in the amount of $1 for every month of service for retirees with over 10 years of teaching.
• Teacher Sick Bank (SB211): Sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen, this law allows teachers to donate sick leave within the sick bank directly to employees for any reason. 
• Teacher Certification Options: Three bills passed to create certification paths for prospective teachers. 
  • Sen. Matt Woods’ SB149 creates a certification for military veterans that does not require a college degree or educator preparation program.
  • Rep. Marcus Paramore’s HB520 allows for qualified Career and Technical Education teachers from other states to receive their Alabama certification more easily. 
  • Rep. James Lomax’s TRAIN Act, HB517, creates a program that will allow companies to “loan” qualified employees to schools to be CTE teachers.

School System Consolidation: Rep. Danny Garrett’s HB178 allows for two city school boards to voluntarily opt-in to consolidate into one system. Rep. Terri Collins’ HB380, which requires a constitutional amendment, will allow the same for county school boards if it passes on the ballot in November.

Bills That Did Not Pass 

While the following bills didn’t pass this session, we are looking forward to supporting them in 2027!

Alabama Report Card Revisions: Rep. Terri Collins sponsored HB396, which would have revised the state’s school and district report card to be more aligned to student achievement and the state’s academic standards. This bill passed out of committee but did not receive a House floor vote. Similarly, HB604 and HJR346 would have studied the accountability system through an Accountability Council and Return on Investment study to understand how College and Career Readiness indicators each prepare Alabama students for life after graduation. They both passed through the House and stalled in the Senate.

Advanced Math Pathways (HB353): Sponsored by Rep. Mack Butler, this legislation would have enrolled students who were achieving high scores on state assessments in math in the existing advanced math pathways. The bill included other opt-in and opt-out opportunities. This process would rely on student achievement, rather than assumptions about what they can do, to place them into the right math class for them. This bill passed through the House and stalled in the Senate.

More Screen Time Limits: Two bills sought to limit screen time for K-12 students in public schools. 

• Sponsored by Rep. Jeana Ross, HB584 would have required the Alabama Board of Education to create standards for screen-based instruction. It would have created a task force to recommend hour limits and exemptions, and provide guidance to districts. This bill passed through the House and stalled in the Senate.
• Sponsored by Rep. Robbins, HB376  would have required the ALSDE to create screen time limits, and would have required districts to adopt those policies. It would also have required districts to provide parents with information about their students’ access to instructional technology and screen time. This bill was waiting on a House committee vote.

Educator Preparation Program Report Cards (HB603): Sponsored by Rep. Susan DuBose, this legislation would have required the ALSDE to revise the current accountability system for EPP programs. This bill would make the EPP report card data easier to access and would have required more measures to be reported. This bill passed out of committee and was waiting on a House floor vote.

To read about more bills that would have impacted education that did not pass, check out this article from the Alabama Daily News.

Constitutional Amendments on the Ballot in November, 2026

Bills that passed that seek to change the Alabama Constitution must also pass a majority vote of the people. The following laws were passed by the legislature, and will be on the ballot for the November 2026 election. They will only be enacted if the people vote to change the constitution.

• Allowing for County School Consolidation (HB380): Sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins, this law would allow two nearby county school systems to consolidate into one, if both boards and the local officials would like to take that opportunity. 
• Displaying the Ten Commandment (SB99): Sponsored by Sen. Keith Kelley, this law would require schools to display a poster of the Ten Commandments in US History classrooms and in common areas.
• Daily Pledge of Allegiance and Prayer (HB511): Sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, this law would require schools to receive the pledge of allegiance each morning, and allow time for students to pray voluntarily. 

Weekly Star Spangled Banner (SB5): Sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen, this law would require all public schools to broadcast the first stanza of The Star Spangled Banner at least once a week.