Arkansas Code Title 6. Education § 6-15-215. Arkansas Smart Core Incentive Funding Program

(1) The skills and knowledge gained through Arkansas's Smart Core curriculum provide the academic foundation required for high school graduates to succeed in their first year of college or in a job that promises a well-paying career track; and

(2) School districts should encourage all students who are capable of completing the Smart Core curriculum to do so.

(1) “Eligible high school” means each public high school in a school district that meets the criteria to receive incentive funding under subsection (f) of this section and the program rules adopted under this section by the State Board of Education;

(2) “Smart Core” means the curriculum established by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education under the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts that is part of Smart Future, a state initiative focused on improving Arkansas public high schools for all students; and

(3) “Smart Core graduate” means a student who graduated from an Arkansas public high school after having successfully completed the Smart Core curriculum.

(1) Assist with a public high school's efforts to encourage public high school students to complete the Smart Core curriculum;

(2) Promote programs that contribute to student success, including without limitation:

(3) Provide support to school counselors to improve student services.

(2) A school district that receives incentive funding under the program shall not use the incentive funding to provide increases to the salary schedule of the school district.

(e)(1) Subject to an appropriation and available funding for the program, the division shall pay incentive funding to a school district under this section based on an annual percentage of Smart Core graduates from a public high school in the school district.

(f)(1) By June 30 of each year, the division shall pay to a school district incentive funding under the program as follows:

(2) The division shall not pay incentive funding to a school district for a public high school in which less than ninety percent (90%) of its graduates complete the Smart Core curriculum.

(3) If a public high school's graduation rate falls below the average graduation rate for the public high school for the previous three (3) school years, the school district is not eligible to receive the full incentive award under the program for the public high school.