HB1242

House Bill 1242 establishes a new compensation framework for school nurses in Arkansas, requiring that their salaries be aligned with the minimum base salaries provided to classroom teachers. Starting in the 2027-2028 school year, school districts must implement a salary schedule for school nurses that accounts for education and experience levels. Nurses with a bachelor's degree must receive at least the same base salary as a classroom teacher with equivalent experience. Registered nurses without a bachelor's degree must receive at least 90% of the corresponding teacher salary, while licensed practical nurses without a bachelor's degree must receive at least 80%. The bill explicitly prohibits districts from reducing the existing salary of any nurse currently earning more than the newly mandated minimums. Additionally, the bill tasks the House and Senate Committees on Education with reviewing the costs of this mandate during the biennial adequacy review process.