§ 16-6B-11.1 — Alabama Teacher Paperwork Streamlining Act

Alabama § 16-6B-11.1

• Jurisdiction: Alabama
• Title 16: Education
• Ch. 6B: Education Accountability Plan

Text

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the Alabama Teacher Paperwork Streamlining Act.
(b) The purpose of this section is to accomplish all of the following:
(1) Streamline and reduce the paperwork burdens placed on Alabama teachers related to the required documentation for the Alabama Literacy Act, the Alabama Numeracy Act, other laws or policies where paperwork may be reduced or streamlined in a compliant manner, and other educational programs.
(2) Improve teacher morale and retention by reducing noninstructional administrative burdens.
(c) The State Department of Education shall do all of the following:
(1) Work with local boards of education to create a unified digital platform that consolidates the required documentation for the Alabama Literacy Act as determined by the Literacy Task Force, Alabama Numeracy Act as determined by the Elementary Mathematics Task Force, other laws or policies where paperwork may be reduced or streamlined in a compliant manner, and other relevant educational programs into a single, user-friendly system.
(2) Collaborate with stakeholders including, but not limited to, teachers, administrators, and legal experts, to:
a. Eliminate redundant documentation requirements across different programs;
b. Standardize forms and reporting formats to reduce complexity and time spent on paperwork; and
c. Ensure that documentation requirements align with state and federal rules and regulations, while reducing unnecessary paperwork.
(3) Develop and implement, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, a system of data sharing among the Alabama Literacy Act as determined by the Literacy Task Force, the Alabama Numeracy Act as determined by the Elementary Mathematics Task Force, other laws or policies where paperwork may be reduced or streamlined in a compliant manner, and other educational programs to ensure that information entered once is able to be used across multiple documentation platforms to reduce repetitive input by teachers.
(4) Work with the Alabama Public Education Paperwork Reduction Committee taking into consideration ongoing efforts to effectively streamline paperwork to avoid duplication of efforts.
(5) Annually review and audit all paperwork requirements to assess if further streamlining is necessary. The department shall actively solicit input from teachers during the annual review process.
(d)(1) The Alabama Public Education Paperwork Reduction Committee is created. The committee shall consist of teachers representing all grade levels and as many subject matters as practicable. The committee shall include one principal, one curriculum director, one special education coordinator, one instructional coach, and one interventionist. Not less than 75 percent of the membership of the committee shall consist of nonadministrative teachers actively engaged in full-time classroom instruction.
(2)a. The organizational meeting of the committee shall be held no later than September 1, 2025. At the organizational meeting, and annually thereafter, the membership of the committee shall elect a chair from among its membership. The committee shall meet quarterly to assess the effectiveness of paperwork streamlining measures, offer recommendations for further improvement, and ensure that teachers’ needs are being met in the areas of paperwork reduction. If more than 100 days have elapsed since the last meeting of the committee, a meeting may be called by the chair or by written petition of a majority of the membership of the committee.
b. Members of the committee may participate in a meeting of the committee by means of telephone conference, video conference, or similar communications equipment by means of which all members participating in the meeting may hear each other at the same time. Participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at a meeting for all purposes, including constituting a quorum.
(3) The State Superintendent of Education shall solicit applications from teachers to serve on the committee. From those applications, the state superintendent shall submit recommendations to the State Board of Education for appointment to a two-year term. The nominating and appointing authorities shall coordinate their nominations and appointments to assure the committee membership is inclusive and reflects the racial, gender, geographic, urban, rural, and economic diversity of the state. Vacancies shall be filled in a like manner.
(4) The committee shall submit a report to the State Superintendent of Education after each meeting. The report shall include recommendations for reducing paperwork requirements for public school teachers and an overview detailing the effectiveness of existing measures. The State Superintendent of Education shall respond, in writing, to the recommendations of the committee and shall submit each report, with his or her response, to the State Board of Education for discussion during the next board meeting. No additional required paperwork mandate shall be implemented by the State Department of Education or State Board of Education without first vetting the requirement with and receiving approval from the committee.
(5) Members of the committee shall not be compensated for their service but may be reimbursed their actual expenses for attending committee meetings. A local board of education shall provide any teacher appointed to the committee with permission to attend committee meetings and may not deduct from that teacher’s leave or pay for his or her attendance of committee meetings.
(e)(1) All local boards of education shall comply with this section and the requirements developed by the department regarding the use of the streamlined paperwork system. The State Department of Education shall conduct annual audits to ensure compliance with these requirements.
(2) Any local board of education failing to implement the streamlined documentation system shall face corrective action including, but not limited to, retraining of administrators or other measures to ensure compliance with this section.
(f) The Legislature shall allocate necessary funding to the State Department of Education to support the development and maintenance of the unified digital platform, training for teachers, and support for local boards of education in streamlining paperwork in alignment with the Renewing Alabama’s Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) Act, as appropriate.

Legislative History

(Act 2025-410, §1.)