Law appropriates funds for Northark

LITTLE ROCK — On Tuesday, Feb. 11, the Governor signed into law HB1230 - An act to make an appropriation for personal services and operating expenses for the North Arkansas College for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.
This bill establishes the budget and staffing allocations for North Arkansas College for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, providing comprehensive details about employee positions, salary ranges, and funding sources.
The bill authorizes a maximum of 60 full-time positions across various administrative, academic, and support roles, with salary ranges from approximately $38,855 to $208,138 for positions including the college president, IT professionals, academic administrators, and support staff.

The bill appropriates a total of $46,750,452 in funding, which includes $9,260,452 from state operations and $37,490,000 from cash funds, covering regular salaries, personal services matching, operational expenses, capital improvements, debt service, and other administrative costs.
The bill requires strict compliance with state procurement, accounting, and budgetary laws, and includes an emergency clause to ensure the appropriations can take effect on July 1, 2025, highlighting the critical nature of timely budget implementation for the college's operations. Additionally, the bill allows for up to 500 temporary or part-time "Extra Help" employees to be hired as needed, providing flexibility in staffing.