Revises provisions governing compensation for certain employees of public schools. (BDR 34-189)

AB 398 provides additional state-funded compensation for teachers and licensed staff in hard-to-fill positions at public schools, specifically targeting Title I schools and roles in subjects with critical staffing shortages. It requires the State Education Fund to receive new funding (from the State General Fund or Education Stabilization Account) to pay this extra compensation on top of base salaries, distributed monthly to school districts based on legislative apportionment. The bill eliminates the prior use of weighted funding (for at-risk students) to pay for hiring and retention incentives, redirecting those resources to the new compensation program. This temporary measure aims to reduce teacher vacancies, which the bill states harm student outcomes.