(a) Upon the written request of any teacher or classified employee, the board of directors of any school district of the state shall deduct from the salary of that teacher or classified employee such sums as the teacher or classified employee shall specify for the payment of membership dues in any bona fide teacher's or employee's educational professional organization designated by the teacher or classified employee in the request.
(b) The teacher or classified employee may request a lump-sum deduction or have the sum to be deducted spread over the school year.
(c) The board of directors, or its authorized representative, shall transmit the sum deducted to the organizations designated by the teacher or classified employee in the request.
(d) All requests shall bear the manual signature of the teacher or classified employee.
(e) The request shall be filed with the contract of the teacher or classified employee and shall be subject to audit by Arkansas Legislative Audit.
(f) As used in this section:
(1) “Classified employee” means any person employed by a school district under a written annual contract who is not required to have a teaching license issued by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education as a condition of employment; and
(2) “Teacher” means any person holding a license issued by the State of Arkansas and employed by a school district in a teaching, instructional, supervisory, administrative, or educational and scientific capacity.