Editor's note: Our State of the State series provides twice-yearly reports on key economic sectors in Arkansas. In this series, he will publish articles to start the year and his July/August articles to provide a broad mid-year update on the state's economy. please link here For state affairs pages and previous articles.
The education situation in Arkansas is in flux, with the details of the LEARNS Act still being finalized and some groups hoping to make major changes to the law in the November election.
Gov. Sarah Sanders' 145-page learning law, signed into law last year, changed education in Arkansas in many ways, but two in particular. First, it increased the state's minimum teacher salary from $36,000 to $50,000, requiring all teachers to receive at least a $2,000 raise this year. It also repealed the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act.
Second, this year we created the Education Freedom Account voucher system, giving families access to about $6,600 in state funds for private and home-schooling options. Only 1.5% of public school students are eligible to receive vouchers this year and must meet certain criteria. Next year, that number will rise again to 3% based on the criteria. However, in the third year, there is no limit to the percentage of eligible students.
The idea of paying teachers $50,000 is not controversial. But many school district superintendents have struggled to maintain pay schedules that have historically increased pay based primarily on experience and education.
Analysis by online news site arkansas attorney It found that 71 of the state's 234 traditional districts have instituted pay scale matrices this year that essentially pay teachers a flat $50,000, regardless of education or experience level. The law required every teacher to receive at least her $2,000 raise. Star City Superintendent Jordan Frissel said in his article that he wants answers about the state's long-term plan.
“We're just trying to make the best decisions and stay financially stable, but there's a lot of guesswork involved, and that's the scary part,” he said.
Dr. Mike Hernandez, executive director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, said school leaders are considering various compensation packages. He said many veteran teachers want raises commensurate with their experience.
“Districts, along with their staff, need to think hard about what is the right path forward that doesn't cost a lot of money and also rewards (teachers),” he said.
Teacher salary and retention rate
Dr. Bob Marant, chair of the 21st Century Leadership Committee at the University of Arkansas' Office of Educational Reform, believes that raising teacher pay will have more impact than considering educational freedom. This means significant pay increases for Delta Air Lines and Ozark Airlines. Higher starting salaries increase the workforce and allow superintendents to fire bad teachers. But he said the state needs to continue increasing teacher pay.
Hernandez doesn't expect there to be any major layoffs unless the district loses funding due to the loss of students. Despite the pay increases, schools still struggle to fill positions.
“I think there is a mindset of trying to retain teachers and hire new ones, so the reality that many teachers will be laid off is not really considered because there are not many teachers to replace them. “Hmm,” he says. He said. “So I think the focus is probably on the district to improve and maintain what they have.”
Regarding the Educational Freedom Account, Hernandez said the state's funding is based on the average number of daily student memberships from the previous year. These numbers will not be significantly affected by this year's results, but will be in the future.
Dr. Patrick Wolfe, 21st Century Endowed Chair of the Division of School Choice at the University of California's Office of Educational Reform, said LEARNS will lead to improved test scores over time. He said studies have found mixed effects from school choice programs, but the results are generally positive. He said the program would not lead to a mass withdrawal of students from public schools. Those who actually quit are often not successful.
“I think there's a significant amount of research supporting the fact that parents are the world's foremost experts on their children,” he says. “And with the right information, accurate and extensive information about school choice, we can refer children to the best schools and that should lead to positive outcomes for children.”
The future of LEARNS remains uncertain. Many details, including private school accountability, were left to the ongoing rulemaking process. Marant said another issue worth noting is the decline in the total number of students due to a decline in birth rates.
“District schools, charter schools, private schools, everyone could be fighting for a shrinking pie. …The politics are going to get even trickier,” he said.
“Accountability” Ballot Questions
Meanwhile, a group called For AR Kids is trying to get a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would require all schools receiving state funding, including private schools, to meet the same academic and accreditation standards. The coalition includes the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, the Arkansas Chapter of the NAACP, the Arkansas Education Association, and CAPES. CAPES failed in its attempt last year to qualify for a referendum for a November 2024 vote that could have overturned LEARNS.
Bill Kopsky, treasurer of AR Kids and executive director of the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, said in a Dec. 21 press conference that the proposal would level the playing field between public and private schools. He said that there is. For AR Kids released a March poll of 500 Arkansas voters by Blueprint Polling that found 77.1% of schools receiving public funding hold the same academic and accreditation standards. I agreed that I should have one.
“Public funds should result in public standards, public transparency and public accountability. …Taxpayers have a right to know that their tax dollars are being spent effectively,” he said. Ta.
The amendments also provide universal access to early childhood education, universal access to after-school and summer programs, support for children within 200% of the federal poverty line, and supports and services for students with disabilities. States will be required to provide it. The amendment would also write into the Constitution the elements of adequate education that the Arkansas Supreme Court stated in the Lakeview School Funding Case.
The group resubmitted its proposal to the Attorney General's office after Griffin rejected the first draft.
Impact of COVID-19
School districts are responding to learning loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Arkansas reopened schools earlier than many states, there was still a lot of disruption, Wolf said, and the drop in test scores in Arkansas was on par with the national average. Scholars are debating the long-term effects. He tends to believe that younger students can recover, but the high school population is likely not as prepared as he thought.
The schools are being supported by $1.77 billion in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds received during the pandemic. According to the Arkansas Department of Education's website, $1.59 billion, or nearly 90%, has been spent so far. In addition to student support, they have spent money on systematic procedures, equipment, technology, and food security.
Last year, the school district was surprised by a sharp increase in property and casualty insurance premiums. These were the result of costly natural disasters and rising construction costs, such as the tornado that destroyed much of Wine High School. In response, Sanders issued an executive order to pay for 30% of the increase, and lawmakers are considering changes to the program.
Schools are also preparing to administer the state's new end-of-year assessment, the Arkansas Teaching Learning Assessment System (ATLAS) test, for students in grades 3-8 this spring. State officials say it better meets state standards than the ACT Aspire test it replaces.
