ARKANSAS, USA — Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson approved two identical pieces of legislation Monday (April 12) that raise teacher's salaries by $2,000, lifting the median salaries for teachers in the state to $51,822 for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years. He said the bill would help teachers in more rural areas of the state and where school districts have not raised salaries in recent years.
"This is an effort to have competitive teacher salaries all across the state of Arkansas," Hutchinson said during a press conference Monday.
Each year the Education Adequacy Committee in Arkansas can review the state's median teacher salaries and determine whether they can be raised again.
Hutchinson also announced the bills provide $25 million to go towards a Teacher Salary Equalization Fund that will provide $185 per student to districts with salaries below the median salary.
"It is a new creative way to help teachers have a salary that's more competitive and help our smaller districts and districts that have struggled more with teacher salaries to be competitive with some of the urban areas and the other school districts in the state," Hutchinson said.
You can watch Governor Asa Hutchinson's full announcement about the bills below.