Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday told the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators the state Legislative Council’s decided path toward teacher and staff bonuses will be a “curveball” for school districts to navigate.
“It disrupts your local spending priorities,” he said during his speech at the association’s annual conference at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. “It takes discretionary federal money away from your local decision making.”
The Arkansas Legislative Council on Thursday rescinded its approval of $500 million in spending authority for the state Department of Education to allocate money through the federal American Rescue Plan Act’s Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund.
Instead, the Legislative Council recommended that school districts design plans to spend the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds on $5,000 bonuses for teachers and $2,500 bonuses for staff members. Districts will submit their plans to the Legislature for approval.
During his speech Monday, Hutchinson said his office has heard from several districts regarding their inability to meet the recommendations outlined in the Legislative Council’s decision. Some of the responses included:
• “To comply, we would have to give up our career coach position, and the learning loss prevention program will be impacted.”
• “We were doing bonuses, but my district tied bonuses to teacher attendance and performance benchmarks.”
• “We had the [American Rescue Plan Act] funds planned for roof, windows, [heat ventilation and air conditioning] and staff hiring. Now that will have to change.”
• “We can do the bonuses, but we’ll be $1.9 million shy of what’s needed to meet the amounts recommended by [the Legislative Council].”
• “This district will need an additional $4.1 million from sources other than [Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief.]
Hutchinson shared with the administrators his commitment to providing districts with guidance on how best to meet these bonuses while giving them “the maximum amount of flexibility and decision.”
“Your voice is important in every respect,” he told the gathering of over 2,000 educators.
The governor on Thursday released a statement in response to the Legislative Council’s decision.
He said local school district priorities may not be approved and shared his concern that teachers in some districts will get a bonus while others may not.
“The creative approach by the committee today, while well-intentioned, is not the best approach to helping our teachers,” Hutchinson said in the statement last week.
During his speech on Monday, Hutchinson said the General Assembly through the council had “put another plan into motion.”
However, he also said that this decision serves to reflect the state valuing its educators. He applauded legislative leadership for showing support for teachers.
“They’re supportive of raising teacher salaries next year, which is also a priority of mine,” Hutchinson said. “They want to provide more immediate relief to teachers and staff, as well.”
The governor’s address also took place shortly after educators had heard the state will not raise its minimum teacher salary for the 2022-2023 school year.
While Hutchinson in June proposed raising the salary to a minimum of $46,000 and implementing at least a $4,000 pay increase for all teachers, state legislators have agreed to leave the topic for discussion during the next regular session, which begins in January, Senate President Pro Tempore Jimmy Hickey, R-Texarkana, said earlier this month.
The governor said earlier this month that teacher raises won’t be included in the special session he intends to call starting Aug. 9 due to the Legislature’s lack of support.
“We all want our students to succeed, and the common denominator for students’ success is the teacher in the classroom,” Hutchinson said during the speech. “That is why I proposed a minimum salary increase for our teachers.”
Under Act 170 of 2019, the minimum teacher salary in Arkansas was $34,900 for the 2021-2022 school year and will increase to $36,000 in the coming school year.
Speaking at the conference, Hutchinson assured teachers that the state will continue to support its teachers.
“We want to do more for those that are engaged in education. We want to be able to attract the best and the brightest,” Hutchinson said. “We also want to be able to retain those over the long term. That means we simply have to have competitive teacher salaries in our state.”
The week leading up to this speech, Hutchinson said he had spent time in Europe on the “most successful” economic development trip he’s taken during his time as governor. During his travels, he promoted Arkansas’ industries and told leaders about his K-12 computer science instruction initiative. Hutchinson also said he had recently attended the National Governors’ Association meeting, where he signed an agreement with 50 out of 55 governors to advance computer science education in “tangible ways.”
During his remarks, Hutchinson brought attention to the state’s school safety commission, which he reconvened this summer “to make sure that we did everything possible to keep our schools safe and to have the latest and best practices.”
Hutchinson also added that he’s asked the Legislature in the expected special session to add an agenda item on a potential $50 million grant program for school safety initiatives, helping districts to meet the “growing needs” in terms of security.
The governor mentioned a new study highlighting the number of days each state held in-person learning during the pandemic. He said Arkansas ranked second in the nation. This was “not easy to do,” he said, and he commended educators for recognizing the importance of in-person learning.
“You pushed forward, understanding the importance of that. We understood in Arkansas, and now they’re doing national studies and saying, ‘Wow, they lost a lot because they were not in the classroom.’ We led, we set the example, and I applaud you and thank you.”
As he approached the podium to give the speech, the packed room of administrators from school districts across the state stood and applauded the governor, whose term ends in January.
Opening his remarks, the governor said the event marked the eighth consecutive time he’s spoken to the group during its annual meeting.
“I don’t believe I’ve missed it,” Hutchinson said. “That is because I value your role in education and the partnership we can have with you as the state and government leaders along with the Legislature.”
