Missy Irvin

Senate Education Committee chair says teacher pay needs to wait on adequacy study

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

State Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, said it is important to follow the process of an adequacy study to raise teacher salaries in Arkansas.

The chair of the Senate Education Committee, Irvin said she has legal concerns if Arkansas lawmakers deviate from the formula that came from the 2004 Lake View case.

“… Legally, my concern is if you start to pick and choose one category outside of that adequacy process, I don’t think that that’s really following what the court wanted us to do, and so that is a huge concern from a legal standpoint, that you’re right in the middle of a study, you’re right in the middle of the process, and you picked out one category of expenditure and you didn’t take into consideration all the expenditures and the funding needed for public school in its totality, which is exactly what the Lakeview case was really all about,” she said.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/07/senate-education-committee-chair-says-teacher-pay-needs-to-wait-on-adequacy-study/

Arkansas Governor Signs Teacher Salary Increase Into Law

By STEVE BRAWNER / TALK BUSINESS & POLITICS

Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a pair of identical bills Monday that will raise the state’s median teacher salaries by $2,000 and create a fund to help lower-paying districts reach that amount.

Senate Bill 504 by Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, and House Bill 1614 by Rep. Bruce Cozart, the chairs of the Senate and House Education Committees respectively, will raise the target median teacher salary to $51,822 for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. The House and Senate Committees afterwards would jointly set the statewide target median salary.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/arkansas-governor-signs-teacher-salary-increase-law

Gov. Asa Hutchinson, surrounded by Arkansas lawmakers and educators, signs the two bills into law Monday during a ceremony at the state Capitol.CREDIT GOVERNOR'S OFFICE / YOUTUBE

Gov. Asa Hutchinson, surrounded by Arkansas lawmakers and educators, signs the two bills into law Monday during a ceremony at the state Capitol.

CREDIT GOVERNOR'S OFFICE / YOUTUBE

Bill Seeks To Ban Transgender Girls, Women From Arkansas School Sports Teams

By DANIEL BREEN

Arkansas lawmakers have proposed a bill that would make it illegal for schools to allow transgender girls and women to play on sports teams corresponding to their gender identity.

The legislation, called the Gender Integrity Reinforcement Legislation for Sports (GIRLS) Act, is sponsored by Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, and Rep. DeAnn Vaught, R-Horatio. State Attorney General Leslie Rutledge introduced the bill at a news conference Monday.

"We don't want common sense to be overshadowed by so-called political correctness, and this bill would ensure the integrity of girls and women in sports," Rutledge said. "This legislation will create a space for women’s sports and will provide opportunities for women to demonstrate their skills, strength and athletic abilities against other females of the same biological stature."

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/bill-seeks-ban-transgender-girls-women-arkansas-school-sports-teams

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge speaks alongside state lawmakers Monday at the Arkansas State Capitol.CREDIT DANIEL BREEN / KUAR NEWS

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge speaks alongside state lawmakers Monday at the Arkansas State Capitol.

CREDIT DANIEL BREEN / KUAR NEWS