Public Schools

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Governor Asa Hutchinson Issues Statement in Response to Legislative Council

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LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson issued the following statement in regards to the Arkansas Legislative Council's decision on the use of money from the American Rescue Plan.

"While I am pleased the Arkansas Legislative Council supports funding bonus pay for teachers, their action to rescind $500 million in spending authority for the Arkansas Department of Education is contrary to the Council’s statutory authority and contrary to the principles of separation of powers underlying the Arkansas Revenue Stabilization Act.

"I am disappointed by the Legislative Council’s vote to rescind its approval to give the Arkansas Department of Education authority to spend $500 million in American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund. Just as the General Assembly could not recall a bill from my desk that had already been signed into law, ALC may not undo the lawful appropriations under Act 199 through a parliamentary maneuver. 

"Under the appropriation passed last month the schools could use the funds for teacher bonuses and incentives. The big change now is that the schools must submit plans which must go back to the legislature for additional review.

"In other words, the local school district priorities may not be approved. I am concerned that teachers in some districts will get a bonus, but others may not. The creative approach by the committee today, while well-intentioned, is not the best approach to helping our teachers."

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AUDIO: Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Supporting our Teachers

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LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas’s education system greatly depends on our ability to attract and retain teachers. We need to make sure the pay reflects the importance of their job and our respect for their role in shaping the lives of the next generation of leaders.

When the pandemic impacted the world, our schools were heavily burdened. Education could not waiver even during a time when things felt so uncertain.

Arkansas was one of the few states that kept schools open thanks to the amazing teachers in our state. In fact, Arkansas ranked #2 in the nation for days of in-classroom instruction during the pandemic. That puts us in front of Texas and Florida. And so, we must be able to provide for those who are willing to go on the frontlines for our children’s future.

Teacher pay has been one of my top priorities since running for Governor in 2014. Since then, we have increased the minimum teacher pay to align with many of our surrounding states.

In 2019, I signed the Teacher Enhancement Act that took our minimum pay of $31,400 and raised it to $36,000 annually by 2022.

This increase was needed for our teachers, but it is not enough. Arkansas is still ranked 48th in the country for teacher starting pay even after that increase. 88% of our school districts start teachers below a salary of $40,000. We are 14th out of 16 states in our region for minimum starting salary, and we rank 13th out 16 for average salary. Nearly 70% of all our teachers are making below $40,000 a year. 

Our goal should be to have 100% of our teachers making above $40,000. We know teachers are important, but we must show them why Arkansas is a place they’ll want to teach and live.

For that reason, we must give our school districts more resources to recruit teachers. We have seen firsthand how providing the right resources can bring growth like we’ve seen with the Computer Science initiative. 

In 2015, we started the initiative with fewer than 50 computer science teachers in Arkansas. By providing more resources and incentives, we now have more than 650 certified computer science teachers with more coming by the fall. We have gone from fewer than 1,000 students learning about computer science to more than 12,000 with that number increasing every year. 

There is a reluctance by some in the General Assembly to raise teacher salary because of the concern over a future economic downturn. We currently have over $2 billion in state reserves and our surplus.

I am confident in our future ability to fund these initiatives, but the General Assembly controls the purse strings of state government, and I respect their constitutional role. While we might not get it done this year I hope it remains a priority in the future.

Arkansas Department of Health Report on Active COVID-19 Cases in Public Schools of Arkansas

The ADH released their most recent report on Monday, November 15th, on the number of active cases of COVID-19 in the state's public schools and colleges. Some area schools of note include:

De Queen 15

Nashville 9

UA Cossatot, and most other area public schools were not listed because they reported less than 5 active cases (ADH does not release info for schools with fewer than 5 active cases to protect student privacy)

For the complete report, please visit:

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Governor Hutchinson Provides Weekly Briefing on Tax Relief Plan, COVID-19

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LITTLE ROCK – During his weekly briefing today, Governor Asa Hutchinson shared his proposal for providing additional tax relief to Arkansans, updated quarantine guidance for schools, and the latest on COVID-19 in Arkansas.

Tax Reduction Plan

Governor Hutchinson presented his tax relief proposal for a Special Session of the General Assembly. The Governor noted the tentative beginning date of October 25th will be postponed to allow time to further achieve legislative consensus.

The reduction plan is composed of three elements:

  1. Provide a low-income tax break and increase the individual tax credit.

  2. Combine the low- and middle-income tables to focus on a tax break for middle incomes.

  3. Lower the top rate from 5.9% to 5.5% in the next year, and then lower to 5.3% by 2024.

A corporate tax cut is also being discussed, which would require the state to meet certain financial revenue responsibilities to ensure the tax cut can be properly funded.

Governor Hutchinson said that there is a broad agreement with many legislators over the tax cut plan and hopes that they can put this together into a bill and have it ready to go.

“Certain elements of this plan are still in discussion, and we want to be able to get the facts out so the public can participate in this discussion,” Governor Hutchinson said, “This is a good tax reduction plan and, most importantly, can be paid for out of recurring revenue and not one-time money.”

Governor Hutchinson announced protocol changes for K-12 schools.

The first change is to update the definition of a close contact in a school setting from within 6ft for 15 minutes of a case while infectious to within 3ft for 15 minutes.

The second change is to allow test-to-stay protocols to apply to extracurricular activities instead of only applying to the school day.

These changes will affect quarantine protocols for school districts.

Vaccination eliminates the need for quarantine, and if both the case and the contact are masked, there is no need for quarantine. 

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Public Schools and Colleges in SW Arkansas COVID-19 Active Case Numbers

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The ADH has released their most recent report on the number of active cases of COVID-19 in the state's public schools and colleges, and the numbers for most area schools continue to trend downward. Some area schools of note include:

UA Cossatot, Mineral Springs, Kirby: less than 5 ( ADH does not release info for schools with fewer than 5 active cases to protect student privacy)

Mena 8

De Queen 5

Ashdown 5

Centerpoint 5

Nashville 8

South Pike County 13

Horatio 9

Texarkana, AR 8

Cossatot River 7

Dierks 5

Foreman 6

For the complete report, please visit:

https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/images/uploads/pdf/School_Report_09272021.pdf

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Latest COVID-19 Cases in Public Schools and Colleges in Arkansas

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The ADH has released their most recent report on the rise of active cases of COVID-19 in the state's public schools and colleges. Some area schools of note include:

UA Cossatot less than 5 ( ADH does not release info for schools with fewer than 5 active cases to protect student privacy)

Mena 51

De Queen 33

Ashdown 32

Centerpoint 28

Nashville 24

Caddo Hills 23

South Pike County 23

Horatio 16

Mineral Springs 14

Foreman 13

Texarkana, AR 13

Cossatot River 8

Kirby 8

Dierks 5

For the complete report, please visit:

https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/images/uploads/pdf/School_Report_09062021.pdf

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Arkansas Department of Agriculture Links Farms to Schools

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By JACQUELINE FROELICH & KYLE KELLAMS

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture has launched a new multiplatform website connecting schools engaged in gardening and agriculture to local farmers and growers. Sarah Lane who serves as Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Program Coordinator with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture says the new portal features interactive maps of school gardens, local procurement activities, participating farms and producers – which number around 800 statewide.

https://www.kuaf.com/post/arkansas-department-agriculture-links-farms-schools

Sarah Lane is Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Program Coordinator with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture.COURTESY / SARAH LANE

Sarah Lane is Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Program Coordinator with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture.

COURTESY / SARAH LANE