Arkansas Democrats proposing bill to increase teacher pay
Arkansas house and senate Democrats introduced a bill they say would give teachers raises and boost their starting pay. It’s called the Raise Act of 2023.
It would raise teachers' starting pay from $36,000 to $50,000. It also gives all public school teachers a $10,000 raise.
Democrats say the price tag on this would be $350 million for the $10,000 raises and a one-time cost of $30 million to help districts meet the $50,000 salary requirements.
They say the bill is paid for out of existing revenues and growth in adequacy funds. Teachers have rallied throughout the state over the past year for more money. The bill may face an uphill battle with Republicans having a supermajority in the legislature.
Republican Sen. Tyler Dees said in a statement about the bill, "While I'm thankful there's an attempt to increase pay for our teachers, I don't think the timing is correct. We need to work with the Governor's team, the House and the Senate together to get a unified plan to attack this issue and all education-related issues."
A companion bill would increase base pay for public school staff, like bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and janitorial staff, from $11 an hour to $15.