LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe says he won't call lawmakers back to the Capitol to address a looming increase in teacher insurance premiums without the votes to pass short- and long-term fixes to the program.
Beebe told reporters Monday that he's talking with legislators and state officials about options available for addressing the premium increases that 47,000 teachers will see starting Jan. 1. A state board last month approved increasing premiums by as much as 50 percent and some legislators say they need a special session to address the increase.
Beebe said he wants to know there's support for short-term relief for the teacher insurance program as well as for long-term changes that would help prevent similar increases in the future.