The House Education Committee chairman on Monday introduced a bill that would raise the minimum public school teacher salary in Arkansas from $31,400 to $36,000 over the next four years.
The plan to raise minimum teacher pay throughout the salary schedule is a pillar of Gov. Asa Hutchinson's 2019 legislative agenda.
[RELATED: Complete Democrat-Gazette coverage of the Arkansas Legislature]
The governor announced intentions to raise teacher pay last year, and the House and Senate education committees endorsed a plan to raise the minimum salary by $1,000 in each of the next four years.
Rep. Bruce Cozart, R-Hot Springs, who introduced House Bill 1145 on Monday, has said he doesn't expect strong opposition to the proposal.
The pay raises, once implemented, are expected to cost about $60 million.
-- Hunter Field