The Arkansas Legislative Council approved a motion Thursday to rescind its approval last month of $500 million in spending authority for the state Department of Education to disperse funds under the federal American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund in an effort to recommend the money be used for a bonus to educators.
After nearly two hours worth of debate, the Legislative Council approved Senate President Pro Tempore Jimmy Hickey, R-Texarkana, motion to expunge its approval of that spending authority June 17.
Hickey said his aim is for Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s administration and educators to try to develop a plan to use the federal funds to finance a recruitment and retention bonus program in the public schools for the Legislative Council to consider in the future.
The Legislative Council recommended the funds be used to give a $5,000 bonus to teachers and $2,500 bonus to staff that will be financed with ESSER funds.
Hickey said a state law requires state agencies to bring a detailed report to lawmakers on their proposed use of federal American Rescue Plan funds when they request spending authority to use the funds. He said if school districts choose not to use the money for bonuses then they must present a reason why to legislators.
Members and supporters of the Arkansas Education Association greeted lawmakers before the meeting started with chants of “pay our educators now” as they called on lawmakers to prioritize educator pay increases during the upcoming special session.
“That bonus is a diversion,” Carol Fleming, president of the Arkansas Education Association, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “It doesn’t not address the educator shortage. A bonus doesn’t pay the bills next year.”
Earlier this month, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he wouldn’t put a teacher salary increase on the agenda for the special session he intends to call starting Aug. 8 to consider tax cuts because of the lack of support in the Republican-dominated Legislature for a teacher pay increase in the special session.
The House and Senate Democrats have signaled they support raising teacher salaries in the special session. Some Republicans in the Legislature have said they support considering teacher raises in the special session as well.
Several Republican legislative leaders have said they want to wait for the House and Senate education committees to complete their biennial education adequacy review this fall and consider raising teacher salaries in the 2023 regular session, starting in January.
Fleming said she wants to see Hutchinson put the teacher salary increase on the agenda for the special session anyway to force legislators to state their position on the issue.
“We need to see where legislators stand on the issue,” she said. “They always say they support educators, but it’s time to prove it.”