The House Education Committee on Thursday voted to pass a bill that would require school counselors to spend 90 percent of their time working with students – directly or indirectly – and only 10 percent on administrative duties, such as testing. Read More
As one frustrated legislator put it, “No one’s going to vote against this.”But, he added, four years from now, other lawmakers will be charged with finding a way to ensure that the state’s smallest school districts – those with fewer than 500 students – are still able to afford a proposed salary schedule that would boost the minimum teacher salary statewide. Read More
Legislators found themselves once again juggling a variety unknowns Tuesday while debating whether to change the funding formula for the state’s vo-tech centers. Read More
The Arkansas House of Representatives voted unanimously Thursday to raise the minimum salaries for teachers by $4,000 over the next four years. Read More
The Joint Committee on Public Retirement and Social Security opened retirement discussions in front of a large crowd Monday, including all of the board members who oversee the Arkansas Teachers Retirement System. Read More
After two days of twists and turns, the State Board of Education voted unanimously on Friday to revoke Covenant Keeper’s charter and affirmed the Charter Authorizing Panel’s decision to approve a proposal that will allow Friendship Aspire Academy to open a Little Rock charter school ahead of schedule. Read More
The Joint Committee on Public Retirement and Social Security opened retirement discussions in front of a large crowd Monday, including all of the board members who oversee the Arkansas Teachers Retirement System. Read More
The House Education Committee on Thursday voted to approve a bill that would allow school districts to consider an out-of-state teacher’s previous experience when deciding upon a salary. Read More
Legislators on the Senate Education Committee exchanged verbal barbs Wednesday over a bill that would create a tiered system of funding for vo-tech centers. After an hour of debate, the senators asked the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Kim Hammer, R-District 33, to offer more details regarding the change to the funding formula and to come back for further discussion. Hammer’s bill, SB135, would create three tiers of funding for the centers. Read More
The House Education Committee’s Tuesday meeting was brief, with Chairman Bruce Cozart, R-District 24, explaining that the K-12 bills currently on the agenda are still in the process of being amended. Read More
