LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Senate gave its final approval to a bill that would raise the average teacher salary in Arkansas by $2,000 over the next two years.
House Bill (HB) 1614 aims to help school districts that pay below the state's average and would create the teacher salary equalization fund.
The State Education Department says there is a shortage of licensed teachers in several areas of the state and that teacher salaries are a key factor in attracting individuals to the field of teaching.
The bill states that according to the Bureau of Legislative Research, the average teacher salary in Arkansas for the 2020 fiscal year was $49,822.
In the 2020 adequacy study, the teacher salary report given to the House and Senate Committees of Education reported that Arkansas is not keeping pace with surrounding states.
Click here to read the full bill.