Fallon Lindsey, student guest contributor
Arkansas has made very big steps in improving the pay of teachers. The LEARNS Act that was implemented had a lot to do with this. The LEARNS Act significantly increased starting teacher pay in Arkansas. Even though these changes have been put into place, challenges still occur in getting the Arkansas teacher salary up to a competitive average. Arkansas also struggles with ensuring equitable pay structures.
The LEARNS Act is a very transformative step in Arkansas teacher salaries. It was signed into law in March 2023 and marked a shift in Arkansas’s approach to teacher compensation (“Research Notes: Impact of Arkansas LEARNS Act on Teacher Salaries and Retention”). Some things that the LEARNS Act includes are minimum salary increase, mandatory raises, and salary schedule adjustments, according to Schwalbach. The Arkansas Governments Office reports the base salaries for teachers used to be $36,000 and were raised up to $50,000. The teachers that were earning above the new minimum amount received a $2,000 salary increase. The act got rid of the state’s minimum salary schedule which mandated pay increases based on experience and education, according to Grajeda. The changes were implemented in order to attract and retain quality educators for the students by offering very competitive starting salaries.
The current salary landscape is another major factor in teacher pay. Documented in 2024, Arkansas’s average teacher salary sits at about 54,309, which ranks its 45th nationally. When the cost of living is averaged in, the state’s ranking moves up to 33rd place (“Average Arkansas Teacher Salaries Now Ranked 45th in the U.S.”). Within the Southern Regional Board states, also known as the SREB, Arkansas is ranking 12th out of 16. The regional average is about 59,000 (Prepared for the House and Senate Committees on Education K-12 Teacher Salaries EXHIBIT G2).
Implications of salary schedule compression have been made as well. Andrew DeMillo reported that the removal of the mandatory salary schedule has led to an unfortunate compression of pay scales in a lot of districts. The Arkansas Advocate stated that almost 1⁄3 of Arkansas school districts do not offer automatic pay increases for teachers who have more years of education/experience. Looking at this blankly with no thoughts about the future, it does not seem like a big deal, but it could definitely have an effect on the retention of teachers long term and it could also affect the incentive for the professional development among teachers.
In conclusion, Arkansas has made very commendable progress in elevating the starting teacher salary through the LEARNS Act. As a state, Arkansas does need to do some work in order to increase teacher retention. Arkansas must address average salary and become competitive in this field in order to keep high quality educators.
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