LEARNS raised starting teacher pay from $36,000 to $50,000

LITTLE ROCK, AR - TNTP, formerly The New Teacher Project, an education nonprofit that helps schools recruit and retain teachers, released its Moving Up report on Arkansas’ teacher landscape today and found that adjusted for cost-of-living, Arkansas now has the highest starting teacher pay in the nation.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the LEARNS Act last year which, among many other policy changes and teacher incentives, raised starting teacher pay from $36,000 a year to $50,000 a year and gave every teacher at least a $2,000 raise. Previously, Arkansas was ranked 48^th in the nation for starting teacher pay, and in many districts, there was not a single educator making more than $50,000 a year.

“Great education starts with great teachers,” said Governor Sanders. “I’m proud that LEARNS raised Arkansas’ starting teacher pay from 48^th in the nation to 1^st and is helping us recruit and retain the educators that allow our students to thrive. LEARNS was the largest investment in our public schools ever and, as this report shows, is already tackling our teacher shortage and making Arkansas a national education leader.”

“Research shows that the number one indicator of student success is the teacher in the classroom,” Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said. “Through the LEARNS Act, the state’s largest investment ever in teachers and students, Arkansas now ranks first in the nation for starting teacher salaries. With this boost, we are confident our classrooms will be filled with high-quality educators, student learning will thrive, and the teacher pipeline will grow. Our students deserve the best, and our best deserve a salary that is commensurate with the influence they have on learning.”

Beyond pay increases, TNTP commended several other strategies included in the LEARNS Act that help attract and retain Arkansas teachers. Those include student loan repayment for educators in areas with a teacher shortage, scholarships for aspiring teachers, the Merit Teacher Incentive Fund, which offers as much as $10,000 in bonuses for high-performing teachers, and up to 12 weeks of paid maternity leave for public school teachers. More than 70% of Arkansas teachers are women, and Arkansas is now one of only four states in the nation to offer up to 12 weeks of paid maternity leave.

The full TNTP report can be found here.