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Senate panel advances bill aligning Guard Youth Challenge teachers' leave with K–12 rules
Summary
The Senate Education Committee approved SB 34 to change leave accrual for teachers in the Arkansas National Guard Youth Challenge program so their leave mirrors K–12 districts, addressing gaps that left instructors without paid time during off-session months.
Senator English, chair of the Senate Education Committee, successfully moved SB 34 on behalf of the Arkansas National Guard Youth Challenge program, and the committee passed the bill by voice vote.
Scott Stenger, chief of staff for the Department of Military, told the committee the program employs five teachers and is “75% federally funded [and] 25% by the state.” He said current state leave accrual rules do not match the program’s calendar: instructors provide about 180 days of instruction and 90 days of professional development but do not work the remainder of the year. “So what this bill proposes is for their leave accrual to mirror what happens in a school district,” Stenger said, explaining the bill would grant two personal days and nine sick days at the start of each calendar year, with unused leave rolling over.
Stenger said the change would allow human resources to manually balance leave for teachers until the state’s payroll systems can be adjusted. A committee member asked whether summer compensation would effectively mirror a regular teacher salary; Stenger replied the intent is to match school-district practice so teachers would not need leave during summer months.
The committee approved SB 34 with a motion of “do pass” and a voice vote; the record does not list a roll-call tally. The bill is intended to correct administrative inconsistencies so Youth Challenge instructors are not left without paid leave during off-session periods.
