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Senate Education Committee hears report showing Arkansas teacher salary rankings have slipped; members press for follow-up on matrix spending
Summary
State Bureau staff told the Senate Education Committee that Arkansas’s average teacher salary ranking declined in recent NEA and SREB comparisons, even after cost‑of‑living adjustments; members asked for more detail on how foundation and matrix funds are spent and whether benefits or hiring practices mask the problem.
Lori Bowen, a policy analyst in the Bureau of Legislative Research, told the Senate Education Committee that Arkansas’s average teacher salary ranking has declined in recent national and regional comparisons and that cost‑of‑living adjustments improve but do not erase that decline. Bowen said the bureau analyzed NEA salary data and compared Arkansas to SREB and surrounding states, adjusted state salaries using a Missouri Economic Research and Information Center cost‑of‑living index, and reviewed district minimum and average schedules and adequacy survey responses from educators.
Bowen summarized several findings: Arkansas’s NEA‑reported average salary rose modestly in 2019 but still slipped in rank versus other states; applying…
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