Senate Education committee hears adequacy study testimony; educators press for sustainable teacher pay, special‑ed funding and pre‑K coordination

The Senate Education Committee on Tuesday heard testimony and written submissions aimed at informing a statutorily required adequacy study, with educators and advocates urging lawmakers to update the state funding matrix, protect teacher pay gains and increase funding for special education and early‑childhood programs.

Richard Abernathy, testifying for an education advocacy group, said Arkansas has “done a good job” in recent years on initiatives such as professional learning communities, the RISE reading initiative and expanded career‑technical partnerships, but warned that the funding matrix adopted in 2003 is outdated. “There is a concern about the teacher raise. What happens in four years on the funding cliff,” Abernathy said, urging the committee to commission unbiased research before making major policy changes.

Why it matters: Lawmakers are updating an adequacy study that will guide fiscal‑year funding decisions, including whether one‑time or phased state dollars that supported recent teacher‑salary increases should be continued. Several presenters…