Median salary for Arkansas teachers to increase by $2K

FILE - In this March 23, 2020 file photo, Gov. Asa Hutchinson, right, speaks in Little Rock, Ark. Hutchinson said Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, he will not back former President Donald Trump if he runs for the White House in 2024, saying “it’s time” to move on to different voices in the Republican Party.  (Staton Breidenthal/The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File)
FILE - In this March 23, 2020 file photo, Gov. Asa Hutchinson, right, speaks in Little Rock, Ark. Hutchinson said Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, he will not back former President Donald Trump if he runs for the White House in 2024, saying “it’s time” to move on to different voices in the Republican Party. (Staton Breidenthal/The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File)

The median salary for teachers in Arkansas will be increased by $2,000, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Monday afternoon.

The target median salary for teachers will now be $51,822, Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson described the increase as an “effort to have comparable teacher salaries across the state in Arkansas.”

The state will also provide $25 million to assist school districts not up to median salary to get there, Hutchinson said.

The Teacher Salary Equalization Fund provides $185 per student, Hutchinson added.

Read Tuesday's Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for the full story.

EARLIER:

Gov. Asa Hutchinson will speak at 1:30 p.m. on two bills that aim to raise teacher salaries in Arkansas.

According to a news release from the governor's office, Hutchinson will speak about Senate Bill 504 and House Bill 1614. The bills would create a new category of education funding -- the teacher salary equalization fund.

Check back to watch the live video.

[Video not showing up above? Click here to view » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luocPCoLW6s]

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