WOODLAWN - Superintendent Dr. Kevin Hancock gave the Woodlawn School Board an overview of what impact Gov. Sarah Sanders' education plan could have on the district during a busy regular monthly meeting Monday night inside the Woodlawn School cafetorium.
The board also voted on several items during the meeting, including a new sixth grade literacy curriculum, the 2023-24 school calendar and a shared sick leave policy among district employees.
Last Wednesday, Sanders signed what has been her Arkansas LEARNS Act into law. The bill, among other things, raises the starting teacher pay to $50,000, creates state-funded Education Freedom Accounts that follow students to the school they choose to attend, and puts greater emphasis on literacy and math education.
Hancock told the school board that the true impact of how the new bill will affect the Woodlawn School District probably will not be known until it is fully implemented. However, he said they do know how the new teacher salaries will impact the district's budget.
Under the LEARNS bill, the state's minimum teacher salary will be raised from the current $36,000 to $50,0000 beginning with the start of the 2023-24 school year. Those teachers who are making more than $50,000 will get a $2,000 raise.
Hancock told the school board that the teacher pay raises will cost the district an additional $314,4561.97 next year once taxes and benefits are figured in. He said the state has allocated $308,000 to Woodlawn to help pay for that increase.
The LEARNS plan does not include any "steps" (built-in pay raises from year to year) for teachers nor does it provide any extra pay for those who receive advance degrees like a masters or doctorate. The current pay schedules does.
While most of the focus has been on teacher pay, Hancock said he is waiting to see if any action may be taken on pay for classified staff as well. Classified staff consists of all school posi...
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