Teacher revolt spreading to Arkansas?

The massive teacher walkout in Oklahoma continues as educators pressure the state legislature to come up with billions in new revenue to make up for years of declining school funding and long-stagnant teacher salaries. In West Virginia, Kentucky and Arizona — all solid Republican states — underpaid, overworked teachers are pushing back.

What about Arkansas?

The Arkansas Education Association will hold a statewide meeting of its members on April 10 to discuss the national wave of walkouts and what it means for teachers in this state, AEA Executive Director Tracey-Ann Nelson told the Arkansas Times on Monday. The organization has heard from a number of members “inspired by the actions taken by their colleagues across the country,” she said.

It’s definitely a topic on the minds of AEA members, Nelson said. "I think we have to hear from them before we do anything. … This is an organization driven by its members. Our goal is to listen to them and hear what their concerns are. … From there, we have a board meeting two weeks after, and we will share the data from the town hall with the board.”

The retrenchment of public education budgets is a story that’s played out across the country, Nelson said. "What has happened to all of our states over time is a divestment in public schools, and the impact is starting to show. … In Arkansas, we see the drip, drip, drip effect of that happening. It’s death by a thousand cuts.”


https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2018/04/04/as-walkouts-spread-across-red-states-arkansas-teachers-are-watching-closely