LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Little Rock School District board members have voted to raise starting teacher salaries to more than $45,000.
The pay raise was voted upon as district officials met on Thursday to boost pay to $45,500 for starting teachers. This is up from the $43,000 annual salary that Little Rock educators saw last year and the $36,000 that they saw two years ago.
Following the district's decision, teachers in the Little Rock School District are now among some of the highest paid in the state.
"It doesn't just affect the beginning teachers, it affects all our teachers, because it changes the whole pay range all the way up to our most experienced teachers," said Greg Adams, LRSD Board President.
Educators are eligible for a 2% "step increase" for each year of experience that they have as a teacher.
The district's announcement comes as more school districts around the state have chosen to raise teacher pay. Pulaski County Special School District raised the starting teacher salary to $40,000 last year.
In July, teachers rallied at the Arkansas State Capitol to pressure lawmakers to put teacher pay on August's special session.
Little Rock now joins other school districts that have raised annual salaries despite the state's refusal to do so. Fort Smith, Springdale, and Fayetteville all boosted salaries to $50,000 to combat teacher shortages, while Russellville boosted pay to $45,000.
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