Lawmakers approve plan to provide one-time bonuses to teachers and staff

At the July meeting of the Arkansas Legislative Council, Republican lawmakers led a controversial effort to expunge a month-old vote that released half a billion in federal dollars to school districts across Arkansas. The Republicans’ plan: reapprove the funding, but attach a recommendation that school districts use the funds to provide one-time bonuses to teachers and staff, and require that school districts present their plans for the funds to the legislature.

Governor Asa Hutchinson criticized the move, saying he believes the legislature doesn’t have the authority to put in place such a requirement.

Democratic lawmakers opposed the move, noting that many districts had already made plans for the funds and that one-time bonuses, while nice, are no substitute for a meaningful pay raise. Democrats also questioned whether using the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to provide such will be allowed by the federal government.