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As Arkansas educators prepare their classrooms for students’ return this month, many will spend hundreds of dollars on materials that supplement supplies parents purchase for their children.
The Arkansas LEARNS Act , a major education overhaul championed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, raised the base pay for teachers to $50,000. But teachers say the pay increase isn’t enough when they still use personal funds for classroom expenses throughout the year.
Leron McAdoo typically spends at least $300 of his own money each year on “utilitarian” supplies for his classroom, such as educational and motivational posters, electrical cords and tape to display student work. He doesn’t expect this year to be any different, especially as he works to stock a new classroom.
McAdoo, who has 32 years of experience as an educator, is taking on a new role this school year as an interventionist teacher at Little Rock School District’s new Dr. Marian G. Lacey K-8 Academy .