Lawmakers in at least 22 states have proposed bills to increase minimum teacher salaries and offer other incentives to improve recruitment and retention. These are important measures, given documented staffing challenges in certain areas and subjects, the declining prestige of the profession and lower enrollment in traditional preparation programs .
Seven of these bills, including the Arkansas LEARNS Act , have become law.
My research team has been monitoring and documenting the effects of the salary changes introduced by the Arkansas LEARNS Act. As the program completes its first year, one lesson is becoming clear: Successful implementation requires the support and buy-in of school districts. Salary schedules that merely satisfy the minimal requirements of such legislation might not produce the desired results.
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Signed into law in March 2023, the LEARNS Act represents one of the most significant changes to teacher compensation in any state in decades. It raised Arkansas’s minimum teacher salary from $36,000 to $50,000, guaranteed raises of at least $2,000 and removed the requirement that districts follow state-mandated minimum salaries for different levels of experience and education. This gave districts the flexibility to move away from traditional salary schedules based on seniority and experience.