NW Democrat-Gazette

There’s no free lunch

In the LEARNS Act, the state of Arkansas is requiring a minimum salary of $50,000 for teachers employed by the state. This is no different than the federal government placing a minimum wage on employment in general. Wanting to attract more teachers to lessen the current shortages and believing the market wage for teachers in Arkansas insufficient to do so, the LEARNS framers inserted the minimum.

Fortunately, the state is willing to fund raises to $50,000 for teachers below that salary and an additional $2,000 raise for all other teachers. Unfortunately, there is no free lunch. The state will have to get the money from other programs or raise taxes.

More unfortunately, the state has adopted a one-size-fits-all approach with no recognition of differing supply and demand conditions in various academic fields, or low-income areas. This will create inequities and dissatisfaction. The costs of rectifying these difficulties will fall on the individual school districts at a time when their revenue is being taken away by the LEARNS voucher system. School districts will be forced to cut costs (larger classes, curtailing special programs for small groups, etc.) or convince their electorates to increase property-tax rates. There is no free lunch.

Even the Arkansas Legislature, the governor concurring, cannot repeal the basic laws of economics. There still is no free lunch.

LEN WHITE

Fayetteville

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2023-03-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://edition.nwaonline.com/article/284477167839635

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