The AEA is a membership organization dedicated to improving the quality of education offered students and making public school employment attractive to current and potential employees.

To do so requires a learning and working environment whereby teachers and support professionals are equal partners with the board and administration. The AEA is committed to leading and assisting in every possible way to make our public schools the best they can be.

Educational employees lives are better, thanks to AEA

Some of the gains made for educational employees through the work of AEA include:

• Planning time for teachers (200 minutes/week in 30 minute blocks minimum)
• Duty free lunch periods (5 days per week)
• Minimum salary schedule (2007-08: BA $28,897; MA $33,231; MA/15 $40,731 -- 2008-09: BA $29,244; MA $33,630; MA/15 $41,130)
• Professional staff development credit and guaranteed leave for AEA Convention workshops
• Sick leave
• One day per month - minimum accumulation to 90 days
• Transfer of sick leave from district to district
• Pregnancy leave recognized as sick leave
• Educational trust fund for salaries
• Retirement benefits
• Retirement benefits after 28 years with no penalty (reduced from 35 to 30 to 28 years)
• T-Drop at 28 years - down from 30
• Health insurance for school employees
• Average employer contribution was raised by $61.00 per month for the 2005-06 school year
• $70 million appropriated for increase during 2005 Legislative Session
• New method of funding assures that health insurance raise actually will be spent for that purpose
• Grievance procedure required by law
• Personnel policy committees - Collective Bargaining
• School safety legislation
• The right to seek legal recourse regarding insult or abuse on the job
• Guns prohibited from school grounds
• All school related acts of violence must be officially reported by the administration
• Teacher fair dismissal act with strict compliance
• May 1 deadline for notice of non-renewal
• Thirty (30) days to consider contract
• May resign up to 10 days after the last day of school

BECOME A PARTNER – BECOME A MEMBER OF AEA TODAY

If you are a public school employee in Arkansas or have an interest in improving public school education, become a member of the Arkansas Education Association.

Contact: nkline@nea.org