Arkansas
Arkansas Democrats introduce proposal to raise teacher salaries, meet with governor
Arkansas Democrats are persevering with their push to get trainer pay raises on the agenda for subsequent month’s particular session of the legislature.
On Thursday, Democrats met with Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has voiced help for $4,000 bonuses and elevating the minimal wage from $36,000 a yr to $42,000. Democrats have stated it is crucial for the governor to incorporate the merchandise on the agenda for the session.
“We ask a lot of our lecturers. They typically spend cash out of their very own pocket for primary classroom provides. As a lot as they love what they do, many are leaving the occupation or transferring to states that pay their lecturers adequately,” Home Minority Chief Tippi McCullough, D-Little Rock, stated. “We’ve got to do far more to make sure that we’re recruiting and retaining nice lecturers. That begins with a good wage.”
In line with the Nationwide Training Affiliation (NEA), Arkansas ranks forty eighth in beginning trainer wage and forty sixth within the common trainer wage. When adjusted for the price of dwelling, the state ranks twenty eighth in trainer wage, in line with the Arkansas Senate’s web site.
Hutchinson has declined to place trainer pay raises on the agenda for the particular session. Republican leaders have stated the main target of the session needs to be offering tax aid for Arkansans who’re coping with inflation. Even after assembly with Democrats, Hutchinson stated his stance on together with the merchandise within the session hasn’t modified.
“The Home and Senate management has indicated that there’s inadequate help among the many members for a trainer pay improve in a particular session. For that motive, there isn’t any plan so as to add it to the decision,” Hutchinson stated in an announcement.
Earlier this summer time, the governor did voice his help for utilizing a part of the excess to create block grants for varsity security measures.
Republicans have stated they don’t wish to embody the trainer salaries within the particular session as a result of they wish to wait till the Adequacy Research is finished. The research is required of the Home and Senate Training Committees to guage public schooling funding to find out whether or not every scholar is getting an equal alternative, in line with the Arkansas Home’s web site.
The outcomes of the research gained’t be obtainable till October, which is 2 months after the particular session.
Of their assembly with the governor, Democrats launched the Elevating Arkansas’s Funding in Faculties and Educators (RAISE) Act.
In an interview with KUAR Information, Rep. Megan Godfrey, D-Springdale and member of the Home Training Committee, stated the plan adopts Hutchinson’s will increase and addresses considerations shared by Republicans.
“We wished to be aware of among the considerations of our Republican colleagues that say this isn’t sustainable or we have to watch for the academic Adequacy Research to be accomplished. So we created the RAISE Act as a option to act instantly to extend trainer pay and lift the minimal wage,” Godfrey stated. “However to additionally make it sustainable we’re utilizing the excess funds to create the Instructor Pay Sustainability Pay Fund.”
Godfrey defined $600 million out of the $1.6 billion the funds surplus can be used to fund the wage will increase initially. She added that when the excess is used, continued funding would come from basis funding, which is cash raised from property taxes by native college districts and distributed to varsities on a per-student foundation, in line with the Bureau of Legislative Analysis (BLR).
One of many criticisms of basis funding has been that it will possibly distribute cash unequally. When requested if there have been considerations about utilizing basis funding to pay for the trainer pay will increase, Godfrey stated the celebration knew it could be an imperfect resolution.
“There might be a whole lot of conversations that we have to have because the Training Committee strikes ahead with the tip of our research to say, ‘Is that this funding mannequin equitable, is that this funding mannequin satisfactory?’ This isn’t simply with trainer pay however on the whole,” Godfrey stated.
The Arkansas Division of Training (ADE) has additionally recognized about $60 million yearly that may very well be used for the wage will increase, Godfrey stated.
In line with a spreadsheet offered to KUAR Information by the Democratic Celebration, $200 million is required a yr to extend trainer salaries.
In 2023, the price can be $233 million since this would be the yr the minimal wage improve raises from $36,000 a yr to $42,000. Within the spreadsheet, 2023 gained’t use basis funding. The funding will kick in throughout 2024, offering barely greater than $57 million. The spreadsheet reveals the inspiration funding will double to barely greater than $114.3 million for 2026 and 2027. Then it is going to improve to barely greater than $171.5 million, which is the primary yr the excess gained’t be used to fund the wage will increase.
Godfrey stated the will increase within the basis funding have been decided based mostly on will increase in earlier years. She stated the celebration labored with the BLR on the projections and the projections have been estimated conservatively.
Along with the inspiration funding, the spreadsheet additionally reveals $60 million coming from the ADE annually.
Of the $600 million the Democrats would request from the excess, about $390 million can be used to fund the wage will increase from 2023 to 2027.
Godfrey stated if the RAISE Act doesn’t go through the particular session, Democrats will look to attempt to go the act within the 2023 legislative session.
Academics and different advocates for pay raises are anticipated to carry a rally on the difficulty Sunday on the state Capitol starting at 4.
Arkansas
Viewer pictures: The Natural State transforms into a winter wonderland
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A winter storm rolled into Arkansas Thursday and brought with it snow to the majority of western and central Arkansas.
Many from around the Natural State sent in pictures of their area covered in snow.
Though Arkansas is already full of natural beauty, there’s something about the state covered in snow that makes it even more of a winter wonderland.
Several kids from around the state got out and took advantage of the day off of school by throwing snowballs, digging up the snow, sledding and of course making snow angels.
Many who got out in the snow had enough accumulated to make snow men.
Share your snow day pictures at KARK.com/winter-pics.
Arkansas
Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield Lays Off About 75 Workers, Reports $100M Loss
The Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield building in Little Rock (Michael Pirnique)
Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield sent layoff notices to 2% of its workforce — about 75 employees — on Thursday after reporting a loss of more than $100 million in the first three quarters of 2024, the state’s dominant health insurance carrier confirmed.
The Little Rock nonprofit had 3,375 employees as of April 2024, and its $3.14 billion in 2023 revenue put it at the top of Arkansas Business‘ most recent list of the state’s largest private companies.
But revenue in the first three quarters of 2024 was down by almost 7%, and the company (officially USAble Mutual) reported to the Arkansas Insurance Department a net loss of $100.5 million for those nine months. That compares with net income of $94.7 million for the same period in 2023, although the year finished with net income of just $13.2 million.
“The reduction in workforce was due to changing conditions in the market and increasing financial pressures primarily due to health care costs jumping to the highest levels in more than a decade,” Max Greenwood, an ABCBS spokeswoman, said in response to email questions Thursday afternoon.
ABCBS also has seen “large increases” in the use of all medical services, especially prescription drugs.
“These situations have caused necessary shifts in business strategy across the health care and health care insurance industries,” she said.
In addition, the insurance company lost tens of thousands of members as result of the state’s disenrollment of tens people on Medicaid in 2023.
As part of the Obama-era Medicaid expansion, the state pays private insurers to provide health insurance policies to qualifying Arkansans under the Arkansas Health & Opportunity for Me program, or ARHOME. This program had been known as the “private option” and Arkansas Works.
In January 2023, ABCBS had about 207,000 ARHome members. By December 2024, it was down to 108,729, Greenwood said.
“We’ve also seen a drastic increase in the claims amounts among our ARHome population,” she said. “Remember, since we were the first company who offered ARHome policies statewide when the program began, our block of members in that program is older and most likely unhealthier than what other carriers may be experiencing.”
ABCBS’ premium revenue fell during the first three quarters of 2024. It reported $2.2 billion premiums collected net of reinsurance through Sept. 30, a 4.8% drop from the same period in 2023.
The insurance company’s total members also fell from 630,444 on Dec. 31, 2023, to 598,492 on Sept. 30. The biggest drop came from its comprehensive individual plan. In that group, the total members fell nearly 17% to 132,596 members.
ABCBS also laid off 85 employees in January 2024. Those positions have not been refilled, Greenwood said.
She said it was too early to tell what the financial numbers will look like for the fourth quarter, which ended Dec. 31. No additional layoffs are planned at this time.
“Every executive vice president was asked to make reductions in their areas,” she said.
Greenwood said the insurance company has made several other budget-tightening moves for 2025. “We’ve reduced our budget by more than 7% including cuts to consulting and outside vendor costs, contract labor, software and equipment and facility costs,” she said. “We’ve also had to implement substantial premium increases on our small and large groups.”
Greenwood said the company has a strong balance sheet and has no concerns about its liquidity.
Founded in 1948, Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield offers health and dental insurance policies for individuals and families.
Arkansas
Topping out ceremony for new $33.9 million Arkansas Tech University Ferguson Student Union set for Tuesday in Russellville | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
RUSSELLVILLE — Arkansas Tech University and Kinco Constructors will host a topping out ceremony for the $33.9 million Ferguson Student Union at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Attendance will be open to the public. Those in attendance will have an opportunity to sign the final steel beam before it is put in place atop the facility. Refreshments will be served in Chambers Cafeteria West Dining Room following the ceremony.
Construction on Ferguson Student Union on its Russellville campus began last year after the ATU Board of Trustees accepted the guaranteed maximum price for building the facility during its meeting on June 20.
Kinco Constructors submitted a final price of $33,946,865 for the project. That figure includes the cost of demolishing the Administration Building and Tomlinson Hall, constructing Ferguson Student Union and parking lot development on the south side of the new building
Parking for the event will be in the lot between Rothwell Hall and Doc Bryan Student Services Center with overflow in the Tucker Coliseum parking lot. Golf cart shuttles to and from the ceremony site will be available.
Those unable to attend the ceremony who wish to sign the steel beam may do so from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday and beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday through the ceremony at 2 p.m. that afternoon. The beam will be located on the east side of the construction site near Rothwell Hall and Dr. Robert Charles Brown and Jill Lestage Brown Hall.
Construction of Ferguson Student Union began in July 2024 and is scheduled to be complete in early 2026.
Located on the parcel of land between Chambers Cafeteria and the Hull Physical Education Building, Ferguson Student Union is named for ATU benefactors Cindi and Jimmy Ferguson.
Ferguson Student Union will provide student meeting spaces, lounge spaces for students to enjoy during their free time, fast casual dining, an e-sports gaming lab, basketball courts, a location to check out outdoor recreation gear and workout areas for cardiovascular and strength fitness training.
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