Maternity Leave Benefit Coming for Arkansas Public School District Employees
The Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education has taken the initial steps to implement a cost-sharing maternity leave benefit for public school district employees, including open-enrollment charter school employees.
Under the Arkansas LEARNS Act or Act 237 of 2023, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders included a provision that will enable the state to share the cost of up to 12 weeks of maternity leave with the districts in a 50-50 split.
Participation in the cost-sharing agreement is voluntary for school systems. The school district or charter school can determine the number of weeks, up to 12, for eligible employees to receive paid maternity leave, as well as decide whether the compensation will be full or partial during the leave.
An eligible employee is defined as someone who works at least 30 hours per week and has been employed by the district for at least one year.
The state has allocated $3 million for this benefit, as announced by Kimberly Mundell, a spokesperson for the state agency. Further details will be addressed in upcoming rules for implementing the law.
Districts are required to submit any cost-sharing agreements reached with their personnel policies committees by April 1. Once approved, the cost-sharing agreements will be retroactive to July 1, 2023, according to the education division.
Little Rock School District Seeks Public Input on Attracting Families and Cost-Cutting Measures
Leaders of the Little Rock School District are actively seeking proposals from the public to enhance the district’s appeal to families and identify opportunities for increased operational efficiency in an attempt to reduce expenses by up to $15 million.
On the district’s lrsd.org website, information about the district’s buildings, their age, and construction needs has been made available. The website also includes a study on past, current, and projected enrollment trends, which are connected to housing construction.
Members of the public are invited to review the information online and submit their ideas and proposals within the given timeframe, which ends on Friday.
Community meetings, both in-person and virtual, will be conducted to discuss the proposals. The scheduled meeting dates are as follows:
Nov. 8: Noon at Pinnacle View Middle School
Nov. 8: 6 p.m. at Martin Luther King Elementary School
Nov. 10: 8 a.m. at Hall STEAM Magnet High School
Nov. 11: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Spirit Fest Table, Park Plaza Mall
Nov. 13: 6 p.m. at Chicot Elementary
Nov. 15: Noon online (link to be announced later)
Nov. 15: 6 p.m. online (link to be announced later)
Nov. 17: Noon at Western Hills Elementary School
All sessions will be recorded for later viewing.