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Huckabee signs bulk of education package Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 By Aaron Sadler Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee signed into law Tuesday a $132.5 million funding increase for the state's public schools, along with 21 other education-related bills passed in last week's special session. School districts will receive $38.7 million to pay for higher teacher salaries and increased operating costs this year. Education Commissioner Ken James said the money - $86 per student - should begin flowing to schools by May 1. The remainder of the increase will fund cost-of-living adjustments for the 2006-07 school year and for higher school district contributions to the state's teacher retirement system. The Legislature enacted the education bills in response to a December state Supreme Court decision declaring school funding unconstitutionally inadequate. The ruling had its origins in a 1992 lawsuit filed by the now-defunct Lake View School District in eastern Arkansas. Huckabee signed a $50 million appropriation for school facilities improvements and legislation earmarking $13 million for isolated schools and districts with declining enrollment. The state will spend about $500,000 each on improving school district accounting and bettering teacher professional development opportunities. "There is no reason it should not fully and completely satisfy everything that's been raised in the Lake View case and bring it to a final, final conclusion," Huckabee said during a bill-signing ceremony Tuesday in the Grand Hall of the Governor's Mansion. He said the state has added more than $1 billion to education coffers since a 2002 Lake View decision, at the expense of highways, higher education, Medicaid and other state funding requirements. "I would like to think we've fully and comprehensibly addressed K through 12 education," Huckabee said. "I just don't honestly know how this legislative body could have done more than they were able to get done, given the complexity of the issues." Rep. Janet Johnson, D-Bryant, and Sen. Steve Higginbothom, D-Marianna, stood behind the governor as he signed the teacher-of-the-year legislation they sponsored to make the state teacher of the year an ex-officio member of the state Board of Education and allow the teacher to travel across the state training others. James said the 2006-07 teacher of the year will be the first to take on the position. The Department of Education is considering changing the time for selection of the state teacher of the year from November, so as not to remove the award winner from the classroom at mid-year. With Tuesday's signatures, Huckabee has signed into law all but one bill approved by the General Assembly last week. The governor said he would decide whether he will sign the remaining measure, Senate Bill 16 by Sen. Sue Madison, D-Fayetteville, by today. The bill appropriates $570,303 for science specialists for elementary schools, but it funds the specialists from higher education programs that may otherwise be set aside for scholarships, Huckabee said. The governor said he was concerned about taking away scholarship funding. He has the option of signing the bill, letting it become law without his signature or vetoing the measure. The Legislature can override a veto with a simple majority vote. Lawmakers return May 1 to correct any problems that may have resulted from bills they passed, and to officially adjourn special session. Huckabee lauded the state Senate for compromising on a teacher salary hike to avoid an impasse. The Senate agreed to a House-approved 1.6 percent increase to the statewide minimum teacher salary. Most senators had backed a 2.4 percent hike, after first endorsing a 3.3 percent increase in the minimum salary schedule. Huckabee said he would have preferred a higher increase in teacher pay, but that he believed the 1.6 percent hike is defensible in court. The governor also said the Legislature should have approved one of his proposals, to cap school administrative expenses at 8 percent of a district's annual budget. The bill would have ensured enough resources were directed to classrooms, he said. That proposal was rejected by the House Education Committee. The same committee voted down a bill to prohibit a district from using state funds to sue the state. Huckabee also supported that bill. |
