The Arkansas Legislature is off to a relatively slow start start this year due to the weather.  Thanks to the snow in the Ozarks, we at the OEP have not been able to make it to many legislative meetings. But, with the weather warming up (thankfully), and the legislative session moving forward, we hope to bring you more comprehensive news about the legislative session.

It’s no secret that education will be a hot topic this year at the capitol. And while we all have our views on how bills should be addressed, a few of the major groups interested in education have made their views public.  We’d like to share those with you and save you the time of visiting google.  This may not be an exhaustive list, but it certainly includes some of the key players in ed policy in AR.  Here’s what they are thinking:

• The state’s primary teacher organization, the Arkansas Teacher Association (AEA),  provides a running list of education bills on its website with the AEA suggestions for action on certain bills.
• The organization of school administrators, the Arkansas Association for Education Administrators (AAEA), devotes some space on its website to education legislative issues. One of the most notable tidbits so far is the group’s proposal for a study on the length of the instructional year.
• Additionally, the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System has provided a substantial amount of information on relevant bills.
• Finally, a group of business and community leaders known as Arkansans for Education Reform recently released a newsletter with details on legislation they would support.

Are there other groups whose ideas we should highlight? We would be interested in hearing your views on legislative pursuits of these and/or other key interest groups across the state!