By Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.
Kingsland Elementary second grade teacher Tasha Wilson received an early Christmas present Nov. 30 – $25,000 for doing her job well.
The award came from the Milken Family Foundation, which this year recognized 40 mid-career educators nationwide. Seventy-four Arkansans have received the award since its creation in 1987. Wilson was the only one this year.
Dr. Jane Foley, Milken Educator Awards senior vice president, made the surprise announcement after traveling from California to Kingsland, a south Arkansas town that’s also the birthplace of Johnny Cash. Students and teachers had been told they were assembling to celebrate Kingsland Elementary being one of three Arkansas schools named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Then Foley made the big reveal.
Wilson was shocked, though she probably shouldn’t have been. Her students have shown big gains in math and reading scores and leave second grade able to write five-paragraph essays. She mentors new teachers and handles administrative duties when the principal is not in the building. Her hand shook as she called her husband, Galvin, with the news, and she was able to celebrate the moment with her son, Galvin Jr., a fifth-grader. She can use the money however she wants and mentioned taking a family trip.
Wilson said teaching is her calling and the only job she’s ever wanted. Her fifth grade teacher in her hometown of Wilmar, Kimberly Wells, was an inspiration.
“The kids. … I love seeing their faces when they learn new things,” Wilson said. “I love seeing their light bulbs go off and they say, ‘Oh, I got it, Miss Tasha.’ And just the appreciation that they have for me when I teach them something new.”
Schools and policymakers are trying to find more Tasha Wilsons – and maybe having some success. This year, state educator preparation programs saw an increase in students after a disturbing four-year downward trend. The number of prospective teachers had dropped from 5,258 in 2013-14 to 3,589 in 2016-17. But according to the U.S. Department of Education, that number rose to 3,865 in 2017-18, beating the previous year’s totals and also the one before that.
Why the reversal? One reason is that schools and the Department of Education have been working to fill the pipeline. ADE launched its Teach Arkansas campaign in 2017 to recruit new teachers, support existing ones, and bring back ex-educators. The Arkansas Teacher Cadets program helps schools recruit their own students to become future teachers. It’s grown from five schools in 2013-14 to 74 schools, 22 colleges and universities, and 800 students. Looking ahead, a tiered licensure program launching in January will let teachers advance in their profession without having to leave the classroom for an administrative position.
Meanwhile, teacher salaries, while not great, are hardly terrible and are getting better. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has promised to raise minimum salaries this upcoming legislative session from $31,800 statewide to $36,000 over the next four years. That change would affect 173 of the state’s 238 districts. One reason for doing so is reducing the minimum salary gap between the state’s highest- and lowest-paying districts. It was $15,866 in 2017-18, making it difficult for poorer districts to compete.
Sheridan, about 40 miles from Kingsland, has raised starting salaries most of the past nine years to the current $40,250. Many experienced teachers are making $50,000. One way it accomplished this was by reducing staff through attrition and being OK with larger class sizes. It reasoned that retaining better teachers is preferable to having more teachers teaching fewer kids each.
No one becomes a teacher to get rich, but schools and the state can make salaries less of a disincentive. Our best and brightest might be more willing to teach if they know they’ll at least be able to pay their bills, retire fairly young, and, like Tasha Wilson, earn a living by watching those light bulbs go off.
A little appreciation also helps, too. Wilson certainly didn’t regret following her calling when she heard her name called on Nov. 30. But then, she didn’t regret it on Nov. 29, either.