Educators are no stranger to paperwork, but this may be the most important form you fill out this year. 

Make sure you’re registered to vote! 

Elections are how we hold our elected officials accountable. For this reason, educators must be involved. The 2020 election season is in full swing, and many of the state legislative races will be decided in the primary election on March 3, 2020. 

The deadline to register to vote in the March 3 primary elections is February 3. Early voting begins February 18th. Check your registration here. 

Open Primaries: 

In a primary election, registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party’s nominee for elected office to run in the general election. 

Arkansas has open primaries which allow a voter to vote on a ballot of their choosing even if they are not a member of the party. Voters will be asked to select a Republican, Democratic, or nonpartisan ballot when they arrive at the polling place. Judicial races will also appear on the March 3rd ballot, along with some school board races and all judicial races.  

Election Day: 

You can vote at your poll on Election Day, March 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Find your polling place at Arkansas Voter View. 

Bring your ID: 

In March 2017, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law a bill requiring voters to present photo identification at the polls. Under this law, a voter who does not possess the required form of identification may cast a provisional ballot after signing a sworn statement attesting to his or her identity. 

Vote Early: 

During the preferential primary early voting is available February 18, through March 2nd. Voting locations are open between the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Early voting ends at 5 p.m. on the Monday before the election. Off-site early voting hours may vary by county; watch your local newspaper or contact your county clerk for information. 

You can find more information about elections in Arkansas at the Secretary of State’s website. 

Calling all educators! Join the Arkansas Education Association December 17th in Mountain Home, AR to learn the latest about your retirement from Arkansas Teacher Retirement System Executive Director Clint Rhoden, Arkansas House Education Committee Member Representative Nelda Speaks and AEA President Carol Fleming.

Don’t miss this special event, Tuesday, December 17th at 6 pm at McMullin Lecture Hall in Dryer Hall on the ASU Mountain Home campus.

SAVE THE DATES!

The Chairs of the Joint Retirement Committee, Sen. Bill Sample and Rep. Les Warren have announced dates for town hall meetings around the state to discuss the future of Arkansas public retirement systems including the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS). Come hear a presentation by Clint Rhoden the new Executive Director of ATRS and get your questions answered!

• Thursday, September 5, 2019 1:30 p.m.

University of Arkansas Hope – Texarkana (UAHT), Hempstead Hall

2500 S. Main, Hope, AR – Phone: (870) 722-8565

• Friday, September 6, 2019 9:30 a.m.

Hot Springs Convention Center, Rooms 104-105

134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs National Park, AR – Phone: (501) 321-2277

• Tuesday, September 24, 2019 1:30 p.m.

Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC),

Shewmaker Center for Workforce Technologies – Walmart Auditorium, Room B102

1000 Southeast Eagle Way, Bentonville, AR – Phone: (479) 636-9222

• Wednesday, September 25 9:30 a.m.

Fort Smith, AR – Ft. Smith Convention Center Theater Lobby

800 Rogers Ave. Fort Smith, AR 72901

• Tuesday, October 1 1:30 p.m.

Arkansas State University (ASU), Cooper Alumni Center

2626 Alumni Blvd. State University, AR, Jonesboro, AR – Phone: (870) 972-3362

• Wednesday, October 2 9:30 a.m.

Arkansas State University Mid-South (ASU-Mid-South), Magruder Hall

2000 West Broadway, West Memphis, AR – Phone: (870) 733-6722

• Wednesday, October 9 1:30 p.m.

University of Arkansas Monticello (UAM), Fine Arts Center

346 University Drive, Monticello, AR – Phone: (870) 460-1026

• Thursday, October 10, 2019 9:30 a.m.

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), STEM Building (tentative)

1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, AR – Phone: (870) 575-8000

• Tuesday, October 22, 2019 1:30 p.m.

Arkansas State University – Mountain Home (ASU-Mt Home), The Sheid Building

1600 South College Street, Mountain Home, AR – Phone: (870) 508-6100

• Wednesday, October 23, 2019 9:30 a.m.

Lyon College, Nucor Auditorium, Lyon Building

2300 Highland Road, Batesville, AR – Phone: (870) 307-7000

• UPDATE: Tuesday, November 5, 2019 5:00 p.m.

UPDATE: Benton Event Center

17322 I-30 N., Benton, AR

Phone: (501) 860-7004 Little Rock, AR**
**this is the final wrap-up meeting

Town Halls to Offer Educators Opportunity to Engage in New Career Technical Education Program 

The Arkansas Education Association and Little Rock Regional Chamber are partnering to offer Pulaski County Educators an opportunity to learn about an exciting new interdisciplinary approach to career technical education.  

Ford Next Generation Learning (Ford NGL) mobilizes educators, local employers and community leaders to transform teaching and learning in high schools by creating and maintaining career-themed academies.  This transformative process prepares students who will graduate from high school ready for college, careers, lifelong learning and leadership so they can compete successfully in the modern economy.  Teachers in career academies work collaboratively, intertwining the academy’s career lens across core academics to deliver relevant learning with real-world experiences provided by local industry.  The NGL framework is not a one-size-fits-all model, it requires local input and local customization. This transformation process requires significant and sustained input from community and school stakeholders, especially from teachers who are closest to the work. 

Little Rock School District, North Little Rock School District, Pulaski County Special School District and Jacksonville North Pulaski School District have signed up to participate in the program, but your expertise as educators is essential for success!

 The partners are holding two Educator Town Halls in the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center (1200 President Clinton Avenue, Little Rock): July 24, from 5-7 PM and July 25, from 1-3 PM.  

Educators can register to attend HERE for July 24th, or HERE for the 25th.  

New Arkansas Education Association President 

Carol Fleming Begins First Term 

Carol B. Fleming officially begins her two year term as President of the Arkansas Education Association, July 15, after winning a statewide vote in May of this year. She succeeds Cathy Koehler, who will return to the Little Rock School District following two years as AEA President.

“I am humbled by the support of our members across Arkansas and honored to serve as President of AEA,” Fleming says. “Educators are the people working most closely with students every day. We are the experts in education, and I look forward to lifting our collective voice at the state level to ensure each student has the opportunity they deserve.”

Fleming, a speech language pathologist at Pulaski Heights Middle School, has spent the last 20 years working with students.
“I am coming to this new role straight out of the classroom, and have been living and breathing the issues facing Arkansas’s teachers,” she said. “I have a close working knowledge of what we must do to improve our students’ learning environments.”

The state of Arkansas is facing a teacher pipeline shortage, and Fleming plans to work together with local associations, the Arkansas Department of Education and school districts to provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for early career educators.
“We’re committed to work together to build strong public schools,” she said. “From the Education Department to the bus drivers, from district administration to classroom teachers and education support professionals, everyone’s goal must be to provide a quality education for each of our students.”

For years, Fleming has been an active and engaged member of the AEA at the local, state and national level. She has also served in her children’s Parent Teacher Associations when they were students in the Pulaski County Special School District and North Little Rock School District. Fleming and all of her children graduated from North Little Rock Public Schools.

Fleming has worked to ensure good public education policies at the local, state and national level. As a parent of an adult with special needs, she is reminded daily of the importance of advocating on behalf of the professions and those served which has fueled her passion for education, leadership, and professional issues. Her goal is to get others to become involved to support successful public schools.