ABC: Little Rock, AR teachers prepare for possible strike

ABC News reports that the Little Rock, AR school district is bracing for a potential teachers strike, the districts first since 1987, after the State Board of Education voted last month to strip the Little Rock Educators Association of its recognition.

The current LREA contract expires Thursday and the union's 1,800 members have authorized leadership to take whatever steps are necessary. Leadership has not ruled out the possibility of a strike, though they would like to avoid it, and have set up a gofundme page to raise funds for teachers in the event of a walkout.

The district has scrambled to prepare for a walkout by hiring 200 new "substitute teachers" who would act as scabs in the event of a strike while expecting to call upon the 300-400 current substitutes in the district and up to 200 other district personnel to cross the picket line. They are also planning to double daily substitute pay in the event of a strike as an attempt to entice more scabs across the line.

The decision not to recognize LREA came just moments after the State Board voted to return local control to the city of Little Rock following a 2020 school board election.

Little Rock is currently the only school district in the state of Arkansas with a recognized teachers union and LREA wants to keep it that way. Advocates of local control of the school district are supporting the teachers. The LREA is demanding, along with recognition as the sole bargaining unit for teachers, that local control be returned before the 2020 election and that pay for educational support staff be increased.