The Arkansas Education Association (AEA) is a left-of-center teachers’ union representing public-school teachers in Arkansas. The union is the Arkansas state affiliate of the National Education Association.

Unlike other teachers’ unions, the union does not collectively bargain on behalf of teachers due to the Arkansas legislature passing legislation that disallowed unions from acting as collective bargaining units with school districts. Arkansas has generally low union membership rates as compared with other states, and the union’s lobbying efforts are often at odds with the state’s Republican leadership, taking positions in favor of left-of-center education, labor, and social policies. The union also opposes school choice policies and charter school expansion. ^{1 2 3 4}

Background and History

The Arkansas Education Association (AEA) is the largest teachers’ union in the State of Arkansas. The union was formed in its current state during the integration era when the Arkansas Teachers’ Association (ATA), the union for primarily African-American educators, folded into the Arkansas Education Association with the agreement that several board seats of the AEA would be held by African-American teacher members of the ATA. ^{5 6}

In the 1980s, the Arkansas Education Association and the National Education Association were “infuriated” over then-Arkansas Governor and First Lady Bill and Hillary Clinton due to “the couple’s advocacy of an education reform proposal that mandated teacher testing” and “worked against” the Clintons after they endorsed the proposal. ⁷

The union describes itself as the oldest, largest, and most influential educational union in the state. The union’s members include teachers, teaching assistants, education support professionals, and other activists. The group’s stated “core values” emphasize prioritizing public schools, and promoting a “just society” and “democracy.” ^{8 9}

The union also operates subcommittees focused on education support professionals, retired teachers, and students planning to become teachers. ¹⁰

Lobbying History

The Arkansas Education Association’s lobbying efforts focused on education in the past have included topics such as designated planning time for teachers, duty-free lunch periods for teachers, a minimum salary schedule, increased sick leave, and a professional staff development credit with guaranteed leave for AEA Convention workshops. ¹¹

Policy Stances

The Arkansas Education Association is a longtime opponent of school choice programs and charter school expansion, claiming that such programs divert funding from public schools. In 2023, the AEA released a statement criticizing an educational reform bill passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R). The union also referred to the legislation, titled the LEARNS Act as a “voucher bill” even though it raised public school teachers’ starting pay from $36,000 to $50,000 in the 2023-2024 school year. ^{12 13}

The union has also led protests supporting teacher pay raises, leading a sit-in at the 2022 meeting of the Arkansas Legislative Council and calling on lawmakers to “prioritize educator pay increases during the upcoming Special Session.” ¹⁴

Political Giving

The Arkansas Education Association funds political campaigns through its political action committee (PAC), the Arkansas Committee for Children and Public Education Fund (ACCPE Fund). ¹⁵

1. “House Oks Bill to Bar Collective Bargaining.” Arkansas Online. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/mar/23/house-oks-bill-to-bar-collective-bargaining/
2. “About AEA.” Arkansas Education Association. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.aeaonline.org/about-aea/
3. “Latest News.” Arkansas Education Association. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.aeaonline.org/category/latest-news/
4. “#PayAREducators Sit in at ALC.” Arkansas Education Association. Accessed November 12, 2023.  https://www.aeaonline.org/2022/07/25/payareducators-sit-in-at-alc/
5. “About AEA.” Arkansas Education Association. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.aeaonline.org/about-aea/
6. “Better Together: Remembering the AEA/ATA Merger of 1969.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi4hWMHkiEw
7. “Why Teachers Unions Hated Hillary Clinton When She Was Arkansas First Lady. Washington Post. November 20, 2023. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2015/11/20/the-daily-202-why-teacher-unions-hated-hillary-clinton-when-she-was-arkansas-first-lady/
8. “About AEA.” Arkansas Education Association. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.aeaonline.org/about-aea/
9. “Why Join Us.” Arkansas Education Association. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.aeaonline.org/why-join-us/
10. “Why Join Us.” Arkansas Education Association. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.aeaonline.org/why-join-us/
11. “About AEA.” Arkansas Education Association. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.aeaonline.org/about-aea/
12. “AEA President Carol Fleming Statement on House Passage of Unvetted Voucher Bill.” Arkansas Education Association. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.aeaonline.org/2023/03/02/aea-president-carol-b-fleming-statement-on-house-passage-of-unvetted-voucher-bill/
13. “Arkansas Education Association President Says State Education Secretary’s Answers to Questions About New Omnibus Education Law Are Inadequate.” Arkansas Online. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/mar/30/arkansas-education-association-president-says-state-education-secretarys-answers-to-questions-about-new-omnibus-education-law-are-inadequate/
14. “#PayAREducators Sit in at ALC.” Arkansas Education Association. Accessed November 12, 2023.  https://www.aeaonline.org/2022/07/25/payareducators-sit-in-at-alc/
15.  “Political Action.” Arkansas Education Association. Accessed November 12, 2023.  https://www.aeaonline.org/political-action/