We support teachers

We at the Arkansas State Teachers Association (ASTA) believe in you, the hardworking teachers and staff of the Little Rock School District (LRSD). We believe in your dedication, your ability, and your heart. You strive each day to provide our kids with a great education in a safe environment. We believe in you and we are here to support, serve, and empower you.

We believe in your commitment to professionalism—especially during times of uncertainty and change. This is when kids need and deserve the stability, focus, and competence of their classroom teachers and support staff more than ever. Interruptions to the learning process deprive our children of what they deserve. Students must never be leverage. It must also be understood that under-resourced schools and undervaluing educators harms our children, too. We are confident that we as adults can solve these problems without disruptions.

ASTA is honored to serve a growing number of LRSD teachers and staff along with 5,000 educators from across our state. Although our ability to inform you about ASTA has been unfairly limited, we are doing all we can to ensure you know there is a nonunion, nonpartisan, affordable organization with the advocacy and benefits educators need to professionally support and serve one’s calling: Education.

You deserve to have fair and free access to factual information about all of your rights and options. Anything less interferes with each educator’s ability to make informed decisions that impact career goals, financial future, and our students. Adults should never cause such discord that we lose focus on what matters most—serving, teaching, collaborating, and caring for the children of Little Rock.

We genuinely believe in the professionalism of LRSD teachers and the power of us—all of us. MICHELE LINCH

Little Rock Michele Linch is executive director of the Arkansas State Teachers Association.