Thanks to the hard work of Representative Ron McNair, the 91st General Assembly passed Act 588 of 2017 to greatly expand the availability of lifetime teaching licenses to any retiree of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS). Prior to Act 588 of 2017, a retiree had to be age 62 and retired under age and service retirement to obtain a lifetime license. On and after August 1, 2017, any member receiving a monthly benefit from ATRS that has a current or expired teaching license may apply for the Lifetime Teaching License. Importantly, there is no fee for a Lifetime Teaching License.
The Lifetime Teaching License is administered by the Arkansas Department of Education. Retirees will need a letter from ATRS that certifies the member is an ATRS retiree. Importantly, even disability retirees are eligible for the lifetime license under Act 588. Educators who have an expired teaching license and meet all the requirements may also apply for a Lifetime Teaching License.
ATRS was not involved in the passage of this legislation, but has agreed to inform members of the expanded opportunity for lifetime teaching licenses. The Lifetime Teaching License is a benefit to members and can improve the availability of teachers and administrators throughout the state. The complete Executive Director Update, information, including the application, from the Department of Education, and Act 588 are attached to this email.
The ATRS website allows members to have direct access to specific member account information. Now approximately 11,500 members have direct account access to individualized account information. You can find instructions to sign up on the ATRS Welcome page.
You can also sign up to obtain these executive director updates through your private email address. Updates are made throughout the year such as at retirement season and other times when information needs to be shared. Now, over 16,000 people have signed up to receive this executive director update by direct email delivery. On the ATRS Login page you can find the link to sign up for email delivery of these updates. It is always a great pleasure for ATRS staff to learn of more ways to provide information to ATRS members, employers, beneficiaries, government officials, and the public. The ATRS Board is committed to providing a system that is member friendly and transparent.
You can also get helpful ATRS information on the ATRS Facebook page under the name of Arkansas Teacher Retirement System. Over 3,600 Facebook users get updates via the ATRS Facebook page. Go to the Facebook page and "like" ATRS to get daily updates. I try to go to the Facebook page every day to post information and answer member questions about ATRS. In addition, if you use Twitter, you can join over 850 others by following events at ATRS and issues of interest on the ATRS Twitter page. Remember that ATRS is here to serve you! If you have questions, email me or call.
Respectfully,
George Hopkins
(501) 682-1820 Office
(501) 318-5998 Cell
georgeh@artrs.gov
List of Attachments:
1. Lifetime Teaching License Information
2. Lifetime Teaching License Application Form from ADE
3. Act 588