Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders urged supporters to lobby lawmakers to back her education overhaul Tuesday.
Speaking at an event for home school parents and students at the Capitol, Sanders said her proposed LEARNS Act, “will go a long way to assisting Arkansas families that decide to home school their kids.” Lawmakers filed Sanders’ bill Monday, unveiling specifics of a long-awaited proposal for vouchers for students to attend private or home school and increase the minimum teacher salary to $50,000 a year.
“I always believed that parents know what’s best for their kids, especially when it comes to education,” Sanders said. “Deciding to teach your kids yourself is no small commitment and Arkansas should help parents when they make the choice to do so.”
Senate Bill 294, sponsored by Sen. Breanne Davis, R-Russellville and Rep. Keith Brooks, R-Little Rock, would create a phased-in voucher program that will eventually be available to any student eligible to be enrolled in a public school.
[DOCUMENT: Read Senate Bill 294 » arkansasonline.com/221sb294/]
The vouchers, dubbed Education Freedom Accounts, would give students 90% of the statewide foundation funding from the prior school year. The foundation funding amount per student for the 2022-2023 school year is $7,413.
Parents and students gathered for “Home School Day” at the Capitol on Tuesday, an event organized by the Family Council, a conservative Christian group. Sanders told the assembled crowd to lobby lawmakers to support the bill.
[Video not showing up above? Click here to watch » youtube.com/watch?v=i9cwWQUaaTA]
Students in F-rated schools, enrolled in kindergarten, who were or are in a foster care program, have a disability or an active duty military parent will be eligible to receive the school voucher for the 2023-2024 school year.
For the 2024-2025 school year, the voucher program will expand to students attending a D-rated school; have a parent who is a military veteran or first-responder. By the 2025-2026 school year, every student who is eligible to enroll in a public school will be eligible for a voucher to attend a private or home school.
[RELATED: Early reaction to Arkansas education bill mixed » nwaonline.com/221react/]
Sanders’ education bill also includes a $14,000 increase in the minimum pay for teachers, upping the starting salary to $50,000 a year. Teachers who already make more than $50,000 will receive a $2,000 raise. The bill also would repeal the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act to make it easier for school districts to fire teachers for poor performance.