LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Following hours of discussion, the Arkansas LEARNS Act officially passed out of the Senate by a margin of 26-8 on Tuesday afternoon.
The bill first made its way out of the House last week, and will now head to Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' desk to be signed into law.
In a new statement, Sanders called the proposal the "biggest, boldest, most conservative" education reform in America and said it will be a "blueprint for the country."
"I’m deeply grateful for the legislators who worked around the clock to pass Arkansas LEARNS by massive margins: 78-21 in the House and 26-8 in the Senate," Sanders said. I’m ready to sign it into law tomorrow and end the failed status quo that has governed our education system for far too long. Every kid should have access to a quality education and a path to a good paying job and better life right here in Arkansas.”
SB294 has received both praise and pushback from local politicians, education leaders, students, and everyday Arkansans after Gov. Sanders first laid out the long-awaited plan in early February.
The bill plans to address several issues, including:
- Staff pay: Teacher's starting salaries will be raised to $50k
- School choice: Students no longer have a "maximum" number of transfers in or out of a school district
- School safety: Training for school officers and educators to improve safety in classrooms
- Indoctrination: Items that would "indoctrinate students with ideologies such as Critical Race Theory"
To read the complete Arkansas LEARNS bill, please click here.