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Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday signed expansive changes to Arkansas鈥� education system into law.

The takes unprecedented steps in hopes of restructuring the state鈥檚 K-12 schools, addressing teacher pay, school safety, career readiness, literacy, a new voucher program and 鈥渋ndoctrination,鈥� among other topics.

The legislation was Sanders鈥� main priority since taking office in January.

鈥淓ducation is how we invest in our future,鈥� Sanders said during . 鈥淚t鈥檚 the seed we sow today knowing that only our children will have the opportunity to reap the harvest.鈥�

Because the LEARNS Act contains an emergency clause, the majority of the provisions took effect immediately. A few provisions will be implemented later this year, such as the repeal of the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act, which will be effective June 30.

Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said his department will be 鈥渁cting with urgency鈥� as it starts developing rules to implement the LEARNS Act鈥檚 various provisions.

Oliva said he鈥檒l be in Northwest Arkansas Friday as part of an effort to meet with superintendents and leaders across the state to discuss components of the legislation.

The new law raises the state鈥檚 minimum teacher salary from $36,000 to $50,000. It also requires each teacher 鈥� even those earning more than the minimum 鈥� receive a $2,000 pay raise next year.

A contentious component of the legislation is the Arkansas Children鈥檚 Educational Freedom Account Program, which would provide families state funds up to 90% of the annual per-student public school funding rate for use on allowable education expenses, like private school tuition, tutoring and homeschool costs.

The program will have limited enrollment in the first two years before expanding to all families in the third year. It has attracted intense opposition from public school administrators and teachers.

Former educator and Senate Minority Leader Tippi McCullough (D-Little Rock) said she鈥檚 concerned about some of the bill鈥檚 provisions, including the elimination of a uniform teacher salary schedule and implementing a universal voucher program.

鈥淟EARNS will dismantle and defund our public schools through a voucher system that has not worked anywhere ever,鈥� McCullough said in a statement. 鈥淲hile some of the bill is admirable, its purported benefits will not reach our students in greatest need.鈥�

Sanders said the Educational Freedom Account Program will encourage schools to improve.

鈥淲hen parents are empowered to choose, all schools work harder to attract students,鈥� Sanders said. 鈥淐ompetition breeds excellence.鈥�

Little Rock Central High School students rallied on the Capitol steps Wednesday afternoon to protest the new law. The students first protested the legislation last week by publishing an open letter to Sanders and .

Ten students spoke at Monday鈥檚 Senate Education Committee meeting, but when they were told they could only speak on the amendments, not the bill as a whole.

Junior Addison McCuien said she took issue with the LEARNS Act mandate to hold back third graders who cannot read at grade level. McCuien said this provision could negatively impact dyslexic students like her.

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 reading at a third grade level and if this bill was applied when I was in school, it would have held me back, and I think that that personally would have really disrupted my hunger to learn and really stunted my confidence in myself,鈥� she said.

Senior Alisha Majeed said she supports public schools because they allow students to connect with diverse groups of people.

It was 鈥渁 huge culture shock,鈥� Majeed said, when she moved from New York City to Searcy, where she said she struggled as a person of color in a majority white school.

However, Majeed said her confidence in her identity has grown since moving to Little Rock Central High School where she鈥檚 connected with other students of color.

鈥淧ublic schools are important for smaller communities like mine because people get to connect with other people that look like them,鈥� Majeed said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a place where representation is more and there is more allowed.鈥�

McCuien and a classmate delivered a letter to the governor鈥檚 office prior to the start of the rally.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: [email protected]. Follow Arkansas Advocate on and .

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