This article was updated on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 at 4:40 p.m. with comments from the governor’s spokesperson.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders former Little Rock Christian Academy administrator Gary Arnold to the State Board of Education on Friday.

“What I love most about Gary is his passion for education, his belief that every student can learn and his relentless commitment and pursuit of his faith,” Sanders said in a press conference announcing the appointment.

Arnold is an advocate for school choice and was a member of the “rules and regulations task force” the state used to implement the wide-ranging , Sanders said.

“Through Gary’s careful stewardship, the first school year with Arkansas LEARNS was a huge success, and the second year is shaping up to be even better,” Sanders said.

LEARNS created the Education Freedom Account program, a taxpayer-funded school voucher system that will be available to all Arkansas students in the 2025-26 school year; are participating in the program this year.

Sanders said Arnold will represent the interests of EFA participants during his term on the board, which will expire in 2027. He succeeds Steve Sutton, who stepped down from the board in the middle of his seven-year term.

“The Governor wanted to find the right, experienced addition to the Board of Education who could help put every student on the pathway to success, and that’s exactly what Gary will do,” Sanders’ communications director, Sam Dubke, said when asked why the governor took nearly 11 months to appoint Sutton’s successor.

Arnold is Sanders’ third appointee to the , after and last year. Former Republican state lawmaker Bragg co-authored the LEARNS Act, and Keener participated in a LEARNS work group focused on early childhood education, which is her area of expertise.

The LEARNS Act also raised the state’s minimum annual teacher salary to $50,000 and required literacy screenings for K-12 students.

Arnold praised these and other aspects of the LEARNS Act and said he was honored to accept the appointment and “the responsibility of joining this team.”

He likened working in education to author Mark Twain’s experience as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River in his memoir Life on the Mississippi, which Arnold said he recently reread.

“The most important function and job of the boat pilot is to learn the river, Old Man River, because it changes every day,” Arnold said. “One day the currents will be this way, one day there will be a tree or shoal that wasn’t there before… Life in the schools changes every day. We just have to learn the river and have that growth mindset.”

Sanders said both Arnold and Education Secretary Jacob Oliva “think deeply and critically about how we can fix the areas of our school system that are broken.”

Arnold was head of school at Little Rock Christian Academy from 2007 to 2023. He is now the Director of Head of School Certification at The Council on Educational Standards and Accountability and the founder of the consulting company NextEd. Both organizations serve Christian schools.

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Sen. Breanne Davis, a Russellville Republican to Arkansas’ Senate District 25, was a lead sponsor of the LEARNS Act last year, and her Democratic opponent is using it against her.

The made significant changes to the state education system — chief among them, a school voucher program that has provided Arkansans with what supporters have coined “school choice.” Proponents say the Education Freedom Account program provides financial assistance to students who are struggling in public school and gives parents the option of putting children in private schools or homeschool. Opponents take issue with public dollars being used for private institutions.

Davis’ opponent, , told the Advocate that the LEARNS Act has “been a major setback for public schools, as it has effectively transferred wealth to private institutions.”

Davis, who entered the Senate in 2018 after winning a special election, was a lead sponsor of the education bill. Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva during committee meetings and fielded questions from her colleagues .

Davis consistently defended components of the and the process in which it was presented, which some lawmakers said was rushed and without much feedback from educators. In a legislative committee meeting last February, Davis said the bill was a historic investment in the state’s education system.

“We believe that every child should have access to a quality education that fits their educational journey,” she said at the time. “We will no longer be defenders of the status quo. We have been failing our children for far too long.”

Justice, a former educator and current stay-at-home mom, said she thought Davis’ “actions should speak for themselves.”

“The additional requirements and oversight on public schools, compared to the lack thereof for privatized options, along with the replacement of key state figures, raise concerns about the true intentions of this bill,” Justice, 39, said. “It appears to prioritize the interests of the wealthy over those of the general public.”

If elected, Justice said she would work on reforms to the LEARNS Act.

Davis did not respond to multiple interview requests for this article.

Other issues

While the LEARNS Act seems to be a prominent point that differentiates Davis and Justice, the candidates have other intrinsic differences in their campaigns to represent Pope and Conway counties.

As a Republican, Davis is included in a strong party supermajority in the state Senate, House of Representatives and the governor’s office. She stands for “pro-gun, pro-life, pro-freedom [and] pro-constitution” policies, according to her website.

Further, Davis’ website notes her support for economic growth, educational choices and less government involvement in everyday life.

Justice referred to Arkansas’ Republican party supermajority as a “dilemma,” and she vowed to focus on food security, equitable job opportunities, increased government transparency and a balance of power if she were elected in November.

“Bills that could help the average person are often voted down or not even brought for consideration, while legislation that caters to special interests of the controlling party is passed, even when it goes against public sentiment,” Justice said in a written statement to the Advocate.

Since 2018, Davis has sponsored a variety of bills ranging from implementing standards for , to the creation of which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities who need an organ transplant.

Davis has also supported and amendments to through the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

The Republican Party of Arkansas did not respond to an inquiry about Davis’ campaign.

Grant Tennille, chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas stands behind Justice’s campaign.

“We are energized by candidates like Michelle Justice running in places that have been staunchly conservative for a very long time, and for standing up to politicians who sold out our public schools and want to control our lives,” Tennille said in a statement. “Incumbent MAGA Republican Breanne Davis voted to send the tax dollars of every voter in Senate District 25 to unaccountable private schools and she lied in committee about getting real raises for hourly school staff. She does not deserve reelection, and we are grateful to Michelle for giving voters a choice for a better Arkansas.”

According to , Davis has raised about $20,000 for the general election.

She ran unopposed in the primary and raised nearly $89,000, collecting donations from the state Republican Party; the Huck PAC, former Gov. Mike Huckabee’s political action committee; and “Team SHS,” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ political action committee.

Justice is listed as a “paper filer” in the secretary of state’s campaign finance database, meaning she has filed no digital campaign disclosure forms, and no reports have been submitted for the general election.

Though possible for a low-budget campaign, a spokesperson from the Arkansas Ethics Commission — which oversees the campaign finance reports — said it was uncommon for a state campaign to not exceed a $500 donation trigger to require a report.

“I refuse to accept donations from wealthy special interests or corporations, as I believe that our democracy should be owned by the people, not the powerful,” Justice said. “While some may seek to bankroll their campaigns or leverage their financial status for political gain, I have made a conscious decision to fund my own campaign.”

Justice is a mother of three. She has a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics and a master’s degree in education from Arkansas Tech University.

Davis has four children — one of whom made her the only lawmaker in Arkansas history to give birth while in office — and previously served on the Russellville School Board of Education. Davis has a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and political science from Ouachita Baptist University.

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Nearly 3,000 Arkansas teachers can expect a boost to their paycheck by the end of the month, according to an announcement from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Tuesday afternoon.

The bonuses are part of the Merit Teacher Incentive Fund Program, which was created through a major education overhaul in 2023, the The law also raised the minimum starting salary for all Arkansas teachers to $50,000 a year.

“Great education starts with great teachers. That’s why one of my first acts as governor was to raise teacher pay across the board and reward our best educators,” Sanders said in a statement. “This year’s merit bonuses will incentivize teachers to continue tackling our state’s toughest assignments and help every Arkansas student thrive.”

Bonuses will reach approximately 10% of Arkansas’ certified teachers with Cross, DeWitt and McGehee school districts of their staff receiving bonuses. Statewide, the average bonus is approximately $3,300, and nearly three dozen educators will receive the maximum $10,000 bonus provided through the program.

A total of $10 million in bonuses will be distributed, Sanders said.

Awarded teachers include those who “demonstrated outstanding growth in student performance, served as a mentor to aspiring teachers who participated in yearlong residencies or taught in a subject, geographical, or designation area experiencing a critical teacher shortage,” according to the governor’s office.

The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education identified recipients through a variety of state systems and student assessment data.

“We know for a fact that the teacher in the classroom has the biggest impact on student learning,” said Education Secretary Jacob Oliva. “The best educators deserve recognition for their excellence, and we are proud to recognize these educators for demonstrating a commitment to learning and ensuring their students succeed in the future.”

While the Cross, DeWitt and McGehee districts have a higher percentage of teachers receiving bonuses, those districts do not also have the highest average bonus in the state.

In the Clinton School District, for example, just 5% of teachers will receive a bonus through the program, but the average bonus is valued at $4,000. The average bonus at the Genoa Central district in southwest Arkansas is $6,429, and 7.1% of teachers can expect a boost.

At least 16 school districts have no teachers receiving a bonus, according to the state education department. Among those schools are Cedarville in Northwest Arkansas, Mammoth Spring along the northern border and Marvell-Elaine along the Mississippi River.

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The public education group that spent the summer petitioning for a ballot measure to repeal the LEARNS Act failed to gather enough signatures and submit the proper paperwork, Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston determined Friday.

Thurston’s rejection means the referendum will not appear on the 2024 ballot, barring some sort of legal challenge.

Thurston’s staff found that Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students fell short of the 54,422 signatures required to place a referendum on the ballot both in the group’s own estimate and in an actual count of signatures.

CAPES submitted a document claiming it collected 53,675 signatures of registered voters just before Monday’s deadline to submit referendum petitions.

“While the Secretary of State is not required to conduct a raw count of signatures when a sponsor represents that the submission is legally insufficient, we nevertheless — as a courtesy to you — proceeded with a raw count,” Thurston wrote in a Friday letter to Steve Grappe, CAPES’ executive director. “That count determined that you submitted no more than 53,444 signatures — at least 978 signatures short of the number legally required.”

CAPES officials the signature effort had fallen short by under 1,000 signatures, but a day later, they reversed, saying they thought volunteers might have gathered enough to put the LEARNS repeal to voters next year.

In addition to the signature shortfall, Thurston’s office also said CAPES didn’t submit the required affidavit indicating the number of signatures and petitions being filed.

Further, CAPES failed to meet new requirements set forth in , which requires signatures to be gathered from 3% of voters in each of 50 counties. The requirement was met in 48 counties, according to the secretary of state.

Previously, signatures only needed to be collected from 15 counties. The new law has been challenged in .

“We certainly appreciate the efforts and impartiality of the Secretary of State’s office to expedite this process as quickly and as accurately as possible,” Grappe said in a statement. “We are very disappointed they did not show we met the minimum totals. We are confident that if we had the time the Constitution allows, we would have far exceeded the minimum.”

Arkansas’ Constitution allows citizens to, by petition, order the referendum against an act passed by the General Assembly.

CAPES launched its in April. The group’s proposed ballot title was rejected twice before Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin .

The nonpartisan group then had about 55 days to collect signatures from 6% percent of the total votes cast for governor of the preceding general election.

The group has been critical of Griffin’s ballot title denials and the manner in which the LEARNS Act was enacted by the state Legislature and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

“The Executive Branch, under the leadership of Governor Sanders, used the Legislative Branch and Attorney General’s office to actively bypass the Constitutional rights of the Citizens of the State of Arkansas to actively participate in direct democracy,” CAPES said in a news release. “CAPES will pursue this issue to the fullest extent as allowed by law.”

The LEARNS Act, which took effect Tuesday, makes sweeping changes to the state’s education system, including increasing the minimum teacher salary to $50,000, creating a school voucher program and repealing the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act.

Sanders has attacked efforts to stop the LEARNS Act as coming from the “radical Left.”

“I ran for Governor & Arkansans elected me on the bold promise to overhaul Arkansas’ education system and break the failed status quo. Arkansas LEARNS is the plan our state needs and voted for overwhelmingly,” Sanders said in a statement. “Self-serving partisan extremists tried to play political games to undermine LEARNS, overturn the will of the voters, and hold our kids back. Today it’s official: they failed, Arkansas’ students won, & my administration will continue to raise teacher pay, invest in literacy, & empower parents & students through LEARNS.”

It is rare for a referendum to make it to the ballot. The last time was in 1994 when voters affirmed the state’s soft drink tax with 55% voting for and nearly 45% voting against, according to .

A referendum would’ve raised complicated questions for state education officials because the Constitution requires laws that have been challenged through the referendum process to be put on hold until a vote is held.

Information for this article was contributed by Antoinette Grajeda.

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The Legislature’s Joint Education Committee on Monday recommended approval of proposed emergency rules that will govern the state’s new school voucher program. The recommendation will next be considered by the Arkansas Legislative Council’s executive subcommittee Thursday.

Created under the , the Educational Freedom Account program provides up to 90% of the annual per-student funding rate for use on allowable education expenses, including private-school tuition. EFA funding for the 2023-2024 school year will be about .

The Arkansas State Board of Education the proposed emergency rules for the EFA program last week. Pending legislative approval, the will be in place when the LEARNS Act and the EFA program go into effect Aug. 1.

During , Arkansas Department of Education officials answered questions for about an hour from lawmakers, including Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, who was concerned about licensure regulations.

Under the proposed rules, a private school participating in the program must employ teachers who have “at least baccalaureate degrees or have equivalent documented experience,” as determined by ADE. Chesterfield questioned the impact of not requiring an educator to have a college degree.

“Is this why Johnny can’t read because we’re putting folks in there that don’t even have a bachelor’s degree?” Chesterfield asked.

Chief of Staff Courtney Salas-Ford said “that’s an entirely different conversation,” but ADE is providing private schools the same options afforded to public schools for times when they cannot find someone to fill positions.

“So if they feel that they can best meet their students’ needs with a teacher who does not have a bachelor’s degree, and parents know of that and they are still choosing to admit their child into that private school, then we wanted to afford them that same flexibility,” she said.

Arkansas has different licensure pathways, and public schools may apply for an exception from the state law requiring a licensed educator “if it imposes an undue hardship” for a school to fill the position with a licensed individual in a timely manner, .

For example, school districts can obtain teacher licensure waivers through , which allows them to petition the State Board of Education for the same waivers granted to open-enrollment charter schools if any students residing in the district attend a charter school.

According to a by the University of Arkansas Office for Education Policy, 836 teachers were hired using Act 1240 waivers in 69 districts during the 2021-22 school year. This represents about a quarter of the state’s districts and 2% of the nearly 40,000 teachers employed that year.

Chesterfield, a former teacher, acknowledged the proposed emergency rules are temporary, but urged officials to consider clearly defining the minimum requirements in the permanent rules so there’s a “floor of accountability” for who’s teaching students.

“To me it just seems willy-nilly to just say or equivalent experience,” she said. “It’s just not good enough. I think our kids deserve better.”

The emergency rules approved by the Joint Education Committee Monday will be replaced by permanent rules, which the State Board of Education last week approved to release for public comment. ADE will use the feedback to recommend any proposed changes, which will be brought back to the board. Details about the public comment period have not yet been announced.

Implementation of the EFA program has been delayed due to a lawsuit challenging the effective date of the LEARNS Act. A Pulaski County circuit judge last month invalidated the law’s emergency clause, which would have allowed it to go into effect immediately instead of 91 days after the end of the legislative session.

The Arkansas Supreme Court granted Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s request to expedite his appeal of the ruling. The high court’s decision is likely to come after the law takes effect on Aug. 1.

ADE officials told lawmakers Monday that the Pulaski County judge’s order was a declaratory order, not an injunction, so steps may be taken to prepare for the LEARNS Act going into effect next month, such as approving these emergency rules.

ADE began accepting EFA applications from students and schools on June 20. Chief General Counsel Andrés Rhodes said Monday that about 2,000 of the 3,400 students who have applied for the program have been approved so far. Additionally, around 83 schools’ applications have been approved, with a handful of others pending, he said.

The EFA program will be phased in over three years with first-year participation limited to 1.5% of the state’s current public school enrollment, or roughly 7,148 students. Inaugural year eligibility includes students with disabilities, students enrolled in an “F”-rated school or students enrolling in kindergarten for the first time.

Rep. Brit McKenzie, R-Rogers, asked how the state had been disseminating information about the program. Salas-Ford said while program information was posted on ADE’s website, promotion of the program has been primarily through third parties, independent organizations or private schools that have chosen to advertise the information. ADE also sent information to public schools, but no money was committed to marketing materials, she said.

The EFA application deadline is Aug. 1. Students can continue applying after that date, but their acceptance into the program will be contingent upon available funds. The program will be capped at approximately $46 million for the 2023-2024 school year, Rhodes said.

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Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin on Wednesday filed to expedite his appeal of a circuit court ruling that delays the effective date of the LEARNS Act, the governor’s signature education legislation. Griffin asked that the state Supreme Court respond by 8 a.m. Friday.

Griffin on July 3 of an order invalidating the law’s emergency clause, which would allow it go into effect immediately instead of 91 days after the end of the legislative session.

Pulaski County Judge Herbert Wright the law’s emergency clause is invalid because it was not passed with a separate roll-call vote garnering a two-thirds majority, as required by the Arkansas Constitution.

Barring the Arkansas Supreme Court overturning the ruling, the LEARNS Act will not go into effect until Aug. 1.

The lawsuit has delayed the pursuit of a “transformation contract” between the Marvell-Elaine School District and Friendship Education Foundation, a charter school management organization. A provision of the LEARNS Act, a “transformation contract” allows a struggling school district to partner with a third-party organization in lieu of a state takeover.

The state took control of Marvell-Elaine of the State Board of Education last Friday. Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said the action was necessary so preparations for the upcoming school year, including hiring teachers and setting an academic calendar, can resume.

Officials plan to continue pursuing a “transformation contract” with Friendship Education Foundation after the law goes into effect on Aug. 1, Oliva said.

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: info@arkansasadvocate.com. Follow Arkansas Advocate on and .

The Arkansas Department of Education began accepting applications for a new school voucher program last week after the state Supreme Court lifted a temporary restraining order blocking implementation of the LEARNS Act.

The department opened the application window with little fanfare and has declined to answer the Advocate’s questions about the program or the application process amid the continuing litigation.

A legislative priority of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, created the Educational Freedom Account program that will provide up to 90% of the annual per-student public school funding rate for use on allowable expenses, including private school tuition. That’s roughly $6,600 per account for the 2023-24 school year, .

The program will be phased in over three years and absorbs the Succeed Scholarship Program, which provides about $7,400 for private school tuition for students with disabilities, foster children and military families.

Mary Catherine Paulus of Little Rock was told her seven-year-old son would be grandfathered into the new program as a current Succeed Scholarship recipient, but said there’s been a lot of confusion and uncertainty surrounding next steps.

Since the law was passed in March, Paulus said she’s reached out to the Arkansas Department of Education and The Reform Alliance, the nonprofit organization that administered the Succeed Scholarship, with questions about the process.

More recently, she’s learned information about enrolling her son in the program by communicating with other parents who are in a similar situation.

“It’s really confusing and for me, if I didn’t know any other parents in this world, I would be lost,” Paulus said. “Even with the help of The Reform Alliance, I mean they’re one organization and they’re helping a lot of families. So you really need a network of other moms and dads because different people are going to know different things.”

A lawsuit challenging the LEARNS Act’s effective date has added to the confusion of navigating a new application process. According to an from Education Secretary Jacob Oliva, the EFA program was set to launch June 1, but that was put on hold when a judge issued a temporary restraining order that .

The Arkansas Supreme Court . When asked on June 16 when ADE would launch the EFA program, a spokeswoman told the Advocate to refer questions about the LEARNS Act to the attorney general’s office because “we are currently engaged in an active lawsuit.”

On June 19, an attorney general spokesperson responded to emailed questions saying, “Following the Arkansas Supreme Court’s vacating of the Temporary Restraining Order, we reaffirm what we previously said: The Department of Education can get back to implementing LEARNS. Please see the LEARNS website at for the latest updates.”

Paulus received an email from the Reform Alliance on June 20 that the EFA portal was open. The email contained a link to the , but that same link wasn’t added to the homepage of the LEARNS website until Tuesday morning.

The email was confusing to Paulus, who said she had reapplied for her son through the old Succeed Scholarship process in the spring, per The Reform Alliance’s instructions. She later received clarification that her son’s application needed to be resubmitted through the new portal.

When Paulus completed the new application process last week and received confirmation, she said it was “really a great feeling.”

Paulus also decided to apply for her daughter who’s entering kindergarten this year once a father with a special needs child told her new applicants could apply, not just former Succeed Scholarship recipients.

In the first year of the program, eligible participants include students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, foster children, children of active duty military members, students enrolled in an “F”-rated school or school in need of Level 5 support, and students enrolling in kindergarten for the first time.

According to the application, students will be accepted on a rolling basis until Aug. 1. After that, students may be accepted on a one-off basis pending program funding availability.

ADE is also interested in becoming EFA participants. Schools that did not previously participate in the Succeed Scholarship Program must apply by Friday, June 30. Schools will be accepted on a rolling basis, and private schools will be immediately deemed as eligible once approved by ADE.

Student EFA participation in the 2023-24 school year will be capped at 1.5% of the current public school enrollment in the state, or 7,148 students. As of April, 760 students were enrolled in the Succeed Scholarship program, according to ADE.

Paulus’ son received the Succeed Scholarship for the first time during the 2022-23 academic year. When he started public school in 2021, he needed a higher level of support than the school could provide, Paulus said, so they switched to private school, where she said he’s thriving.

Raising children is expensive, Paulus said, especially children with special needs, and the Succeed Scholarship can alleviate some of the financial burden of families taking steps to support their children.

“We’re always in the car going to therapy and that’s time and that’s money for gas and babysitters to watch younger siblings if they can’t go,” she said.

Even though there has been confusion about the application process and glitches with the portal, Paulus said ADE and The Reform Alliance have done a decent job answering questions, considering the circumstances.

“Because of the lawsuit, something that was already kind of a tight timeframe, it just further truncated that and so everybody’s sort of scrambling to do their part, but there’s a lot of information to get out,” she said.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Herbert Wright on June 20 heard oral arguments in the lawsuit challenging the validity of the LEARNS Act’s emergency clause, which would allow it to go into effect immediately, instead of 91 days after the legislative session ends.

Wright said he would issue a ruling within two weeks. If the emergency clause is ruled invalid, the law wouldn’t go into effect until Aug. 1, again delaying implementation of LEARNS Act provisions like the EFA program.

The ruling could be appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which has a vacancy following . Gov. Sanders will be responsible for appointing a justice to fill Wynne’s seat until an election can be held.

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: info@arkansasadvocate.com. Follow Arkansas Advocate on and .

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

The takes unprecedented steps in hopes of restructuring the state’s K-12 schools, addressing teacher pay, school safety, career readiness, literacy, a new voucher program and “indoctrination,” among other topics.

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

“Education is how we invest in our future,” Sanders said during . “It’s the seed we sow today knowing that only our children will have the opportunity to reap the harvest.”

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 “acting with urgency” as it starts developing rules to implement the LEARNS Act’s various provisions.

Oliva said he’ll 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’s minimum teacher salary from $36,000 to $50,000. It also requires each teacher — even those earning more than the minimum — receive a $2,000 pay raise next year.

A contentious component of the legislation is the Arkansas Children’s 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’s concerned about some of the bill’s provisions, including the elimination of a uniform teacher salary schedule and implementing a universal voucher program.

“LEARNS will dismantle and defund our public schools through a voucher system that has not worked anywhere ever,” McCullough said in a statement. “While some of the bill is admirable, its purported benefits will not reach our students in greatest need.”

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

“When parents are empowered to choose, all schools work harder to attract students,” Sanders said. “Competition breeds excellence.”

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’s 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.

“I wasn’t 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,” she said.

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

It was “a huge culture shock,” 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’s connected with other students of color.

“Public schools are important for smaller communities like mine because people get to connect with other people that look like them,” Majeed said. “It’s just a place where representation is more and there is more allowed.”

McCuien and a classmate delivered a letter to the governor’s 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: info@arkansasadvocate.com. Follow Arkansas Advocate on and .