LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas LEARNS Act officially passed out of the House on Thursday, following hours of intense discussion this week.
Following its passing through the House, the bill will now head back to the Senate for a vote. If approved, Senate Bill 294 (SB294) would then go back to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
"I have my pen ready to sign the boldest, most far-reaching, most conservative education reforms in the country into law after the Senate passes this amended version early next week,” Sanders said. “These sweeping changes will address teachers’ needs, defend parents’ rights, and, most importantly, give our kids the quality education they deserve.”
The 144-page bill, which was introduced by State Rep. Keith Brooks, now inches a step forward toward becoming law.
SB294 has continued to receive both praise and pushback from local politicians, education leaders, and everyday Arkansans.
Organizations like the Arkansas Education Association (AEA) are critical of SB294, with the group's president releasing a statement after the bill's continued advancement.
“The voices of hundreds of educators, parents, disability advocates and others have been ignored by those who represent us," AEA President Carol B. Fleming said. "Despite pleas to our legislators to slow down and answer questions about the negative impact this bill could have on our children, it continues its sprint through the capital.
Legislators, families and school districts have been vocal about the impacts the bill will have on education in Arkansas. Brooks said he thinks the bill could be signed on March 8 at the earliest.
On Feb. 23, when the bill advanced in the Senate, Arkansas Democrats criticized the bill as they viewed it as a "flawed" and "rushed" bill.
Other politicians, like Republican State Rep. Brit McKenzie acknowledged that she doesn't feel as though it's a perfect bill, but rather the best bill for students in the state.
"I believe this is a compromise bill," Rep. McKenzie, R-Benton County, said. "I think that there are things that we can take back to teachers, we can take back to students, we can take back to our parents, we can take back to our administrators; and albeit, it's not the best bill, it is the best bill for our students."
Senate Bill 294 is being hailed as the framework for Arkansas' future in education, which hones in on expunging certain materials from school curriculum and raising teacher pay.
Gov. Sanders laid out the long-awaited plan in early February, covering topics such as teacher pay, school choice, and what's deemed as "indoctrination" in classrooms.
- 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 bill in its entirety, you can click here to view Senate Bill 294.