On the heels of her address to the nation last night–and flanked by dozens of state legislators, including legislative leadership–Governor Sarah Sanders hosted a briefing today to announce significant details of her education reform package.
(Sanders released a detailed vision for education reform during the campaign, but it has taken some time to bring state legislators and other stakeholders into the sausage-making process.)
Although bill language is still being finalized, here’s what we learned:
Sanders’s plan also includes significant pay raises for Arkansas teachers, an increased focus on career readiness, a renewed focus on school safety, and important outcomes-focused reforms like tutoring, early literacy, and early intervention for students who are falling behind.
Some highlights:
And then, the most transformational component of Sanders’s plan: empowering parents.
Under Governor Sanders's plan, Arkansas families will finally be able to send their kids to a school of their choice, regardless of income or zip code. Arkansas will fund students over systems.
Some of the details we have at this point:
There is certainly much more analysis to be done and more details to be revealed. But for now, it’s safe to say Governor Sanders intends to deliver on her promise to be the “Education Governor” and deliver transformational change that Arkansas students have needed for decades.
We’ll have more analysis in a special edition of (non)Debatable tomorrow, our insider newsletter. Don’t miss it: sign up at nonDebatable.com.