A Service of UA Little Rock
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Hosts education town hall in Texarkana

In Texarkana, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders talks with voters about the LEARNs bill.
Facebook
In Texarkana on Tuesday, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders talks with voters about the Arkansas LEARNS Act.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is hosting town halls across Arkansas to discuss the rollout of recently-passed education legislation.

Sanders was in Texarkana on Tuesday to promote Arkansas LEARNS, a wide-sweeping education overhaul passed by the majority-Republican legislature last month. The law gives parents public voucher money to help fund their child’s private, religious or homeschool education.

LEARNS has received backlash from advocates who believe state dollars should stay in public schools. Joined by state Sen. Breanne Davis, R-Russellville, and Education Secretary Jacob Oliva, the governor repeated her concern over Arkansas students’ below-average literacy rates.

“Right now in the State of Arkansas, only 35% of Arkansas third graders are reading at or above a third grade reading level,” she said. “To me that is unacceptable.”

A grandmother of a special needs child in attendance asked how the law will affect students like her grandson. Public schools are required to accommodate disabled students while private schools are not. Davis said she did not think Arkansas LEARNS would harm special needs students.

“I do have a 4-year-old who has Down Syndrome,” she said. “Why would I, you know, help be a part of a bill that would hurt her education along the way and do that to other people?”

Sanders was vague on her specific plans to address literacy, but said the law will deploy over 100 reading coaches across the state. Critics have questioned how schools which currently aren’t subject to state testing requirements will measure accountability when they begin receiving public funds.

“You will not be able to receive funding on the front end if you do not agree to have accountability on the back end,” Sanders said.

The governor said questions about the new law will hopefully be cleared up by several working groups, on which she says over 1,200 people have already applied to serve.

Josie Lenora is the Politics/Government Reporter for Little Rock Public Radio.