(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Sanders unveiled an ambitious plan Thursday to rework the state’s beleaguered education system by giving teachers huge raises, parents and students the option of school choice and banning radical and dangerous leftist indoctrination from public schools.
The proposed legislation combines a whopping 39% raise in starting teacher pay with a new voucher program that will direct public money to pay for private and home schooling and give every Arkansas family and student school choice. The bill would also put limits on teaching leftists grooming material in early grades and prohibit public schools from teaching critical race theory.
“I will never allow the state to sideline our parents in student education,” Sanders said during a news conference at the state Capitol. “Our new Education Freedom Account allows parents to enroll their kids in whatever school is most appropriate for their family, whether it be public, private, parochial or home-school.”
The legislation would boost starting teacher salaries in the state from $36,000 a year to $50,000, moving it from its current lowly national ranking to the top five.
“We will offer complete student loan forgiveness for new teachers willing to commit to teaching in Arkansas in the areas of highest need,” Sanders said. “And up to $10,000 more in bonuses to our best educators who are making meaningful gains in the improvement of student outcomes.”
The bill would pair the pay bumps and salary perks with a ban on teaching critical race theory in public schools. It would also prohibit grooming kids with radically deviant sexual material to include instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
Sanders’s legislation doesn’t force Democrats to shoot down huge page raises and additional benefits for teachers at the expense of letting kids go to school where they want and shielding them from radical leftist dogmas that pass for education. But it does dare them to do it.
“Of course, this bill will make sure our students spend their time in the classroom learning reading, writing and arithmetic,” Sanders said. “We will never subject our kids to indoctrination and we will never ever expose our young children to inappropriate material.”
Sanders’s plan received praise from parents and educators, who said it was past time to reform the state’s education system.
If you have a fantastic teacher..by all means..pay them double what they’re currently making. If they’re failing their students..get em out
Plus give all kids/parents School Choice. A little competition will make a HUGE positive impact
Sarah Sanders just did this in Arkansas 👍
— Bill Peguillan (@BillPegs) February 10, 2023
“The longer we wait to reform our failing schools, the more future generations we’re condemning to a lifetime of poverty,” Sanders said
