Welcome to your comprehensive guide to the Arkansas Learns Act, a landmark education reform package in Arkansas. This guide provides a detailed breakdown of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ education overhaul, explaining what the LEARNS Act entails, the arguments from supporters and critics, and its future implications. You will also find direct links to the full text of the LEARNS Act and further reading materials.
If you have unanswered questions about the LEARNS Act after reading this guide, please let us know. Your feedback is valuable and helps us improve this resource.
Table of Contents
- Accessing the Arkansas LEARNS Website
- When Did the LEARNS Act Become Law?
- Key Components of the LEARNS Act
- Legislative Timeline: When Was the LEARNS Act Filed?
- Key Figures: Primary Sponsors
- Read the LEARNS Act: Full Text
- What is the Arkansas LEARNS Act? – An Overview
- Decoding the Voucher Program: Education Freedom Accounts
- Teacher Compensation and Dismissal Policies
- Further Reforms Included in the LEARNS Act
- Financial Implications: Cost of the LEARNS Act
- Implementation: What’s Next for the LEARNS Act?
- Possibility of Repeal: Can the LEARNS Act Be Reversed?
- In-depth Articles and Resources on the LEARNS Act
- Stay Informed: Education Newsletter
Accessing the Arkansas LEARNS Website
For comprehensive information directly from the state, visit the official Arkansas LEARNS website. This platform serves as a central hub for all details regarding the education reform. The website can be accessed at learns.ade.arkansas.gov. For information related to the Education Freedom Account System specifically, please visit efas.ade.arkansas.gov.
When Did the LEARNS Act Become Law?
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders officially enacted Senate Bill 294, widely known as the LEARNS Act, into law on March 8th. This marked a significant milestone for education reform in Arkansas.
Key Components of the LEARNS Act
The Arkansas LEARNS Act is built upon several key pillars designed to transform the state’s education system. These include:
- Increased Minimum Teacher Salaries: Setting a $50,000 minimum starting salary for teachers to attract and retain educators.
- Salary Raises and Incentives: Providing $2,000 raises for experienced teachers and performance-based incentives up to $10,000.
- Education Freedom Accounts (Vouchers): Implementing a phased-in, state-funded voucher program for private school education.
- Partnerships for School Improvement: Encouraging collaborations between traditional school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to improve underperforming schools.
- Changes to Teacher Employment: Repealing the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act and the School Employees Fair Hearing Act.
Legislative Timeline: When Was the LEARNS Act Filed?
The LEARNS Act was officially introduced on Monday, February 20th, initiating its journey through the Arkansas legislature.
Key Figures: Primary Sponsors
The primary sponsors of this significant legislation were Senator Breanne Davis, a Republican from Russellville, and Representative Keith Brooks, a Republican from Little Rock, demonstrating bipartisan effort in driving education reform.
Read the LEARNS Act: Full Text
For those wishing to delve into the specifics, the complete text of the Arkansas LEARNS Act is available as Act 237.
Image: File photo of public school buses, representing the traditional education system impacted by the LEARNS Act.
What is the Arkansas LEARNS Act? – An Overview
The Arkansas LEARNS Act is a comprehensive, 145-page law designed to enact sweeping changes across the state’s education system. Governor Sanders has characterized it as the “largest overhaul of the state’s education system in Arkansas history.” The LEARNS Act addresses a wide spectrum of educational aspects, from school vouchers and increased teacher pay to enhanced literacy standards for elementary students.
LEARNS is an acronym representing the core principles of the act: Literacy, Empowerment, Accountability, Readiness, Networking, and Safety. While Governor Sanders campaigned on a platform of educational reform, including parental empowerment, improved literacy, and teacher accountability, detailed specifics of the LEARNS plan were unveiled on February 8th, followed by the bill’s formal filing approximately two weeks later.
The legislative process for the LEARNS Act was expedited, leading to some criticism about the pace of its passage. Governor Sanders signed the LEARNS Act into law on March 8th, exactly one month after its public unveiling, marking a swift legislative victory for her administration. More details on the signing can be found here.
Legal challenges soon followed the Act’s passage. On May 8th, eleven residents of Phillips County and two public school advocates initiated a lawsuit contesting the LEARNS Act. The lawsuit specifically targeted the emergency clause’s approval, a procedural measure that allowed the law to take immediate effect.
A Pulaski County Circuit Court judge further complicated the implementation by blocking the state from enforcing the LEARNS Act on June 30th. Details of the judge’s decision are available here. This ruling temporarily placed the education law in legal uncertainty, delaying the implementation of most provisions originally set to take effect in early March. The lawsuit’s primary aim was to postpone the LEARNS Act’s effective date.
Despite the long-standing use of the emergency clause procedure in the legislature, the circuit court judge sided with the plaintiffs on June 30th, deeming the practice unconstitutional. However, this legal setback is likely not the final word. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has announced plans to “appeal this ruling to the Arkansas Supreme Court immediately.”
The Arkansas Supreme Court has already intervened in the legal proceedings, overturning a temporary restraining order issued by Judge Wright on May 26th. However, the Supreme Court’s June 15th ruling did not address the core constitutional question regarding the emergency clause’s passage.
Decoding the Voucher Program: Education Freedom Accounts
A cornerstone of the LEARNS Act is the creation of the Educational Freedom Accounts program, essentially a voucher system that redirects state funding based on student enrollment. These accounts allocate 90% of the per-student state funding from the previous school year to students who qualify. For the 2022-2023 school year, this amounted to $7,413 per student. More information on Educational Freedom Accounts can be found here.
The Educational Freedom Accounts program will be rolled out in phases over three years, beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. A tiered priority system is in place for student eligibility. The initial priority groups include:
- Students in F-rated schools.
- Kindergarten students.
- Students in or formerly in foster care.
- Students with disabilities.
- Children of active-duty military personnel.
Subsequent priority tiers include students in D-rated schools, children of military veterans, and children of first responders. By the 2025-2026 school year, all students eligible for public school enrollment will also be eligible for a voucher to attend private or home schools.
Governor Sanders has positioned the voucher program as a move away from a “one-size-fits-all model,” arguing that it will empower parents to choose schools that best meet their children’s needs, irrespective of residential zip codes. She stated, “Under Arkansas’ current system, a family’s zip code is often the only thing that determines whether their kids will get the education that they need to succeed. With new Education Freedom Accounts, parents will be able to send their kids to whatever school works best, whether it’s private, public, parochial or home school.”
Despite legal challenges, student applications for Educational Freedom Accounts were being accepted until July 31st. However, the legal uncertainty introduced by Judge Herbert Wright’s order has cast doubt on the timelines for application deadlines for both students and private schools seeking to participate in the program. Further details on the timeline ambiguity can be found here. The Arkansas Department of Education had initially set June 30th as the deadline for private school applications.
Responses to the Voucher Program
The voucher program has become the most contentious aspect of the LEARNS Act, sparking both strong support and significant opposition from various groups. Critics argue that Educational Freedom Accounts will siphon critical funding away from public schools, directing taxpayer money to private institutions.
Senate Minority Leader Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, stated, “LEARNS creates a tiered system to give some students better advantages than others. Public schools educate over 90% of students in Arkansas, but now they will be forced to compete for public tax dollars against private schools that don’t have to follow the same rules.”
House Minority Leader Tippi McCullough, D-Little Rock, echoed these concerns, saying, “LEARNS will dismantle and defund our public schools through a voucher system that has not worked anywhere ever. While some of the bill is admirable, its purported benefits will not reach our students in greatest need.”
Conversely, national conservative and pro-school choice organizations have praised Governor Sanders for enacting the LEARNS Act, positioning Arkansas alongside states like Arizona and West Virginia that have adopted similar educational choice measures.
Jessica Anderson, executive director of Heritage Action, stated, “The new Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom Account Program makes Arkansas the 11th state in the union to adopt a form of educational savings accounts. This initiative will ultimately allow every family in the state to qualify and ensure each of their children can attend the education institution of their choice.”
Robert Enlow, president of EdChoice, commented, “The heightened parental engagement instigated by the Covid-19 pandemic hasn’t slowed down; parents continue to demand the ability to customize where and how their children are educated, and lawmakers are listening.”
Teacher Compensation and Dismissal Policies
The LEARNS Act seeks to significantly improve teacher compensation. It increases the minimum starting teacher salary to $50,000 annually, potentially placing Arkansas among the top states for starting teacher pay, according to the National Education Association.
For teachers already earning above the new minimum, the Act provides a $2,000 raise and eligibility for performance-based bonuses up to $10,000, particularly for teaching high-demand subjects or in underserved geographic areas.
Governor Sanders projected that the bill would enable 15,249 teachers to receive a raise to the new minimum, effective for the 2023-2024 school year. These salary enhancements are intended to address ongoing teacher shortages throughout the state. Historically, Arkansas has lagged behind other states in teacher salaries, contributing to recruitment and retention challenges. The previous minimum salary was $36,000, below the national average of $41,770.
To further attract and support educators, the LEARNS Act introduces 12 weeks of paid maternity leave for full-time school employees, with costs shared between the state and local school districts. Additionally, the Act establishes a “Teacher Academy Scholarship Program” to cover tuition for aspiring and current educators. The state’s student loan repayment program for teachers will also be expanded, offering up to $6,000 per year in exchange for a commitment to teach in designated public schools in Arkansas.
“We all know that an excellent education starts with excellent teachers,” Governor Sanders stated. “Arkansas LEARNS gives our public schools the resources they need to attract and retain our great teachers.”
However, the LEARNS Act repeals the state’s standardized salary schedule for teachers, mandating that each school district develop its own compensation structure. This shift requires districts to independently determine how to reward teacher experience and advanced education. Concerns have been raised by some education leaders about the ability of districts to fairly compensate veteran teachers under this decentralized system, potentially leading to educator attrition to districts with more robust pay scales.
The previous system of “salary schedules” ensured that teachers with more experience and higher education levels received commensurate pay increases. Superintendents have noted that maintaining similar salary scales under the LEARNS Act could impose significant financial burdens, potentially reaching millions of dollars for some districts. While a first-year teacher’s salary might see a substantial 38% increase to reach $50,000, a veteran teacher with a $48,000 salary would only see a 4% increase directly funded by LEARNS, requiring districts to cover any additional compensation for experience or education from other sources.
Many superintendents advocate for maintaining robust salary schedules to fairly compensate experienced teachers, but smaller districts may struggle to afford this. Mike Hernandez, Executive Director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, acknowledged that salary schedule adjustments would likely be necessary, and some districts may not be able to replicate their pre-LEARNS pay structures.
Changes to Teacher Dismissal
The Arkansas LEARNS Act also repeals the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act, which previously required school districts to formally notify teachers of employment status changes by May 1st annually. This repeal is intended to streamline the process for districts to terminate teachers for underperformance, aligning with Governor Sanders’ emphasis on teacher accountability. However, teachers will still retain the right to a hearing and prior notice before termination.
Responses to Teacher Pay and Dismissal Changes
Representative Brooks, a co-sponsor of the bill, explained that repealing the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act was a response to requests from superintendents seeking more flexibility in addressing teachers who “aren’t performing up to their expectations.”
Conversely, House Minority Leader McCullough expressed apprehension, stating, “As a teacher for three decades, I am worried about what this will do to the teaching profession. It does raise the minimum salary, but it revokes workplace protections and unnecessarily voids a uniform salary schedule that was mandated by the courts. That’s a slap in the face to educators and will exacerbate our teacher shortage.”
Further Reforms Included in the LEARNS Act
Beyond vouchers and teacher compensation, the LEARNS Act encompasses several additional reforms:
- Enhanced Literacy Standards: The Act establishes stricter literacy standards, potentially preventing students who do not meet reading proficiency benchmarks from advancing beyond the third grade, with certain exceptions. To support literacy improvement, the bill allocates funding for 120 literacy coaches and grants for families to access tutoring services.
- Career-Ready Pathways: High school students will have the option to pursue a “career-ready pathway” to graduation, focusing on vocational and technical skills for careers not requiring a four-year college degree, such as automotive mechanics or agriculture. By the 2024-2025 school year, high schools must offer career-focused pathways aligned with high-wage, high-growth jobs in Arkansas.
- Critical Race Theory Ban: The Act codifies Governor Sanders’ executive order against Critical Race Theory, directing the Department of Education to review and eliminate policies and materials that “promote teaching that would indoctrinate students with ideologies, such as Critical Race Theory.”
- School Safety Measures: Incorporating recommendations from the Arkansas School Safety Commission, the LEARNS Act mandates public schools to conduct comprehensive school safety assessments and collaborate with local law enforcement to enhance safety protocols.
Financial Implications: Cost of the LEARNS Act
The Arkansas Department of Education estimates the LEARNS Act will cost the state $297.5 million in its first year, with $150 million representing new expenditures. In the second year, the projected cost rises to $343.3 million, including $250 million in new funding. Teacher pay increases are estimated to account for $180 million of the total cost. The voucher program is projected to cost $46.7 million in the first year and $97.5 million in the second year. By the third year, the voucher program’s annual cost is estimated to reach $175 million, according to Robert Brech, Deputy Director of Budget at the Department of Finance and Administration.
The Education Department’s analysis anticipates that 7,000 students will enroll in the Educational Freedom Accounts program in the first year, increasing to 14,000 in the second year.
Implementation: What’s Next for the LEARNS Act?
Following the LEARNS Act’s enactment, Governor Sanders and Education Secretary Jacob Oliva convened with the state Board of Education to outline the next steps for implementing the law. The state Department of Education is forming six work groups to develop recommendations for new rules and policies. These work groups will focus on:
- School Safety
- Early Learning
- Parental Empowerment
- Teaching and Learning
- Educator Workforce
- Career Readiness
The deadline to apply for these work groups was March 31st, with over 1,000 applications received. These groups will consist of experts and leaders from across the state, collaborating with department staff to draft rules that will be submitted to the Secretary and the State Board of Education, and ultimately reviewed by the Governor’s office. A list of selected participants is available here. Most of these rules are mandated to be in place by July 1, 2024.
Secretary Oliva has indicated that efforts will be made to keep those not selected for work groups informed and to solicit feedback throughout the rule-making process. He also proposed developing an information dashboard to provide transparency and updates on the implementation process. Furthermore, a board workshop was planned in April to discuss draft standards and LEARNS Act provisions.
Possibility of Repeal: Can the LEARNS Act Be Reversed?
Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES) launched a petition to repeal the LEARNS Act through a referendum, aiming to give Arkansas voters the final decision. However, this effort failed to gather sufficient signatures by the August 4th deadline.
Under the Arkansas Constitution, citizens have the right to repeal laws via referendum. To place a referendum on the ballot, a committee must collect signatures within 90 days of the legislative session’s adjournment. For the LEARNS Act referendum, at least 54,522 signatures were required, representing 6% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election, and signatures needed to come from at least 50 counties. The Attorney General’s office also needed to approve the referendum’s ballot title and popular name before signature gathering could commence, with signature validation handled by the Arkansas Secretary of State.
Summary reporting by Neal Earley and Cynthia Howell of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Stay Informed: Education Newsletter
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In-depth Articles and Resources on the LEARNS Act
Signing and Implementation of LEARNS Act
- State’s LEARNS Act takes effect this week
- More than 80 of Arkansas’ private and parochial schools apply for vouchers
- State lawmakers approve emergency rules for private school vouchers under LEARNS Act
- State takes over Marvell-Elaine schools
- Attorney general says Arkansas moving forward with LEARNS implementation despite judge’s order
- Order blurs timeline for LEARNS student vouchers
- Pulaski County judge halts state again from enforcing the LEARNS Act; appeal planned
- Arkansas Supreme Court overturns lower court, clears path for LEARNS Act to go into effect again
- High court maintains block on LEARNS Act
- LEARNS Act is not yet in effect, judge decides
- Oliva: ACT Aspire to be replaced with LEARNS in mind
- List released of those chosen to help state implement LEARNS law
- State to do LEARNS guidance for districts
- ‘Transformation contract’ authorized for state-controlled Marvell-Elaine School District
- Private schools, parents await details on LEARNS Act vouchers
- Charter plans in state surge for next school year
- Oliva: New LEARNS website to be ‘1-stop shop’ for information on education overhaul
- State takes over Marvell-Elaine schools; LEARNS permits ‘transformation contract’ with 3rd party
- Work groups to develop rules for LEARNS’ implementation
- Arkansas teacher union chief says answers on education overhaul ‘are in short supply’
- Arkansas’ education chief vows accountability in funding for private school, home school
- Sanders, Oliva to board: Plenty of work ahead
Districts’ Responses and Preparation
- Arkansas schools keep eye on employee exits
- North Little Rock School District weighs teacher salaries under state law
- Little Rock School District leaders talk LEARNS ramifications
- Springdale superintendent says district will be fine amid LEARNS Act changes
- Arkansas LEARNS Act stirs Jefferson County superintendents’ reaction
- Worry, optimism expressed as superintendents in Arkansas prepare for LEARNS’ impact
- State says it will fund LEARNS raises, but districts in Arkansas worry over additional costs
Process through Arkansas Legislature
- Sanders signs Arkansas LEARNS, her education overhaul, into law
- Sanders’ amended education bill heads back to full Senate for approval
- House passes amended Arkansas LEARNS bill, sends it back to the Senate
- Sanders’ education bill clears committee, heads to vote before full House
- Sanders’ education overhaul seen as headed toward passage as some call for tweaks
- Sanders’ education bill clears Arkansas Senate, heads to House
- Sanders’ education bill goes before Arkansas Senate committee on Wednesday
Public Response
- Group’s petition to put LEARNS Act on ballot falls short of signatures requirement
- Attorney General defends LEARNS vote
- Attorney general approves wording of proposed referendum to repeal education law
- Lawsuit filed challenging LEARNS Act in effort to stop charter takeover of Marvell-Elaine School District
- Ballot language for a proposed referendum to repeal the LEARNS Act rejected again by Arkansas attorney general
- Supporters, opponents reflect on passage of Arkansas education overhaul
- Group seeking repeal of Sanders’ LEARNS Act resubmits referendum
- Citing misleading language, Arkansas’ attorney general rejects proposed referendum to repeal LEARNS Act
- Group plans to pursue repeal of Sanders’ LEARNS Act through referendum
- Students protest at Capitol after LEARNS bill signed
- Bill segregates, Central students write Sanders
- Public weighs in on Arkansas LEARNS
- Advocacy leaders call for more time before House vote on Sanders’ education bill
- Governor’s education bill stirs concern in Northwest Arkansas’ first public forums on the proposal
- Early reaction to Arkansas education bill mixed
General information on bill
- Covid seen as driving more states to vouchers
- Education chief Jacob Oliva talks Sanders’ Arkansas LEARNS proposals
- Education bill calls for $50K starting salary for Arkansas teachers, voucher program
LEARNS Act guide compiled by Josh Snyder of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Last updated Aug. 7, 2023.
