Sanders’ big week on SOTU, schools
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has only been in office a little over a month, but she won’t have many bigger weeks than this past one, politically speaking, if she remains there eight years.
As you probably know, Sanders gave the Republican response to President Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday.
That was quite an assignment for the nation’s youngest governor, and she surely did not disappoint Republicans – nor please Democrats – with her rhetoric. On the same night when President Biden sparred with members of her party and at least one Republican called him a liar from her seat, Sanders called him “unfit” and said the country is engaged in a culture war pitting “normal” versus “crazy.”
The most noteworthy moment of Biden’s speech was when he managed to get Republicans to join with Democrats in a standing ovation for taking Medicare and Social Security off the table in the debt ceiling debate.
For Sanders, what matters is not the words she said but the fact that she said them in front of a national audience. It was a reminder that former President Trump’s press secretary is now a governor entrusted with speaking for her party. She touted herself as part of a new generation of leadership and then mentioned that she would be proposing education reforms the next day.
On Wednesday, she did that when she began fleshing out her Arkansas LEARNS plan. A large contingent of supportive Republican lawmakers stood behind her at the Capitol – seemingly more than enough to pass the bill. Democrats will oppose it, but they are less than 20% of the Legislature.
Sanders called for raising the minimum teacher salary from $36,000 to $50,000, which she said would move Arkansas from 48th to the top five. Student loans would be forgiven for teachers pledging to go into high-need areas, and up to $10,000 bonuses would be available to educators whose students show improvements. The cost would be $300 million, of which $150 million would be new spending the first year.
The other most noteworthy component of Arkansas LEARNS is what she is calling “education freedom accounts.” Parents could take the state dollars that would have been sent to their public school to educate their children, and instead use them for other options, like private and home schools.
Sanders said the program would start with the most atrisk families but be available to every Arkansas family within three years. She also said there would be some accountability measures when public dollars are spent on non-public options. She was not specific, and it will be interesting to see what those are.
Rep. Brian Evans, R-cabot, chair of the House Education Committee and one of a small group of legislators helping write the bill, later told reporters the plan would start by covering tuition the first year and then later add other costs such as technology, tutoring and curriculum.
Sanders also said the far-reaching bill would streamline early childhood programs, deploy 120 reading coaches, provide $500 tutoring grants for young students struggling in reading, and focus on educational basics rather than “indoctrination” or “inappropriate material.” The plan would launch a dual diploma program in Arkansas high schools where students could earn a career-ready diploma providing a post-graduation career pathway.
The question is, when are we going to see the bill? Sanders said the Bureau of Legislative Research is preparing it to be released. Evans said it will run 100-125 pages, and that it could be filed – meaning it will be available for public consideration – by the middle of this upcoming week. Identical House and Senate bills potentially could run concurrently, which can speed up the process.
In other words, it’s going to be a big bill, it’s going to make major changes to Arkansas education, it’s going to come late, and it may move fast. There may not be time for legislative opponents to galvanize in opposition.
Of course, many Republicans may have little intention of being opposed. And even if they have serious questions, they might have already stood behind her, just as Republicans stood before Biden and agreed to take Social Security and Medicare off the table in the debt ceiling debate.
Once you’ve made that kind of statement, it’s harder to go back. I guess the lesson for chief executives is, try to get them to stand, either in front of you or behind you.
Steve Brawner is a syndicated columnist published in 18 outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac. com. Follow him on Twitter at @stevebrawner.