Editor,
It happened fast, whirlwind fast, and I think many people were caught by surprise. I know I was. I knew that education was high on Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ list of priorities. But I did not expect a 144-page bill to be dropped on Monday, heard in Senate committee on Wednesday, then passed by the full Senate on Thursday. It is headed for the House where passage is all but assured.
Too bad. Educational reform that ties a voucher system to teacher pay raises is not a good thing, in my opinion. And the package needs a thorough vetting, which is not happening in Little Rock.
Certainly parents have the right to educate their own children in the way they see as most fitting, whether that be private, public or home schooling. But the state should be investing in quality public education, not private or home.
Can’t we consider schoolteacher and staff raises separately and the whole package more slowly? We need to.
Kate McCarty