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Senate Education Committee backs LEARN Act after hours of testimony and calls for fixes
Summary
After extensive public testimony raising concerns about vouchers, repeal of the Fair Teacher Dismissal Act, special-education supports and rulemaking timelines, the Senate Education Committee voted by voice to give Senate Bill 294 (the LEARN Act) a do-pass recommendation; sponsor Senator Davis and others said they expect House amendments and continued rulemaking.
Senate Bill 294, known as the LEARN Act, won a do-pass recommendation from the Senate Education Committee after more than two hours of public testimony and debate. Sponsor Senator Davis closed the hearing by saying the bill represents “the single largest investment in public schools in Arkansas’s history,” then moved that the committee give the measure a do-pass recommendation; Senator Dodson seconded the motion and the chair called a voice vote before announcing, “the ayes have it.”
The hearing drew a steady stream of parents, classroom teachers and education advocates who praised some elements of the bill—most prominently a proposed $50,000 starting salary—but urged the Legislature to slow the process and fix multiple details. “I ask you today to let’s postpone this vote for a little while for everybody to come together and let’s fix it,” said Dustin Parsons, a 12-year classroom teacher who testified in opposition to rushing enactment. Several witnesses urged retaining due-process protections in the Fair Teacher…
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