After Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the LEARNS Act into law in 2023, several groups have tried to put some of the policies in the bill to a vote. One group, For AR Kids, is in the process of gathering signatures to petition a ballot measure - The Arkansas Education Rights Amendment - the measure would establish academic standards for any school that takes public funding, establish state-funded, voluntary childhood education for kids starting at age 3 and require help for children within 200% of the federal poverty line.
The group has until July 5 to gather 90,704 signatures. Ozarks at Large's Daniel Caruth spoke with Laura Marsh, the northwest Arkansas representative of For AR Kids, about their progress and what the measure will actually do.
The following is an edited transcript of that conversation.
Daniel Caruth: Why did you want to get involved with this, this signature gathering process, and then also maybe being even more a little more involved with this organization and with the amendment?
Laura Marsh: Well, I'm a mom of four boys. And I was very blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom. And I know that not everybody is able to do that. I work with women who are living in poverty and difficult circumstances, things like pre K, after school childcare, what to do with their kids in the summer, are just a real challenge to them. And so, as I was blessed to be able to do those things for my own children, I know that there are a lot of financial barriers. And those are all things that are good for all kids. And really, that's what this amendment is about. It's about creating a new status quo for kids in Arkansas, so that we really can equip them to be ready to learn, let's say you're in school,
DC: When you're out there, and people are asking you questions about the amendment, or maybe they don't know, really, you know, much about maybe the Learns act or what this amendment is about? How do you break it down for them and explain to them what this is and what the amendment will do?
LM: Right? Well, first of all, it's important to note that this is not an anti alarms act. It this is not just a retaliation amendment, this has been part of a bigger conversation, not just between Democrats or independents or Republican, it's really a bipartisan issue amongst a whole bunch of groups of people that serve kids and love kids in the state. There's also an accountability piece of the amendment as well, we really believe that we need to protect our tax dollars in the way they're spent. And so just making sure that no matter where the tax dollars go, that kids are served academically, and that they have the same standards and the same testing as public schools do so that we can have equity across our education system in the state.
DC: Yeah. And are there any questions that you get maybe often? If you're talking to them and bring up this this amendment and then the ballot measure, is there anything that they that comes up often or questions that people have?
LM: Well, I think one of the questions that comes from maybe say, a private school, maybe a private religious school is, am I going to be able to continue to teach the values and the mission behind our school? And the answer to that is absolutely, this does not prevent any kind of school teaching about the Bible or other sites, that's something that they have the right to do. But we are also asking that they implement the very good standards that we have, going in the state of Arkansas, like I said before, I'm a civics teacher, and we have amazing standards that really guide the instruction that I give my students. And so if it's good for public schools, it's good for all kids.
DC: But I think that's where a lot of the opposition comes in. I think a lot of people believe that in implementing this, you are restricting maybe parents choice and the competitiveness of public education in the state. I mean, how do you respond to that? Or what response would you have to that?
LM: Well, I'm not sure exactly how this is going to restrict restrict education. Again, you know, public schools, we live in this world every day, we implement what the state lays out for us. And it's good for us. It's good for kids. Public schools are in a state report card based on a lot of different factors. And we do testing and so when it comes to private schools, there's really kind of an unknown far as a parent kind of looking in. So we think it's good for her parents to know what's going to be taught and to have the same types of assessments of schools that have a certain charter or a certain face mission, are absolutely free to continue those missions and those those face values. So nothing in this and then that restricts that in any way, shape, or form.
DC: And going forward. So you guys have until I think it's mid July, right to have the signatures turned in?
LM: Right, we have until mid July, and we're real hopeful. The process is going it's going slowly. But again, the message resonates with Arkansans because if there's one thing that we can all agree with, it's that we want our kids to succeed.
DC: It's a difficult time to be politically active around education right now. And so when you're out and you're talking to people, has it been hard to you know, do how do you de escalate some of those conversations and just get to talking people kind of one on one, because you know, it is it's about kids, it's about education. And how is that sort of been? Or has it been contentious when you've been out talking to people?
LM: So honestly, it really has not been contentious as we go out. And as we talk to people, most people are more than willing to sign a petition, and at least put it on the ballot. Our state motto is regnant populace, which means let the people rule. And so I'll say just for myself, there's going to be a bunch of ballots out there. I'm not supportive of everything that I'm seeing out there. But I'm certainly willing to sign a petition and put it to the vote. I think that's really important that we all get to have a say. And so this is about us all having a say about how we want education to look in the state. And so a lot of people say, sure, you know, I'm happy to sign. I know, our opposition is running a campaign that says declined to sign. And so we're the we're the complete opposite. We say, hey, just sign it, take some time. Think about it, talk about it, when the election rolls around, if you decide that's not what you want to vote for, you know, we completely understand, but people are passionate about kids. And people are passionate about some of these issues that I mentioned, especially the ones that are really a financial burden to a lot of parents.
DC: And then if it does get on the ballot, and then if it is approved by voters, what would sort of be the I guess, the timeline for that? What would be the next steps of putting this into practice? If a ballot initiative is improved?
LM: There will certainly be a rollout period where I know, private schools are going to have to decide if they want to continue to take public money or if if that's not going to be right for them. I imagine there'll be a period of having other schools learn about the same standards and testing that we follow in public schools. And then of course, the legislature is tasked by this amendment for appropriating the funding for the programs that are outlined in the amendment. So it's going to take a little bit of time to implement, but I think the it's going to be worth the wait.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline by reporters. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. The authoritative record of KUAF programming is the audio record.
