On Tuesday morning, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was welcomed into the Arkansas House chambers to deliver her State of the State address.
Gov. Sanders told a packed house that she is honored to kick off another transformational legislative session for the people of Arkansas and said they cannot take their foot off the gas.
“Today, I am here to renew my promise: for a new generation of leadership, for a new path forward for our state, and for a new vision for Arkansas," Sanders said.
One of Gov. Sanders’ priorities in the 2023 session was her education bill called the LEARNS Act. She said she hears from teachers who have thanked her for the $50,000 starting pay as well as from lifelong educators who earned merit pay bonuses. Another element of the LEARNS Act included school vouchers for students who want to use state funding for approved private education expenses like tuition. In August, these vouchers will be available for every student in Arkansas to utilize, and the Governor’s budget has included an additional $65 million to take this into account, plus an additional $90 million in 2026.
The governor’s education priorities don’t end with high school graduation.
“Today I am announcing my plan to improve our state’s higher education system: Arkansas ACCESS," Sanders said. "Together, we will expand Arkansans’ access to higher education and non-degree credentials.”
This will include streamlining the application process, where a prospective student will submit just one application and pay one fee to apply to any state-supported college or university in Arkansas. Gov. Sanders said she also wants to make sure students are going to college to get an education, “not to be bombarded with anti-American, historically illiterate, woke nonsense. We will make it so that any professor – tenured or not – that wastes time indoctrinating instead of educating can be terminated from their job.”
Ozarks at Large spoke with Sen. Greg Leding, minority leader of the Arkansas Senate, who said, to his knowledge, the governor and state legislature do not have the authority to terminate a tenured professor. We also asked Gov. Sanders for clarification on this statement. She did not respond in time for our reporting.
Other new initiatives Gov. Sanders mentioned in her address include ending the state grocery tax and using medical marijuana tax money to provide free breakfast and lunch programs at schools. Another priority includes cell phones in schools.
“This session," Sanders said, "we will ban cell phones in our schools, bell to bell, so that our kids are not distracted, in class or out of it. And we will break the cycle of the mental health crisis facing our kids.”
The governor ended her address by recognizing Dallas County Sheriff Mike Knoedl. Sheriff Knoedl oversaw the aftermath of the shooting at a grocery store in Fordyce last June.
"Today, I am announcing the Arkansas Medal of Freedom, to recognize and honor Arkansans who have distinguished themselves in service to their state and fellow citizens," Sanders said. "I cannot think of a better person to receive the first Medal of Freedom than Sheriff Knoedl.”
This marks the governor’s second and final State of the State address. She released her first reelection ad on Monday night via social media. Election Day is November 3, 2026.