Arkansas House panel endorses Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' plan to overhaul the state's education system
Fox News
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sander's plan to overhaul the state's education system has been endorsed by a state House panel. The state House will vote on the proposal on Thursday.
"This is the beginning of our commitment as a state to put students first, and to look everyone in the eye and say Arkansas will continue to lead in terms of education," Republican Rep. Keith Brooks, the bill's House sponsor, told the panel before the vote.
Sanders' proposal would raise the minimum starting pay for teachers from $36,000 to $50,000, and it follows calls over the past several months by Democrats and Republicans to raise minimum teacher salaries from one of the lowest in the nation. But the bill includes other measures opposed by Democrats and teachers' groups, including the voucher program.