Education bill calls for $50K starting salary for Arkansas teachers, voucher program

Lawmakers unveiled plans for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' education overhaul in a bill filed late Monday afternoon, which includes a $14,000 increase in the starting salary for teachers and vouchers for every student eligible to enroll in a public school.

In a 144-page bill, the Republican governor calls for a restructure of the state's education system that also includes a repeal of a state law to make it easier for schools to fire teachers, vouchers for students to attend the public, private or home school of their choice, an increased focus on job-training in high schools and more stringent literacy standards for elementary students.

Senate Bill 294, dubbed the "The LEARNS Act," is sponsored by Sen. Breanne Davis, R-Russellville, and Rep. Keith Brooks, R-Little Rock.

Sanders