by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)
Arkansas’ K-12 public schools have returned to mostly normal operations after the pandemic, and now they face more permanent changes with a new governor planning to give parents more control over their children’s education.
Gov. Sarah Sanders hasn’t been specific about her plans for more “parental empowerment,” a term she prefers over “school choice,” where families have access to state funds for non-public education options like private schools. But it’s clear from her comments and from her early appointments that she intends to move the state in that direction. She nominated Jacob Oliva from Florida as her secretary of education, and Gretchen Conger from Arizona as her chief of staff. Both states have embraced school choice reforms in recent years.
In a recent interview with Talk Business, Sanders said she is working with legislators to craft specific policies. Asked if she was opposed to the money following the students, she replied, “I’m not opposed to parents having the ability to spend their taxpayer dollars on the best education possible for their kids.”
