KUAR | By Josie Lenora
Amidst a heavy rainstorm, protesters gathered on the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol building Thursday to speak against a Republican-led education overhaul as attempts to overturn it are ongoing.
The legislature last month approved the Arkansas LEARNS Act, a dense, wide-sweeping education package expanding school voucher programs in the state. An organization called CAPES, or Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students, is attempting to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot to repeal the law.
The repeal efforts hit their first roadblock earlier this week, after Attorney General Tim Griffin said the proposed amendment's ballot title was misleading. Veronica McClane, a volunteer with CAPES, said the organization has resubmitted a new title.
John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs her Arkansas LEARNS legislation into law on March 8, 2023 inside the state Capitol.