by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Opponents of Gov. Sarah Sanders’ LEARNS education plan are discussing potential litigation to undo the measure, and a possible citizens’ referendum could also delay enactment or even reverse the new law. That path, however, would be difficult.

The LEARNS bill, SB294, was signed into law on March 8th by Gov. Sanders and has been touted by her administration as “the biggest, boldest, most conservative education reforms” in the state’s history and the nation.

The law sets a new minimum starting teacher salary of $50,000, provides raises of $2,000 to current teachers, outlines initiatives for pre-K, literacy improvement and workforce training, and provides money for public school safety and transportation. The most controversial aspect of LEARNS centers on a voucher program called “education freedom accounts,” which will eventually allow public school funding to follow students to their choice of K-12 education, including charter, parochial and private schools as well as homeschooling.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/03/ballot-referendum-to-undo-learns-act-faces-high-hurdles/