Educational Freedom: A Tale of Two Governors
By John A. Charles, Jr.
Last November, voters in Arkansas elected Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders as their new Governor. Oregonians elected Democrat Tina Kotek.
On March 9, Gov. Huckabee Sanders signed the Arkansas LEARNS Act, her top legislative priority. The new law creates Educational Freedom Accounts for all K-12 students, to be phased in by 2026.
Individuals choosing a Freedom Account will get 90% of what public schools get per student in state funding from the previous school year, equal to $6,600 for the current year. They can spend this money on private school tuition, textbooks, tutoring, and other approved educational expenses.
The new law also raises the minimum starting salaries for public school teachers from $36,000 to $50,000.
In Oregon, we have the dysfunctional government school monopoly. Students are assigned to brick buildings based on their ZIP Code. If families don’t like the assigned schools, too bad; they don’t get a refund.
Oregon public schools have lost 30,000 students since 2019. It’s clear that families want other options, but legislators aren’t listening.
It took Gov. Huckabee Sanders exactly 30 days to secure passage of the biggest school reform in Arkansas history. Gov. Kotek isn’t even trying.
John A. Charles, Jr. is President and CEO of Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization.
Greg Ammer
I live in LaGrande Oregon
Our high school graduation rate for 2023 only 69%
Contacted LaGrande School District and told counted some exchange students that lowered rate.
Contacted state education department. They stated due not use exchange students in data.
School District asked what used extra covid funds for.
Because District had 240 less students just used covid funds to pay for existing programs.
Consequently to additional revenue to bring students to required education levels.
THEN SCHOOL BOARD GAVE SCHOOL SUPERINTENT A RATING OF 4.75 OUT OF 5.
69% OF 5 IS ONLY 3.25 MY MATH IN A PERFORMANCE REVIEW
Larry A Sparks
Oregon Democrat Governors and legislators do not want to change public schools. Democrats need political donations from the
American Federation of Teachers (ATF) and Nation Education Association (AEA) and they must keep students stupid with Socialist and Communist propaganda,
how else will they be elected. for the last 3 years, students did not need to know how to read, do math or know history to graduate from high school, per Governor Kate Brown.
If you parents want to educate their children, there in no other recourse than home schooling or private school. The ultimate change is to move out of Oregon like the e the families with 30,000 students.