Local Districts Standing Pat on LEARNS

RISON - Superintendents for both the Cleveland County and Woodlawn School Districts said they will be taking a waitand-see approach as how to adjust to the new education plan set in place by the new Arkansas LEARNS act. Last Wednesday, March 8, Gov. Sarah Sanders signed her Arkansas LEARNS plan into law, an education package that she has called "the most farreaching, bold, conservative education reform in the country." Among the many changes included in the plan are several that will have a significant impact beginning with the 2023-24 school year. Some of the most significant changes includes raising the minimum teacher salary to $50,000 and giving those making above that amount a $2,000 raise; creating of state-funded Education Freedom Accounts that will follow each student to the school they choose attend whether it be a public, charter, private or home school; allowing for open enrollment between schools; putting more emphasis on early childhood education; and making sure students are performing at their grade level for literacy and math. Cleveland County Superintendent Craig Dupuy and Woodlawn Superintendent Dr. Kevin Hancock both said they intend to stand pat with any local changes until they have a better feel with what impact the LEARNS act will have on the district and the district finances. Dupuy and Hancock, along with some of their building principals, attended a meeting Tuesday afternoon with new Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Olivia at the Southeast Arkansas Education Cooperative in Monticello. The meeting was to allow regional school districts an opportunity to address the new education plan in a smaller, regional setting. One thing that Dupuy said he learned is that are there still a lot of questions to be answered. "I don't think we know any more now than we did going into it," Dupuy said. One of the primary concerns for many superintendents across Southeast Arkansas is funding, espe...