In his final State of the State Address, Governor Parson highlighted a key part of government policy. He said:
A society grows great when old men and women plant trees . . . the shade of which they will never know or sit in.
I think this can be applied to our education system. We need great men and women to plant trees, yes. However, we also need great men and women to tend to them and help them grow. There are a few examples nationwide of this exact scenario happening—particularly in states such as Iowa, Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee. To help our students flourish through school choice and educational reform, there needs to be a governor with a plan and a commitment to planting trees and cultivating our next generation.
Governor Huckabee Sanders proposed an ambitious education reform plan to the state legislature. Arkansas’ LEARNS ACT pairs teacher salary increases with curriculum protection and the establishment of a universal school voucher program. Passing this bill took a lot of hard work and a lot of horse-trading, but a determined governor was able to get it done.
Governor Reynolds proposed a plan to make “no child limited by their income or zip code” in Iowa. It was a priority of her administration. She sought to educate the public on her proposal and garner support. The end result was a victory for Reynolds—Iowa’s education savings accounts will be expanded to all students statewide. The governor proposed the bill, and she also continued to make it a priority for the state all the way to her final signature.
Governor Lee has gone to bat for his proposed expansion of Tennessee’s statewide school choice program, which would create opportunities for students to attend the school that best suits their needs. He was recently berated at an address advocating for major change to Tennessee’s educational status quo. Nevertheless, the governor has made it his priority to move this legislation across the finish line. Governor Lee has decided that the battle is worth it.
While no guarantee of success, it seems that the trend for getting major education reform passed is a determined governor who is willing to put his or her weight behind school choice. The question is whether we have such a governor.
