Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders met Monday with heads of Christian schools around the state for a brief question-and-answer session.
The event, hosted by the Missouri-based Herzog Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to promoting "the development of quality Christ-centered K-12 education," gave the heads of a few dozen Christian schools around the state an opportunity to ask the first-term governor about the LEARNS Act, her signature education overhaul that she signed into law in March.
Brad Jones, superintendent of Fayetteville Christian School, said his school qualified for the Nation School Lunch Program, which required posting an Equal Opportunity Employment poster saying the school does not discriminate against someone's sexual orientation when hiring.
"And we were like 'whoa,' you know of course we discriminate on that as a Christian school," he said.
Jones said his school is all volunteer but may be able to transition "to paying them a little bit," thanks to the LEARNS Act's Educational Freedom Accounts, which allows students to use state funding to attend a private or home school. Jones asked Sanders "what if three years down the line we're asked to do something we can't?"
The Republican governor responded by saying "certainly there's going to be things that are fluid," using the LEARNS Act's ban on Critical Race Theory as an example, saying she could not stop a future governor or legislature from writing its own laws or regulations.
"But I think that's why it's important for people like yourself to engage and to continue to build those coalitions of support and make sure like-minded people are representing you in the legislature," Sanders said.
"I'm certainly going to fight for those protections over the course of the next seven years and hope somebody that comes behind me will carry on with those same priorities and make sure that those continue to be a part of our legislative rules and packages."
Under the LEARNS Act, students will be able to use 90% of what the state spends on per pupil funding to attend a private or home school, which amounts to about $6,600 for the 2023-2024 school year. The program is being phased in over three years.
Sanders said Monday about 6,000 students are in the program in its first year. By year three, the program will be open to all students.
Moderator Chris Stigall, a content manager with the Herzog Foundation, asked Sanders about concerns some home school families have expressed about "government or state interference in their affairs" if they accept state voucher funding.
"I certainly support accountability and think it's absolutely critical that if the state is providing some level of funding that there should be accountability measures put in place," Sanders said. "We don't want it to be a government-heavy operation. That's why it's an opt-in.
"You don't have to participate, whether you're a home school family or private school. If you don't want to follow the regulations and that accountability mechanism that we will lay out from the state level, then you can opt out."
One private school leader asked Sanders about "how can we best hold ourselves accountable," specifically inquiring about what criteria the Department of Education will use to oversee private schools that accept state vouchers.
Sanders said the Department of Education will look at "student growth and achievement" to ensure students are making improvements, but did not say how the state will measure it.
Sanders also said the state will oversee how schools invest state funds.