Arkansas House Passes Anti Arts Ed Bill - Showdown looms in Senate


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Action now moves to the Senate where there is a good chance to stop this. Governor Huckabee has begun to weigh in.

from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:
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ART-MUSIC Huckabee said Tuesday that he opposes a House-approved bill that would strike a law that would increase the time public elementary school students must spend in art and music classes in the future.

Arkansas Code Annotated 6-16-130 now requires that the schools begin providing at least one hour each of art and music classes every week after July 1 of this year. Schools also must staff art and music classes with teachers certified in the subjects.

Under House Bill 1034 by Rep. Shirley Walters, R-Greenwood, the schools would be allowed to continue providing only 40 minutes per week to be "divided substantially equally" between art and music. Teachers not certified in art and music would also be allowed to teach those classes under the bill.

Huckabee said he worked very hard to pass the legislation four years ago to give art and music education to every student and to use certified teachers.

"It would be an injustice to the majority of schools that have worked to provide a strong arts education in order to accommodate the minority of schools who have failed to spend the past four years preparing for the law to be implemented," the governor said.

"I strongly oppose the bill to water down our standards and hope that the Senate Education Committee will not accept less than excellence for the students of our state," he said.

The Republican governor paid a visit to the office of Senate President Pro Tempore Jim Argue on Tuesday, but the governor declined to comment afterward about their discussion.

Argue, D-Little Rock, said Huckabee expressed support for music and arts education because "it's a subject that is near and dear to his heart." Argue opposes Walters' bill and plans to set aside a day for the Senate Education Committee, of which he is chairman, to hear testimony on the bill because so many people want to testify about it, the senator said.

Sen. Jimmy Jeffress, D-Crossett, said he was summoned to Huckabee's office Tuesday for the first time in eight years in the Legislature.

"He just wanted to find out where I stood on Shirley Walters' bill, and I assured him that we were together because he doesn't want the bill passed either," Jeffress said.

Sen. Gene Jeffress, D-Louann, said he was summoned to the governor's office, too, on Tuesday morning for the first time in a couple years, and Jeffress told Huckabee that Walters' bill "needs some work."

The Jeffress' brothers are on the seven-member Senate Education Committee.

Walters said she has agreed to amend the bill to require 40 minutes of art education and 40 minutes of music education each week.

She said the governor told her Monday that he would oppose her bill.

She said she understands that the governor wants teachers certified in music and art to teach these classes.

"Obviously he doesn't want to backtrack," Walters said.

Walters said she doesn't think the governor understands that the existing law will cost schools about $12 million.

She said she is a former science teacher in Greenwood and believes that she is capable of teaching music and art, too.

Posted: Thu - January 27, 2005 at 03:21 PM       Email Feedback

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