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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Thousands of Arkansans apply to school voucher program as universal access offered for first time
The majority of private schools that participated in the inaugural year of Arkansas' voucher program have reapplied for the second year. They're joined by more than two dozen new applicants. () Nearly 37,000 students have been approved to participate in the state's school voucher program during the 2025-2026 academic year, the first time it's open to all Arkansans. Created by the LEARNS Act, a 2023 law that made sweeping changes to the state's K-12 education system, the Education Freedom Account program provides state funds for allowable education expenses such as private school tuition. The program was phased in over three years with expanding eligibility. As of Monday, the Arkansas Department of Education had received 42,624 applications — 27,752 from private school students, 14,866 from homeschool students and six incomplete applications. Applications could be considered incomplete for a variety of reasons such as someone not entering a school in the application, ADE spokesperson Kimberly Mundell said. ADE had approved 36,855 applicants as of Monday — 25,569 private school students and 11,286 homeschool students. In the first two years of the EFA program, participation was capped at 1.5% and 3% of the total public school enrollment, roughly 7,100 and 14,000 students, respectively. ADE is projecting approximately 40,000 participants for the 2025-2026 academic year, Mundell said. With no cap in year three, participation will be limited by available funding, which is worrisome to Courtnei Jackson, principal and teacher at Shiloh Excel Christian School in Little Rock. 'It is a concern to know that there's a possibility of funds running out and we still don't have families that have renewed or applied yet,' she said. Shiloh Excel had 13 students last year, the majority of whom participated in the EFA program. Jackson expects around 20 students to enroll for the 2025-2026 academic year. EFA students are eligible to receive up to $6,994 per student next year. Students who previously qualified for the Succeed Scholarship Program, which was absorbed into the EFA program, will receive up to $7,771. For the 2025-2026 academic year, $277 million in state funds have been approved for the EFA program, Mundell said. Asked if applications are expected to exceed available funding and if per-student funding would be reduced if that happens, Mundell said funding hasn't yet been exceeded and 'there is no plan to reduce the amount of funding per pupil at this time.' To manage the large influx of applications, ADE is evaluating and approving applications based on funding priority categories within designated application priority windows, instead of a first-come, first-served basis, according to the education department's EFA website. Three-week priority windows began in early March. The application portal was closed from May 26 to June 1, before reopening for the fifth application window on Monday. Once a priority window closes, all submitted applications are reviewed together, with priority given to students in higher funding categories. The students with highest priority are returning EFA participants, followed by students with specialized needs. The program will continue processing applications in three-week windows until Jan. 31, 2026. If the number of applications exceeds available funding, applicants in the highest priority groups will be awarded first until all funds have been allocated, according to ADE's website. Any remaining eligible students will be placed on a rolling waitlist and considered for funding as openings occur. Private schools that have participated in every year of the EFA program say they're grateful the funds have helped cover families' tuition costs and increase their enrollment. But they also say technological issues persist and worry how the program might change. Smaller class sizes are key to providing an effective education at Shiloh Excel, but the school may soon expand from 20 students to 100 because of the EFA program, Jackson said. 'We have been [considering expanding] over the years, but we're really considering it now, especially since we have the vouchers that are available…so it's possible that we could really increase quickly, and we want to be able to accommodate that,' she said. Joshua Academy in Van Buren opened in 2023 with 37 students. Enrollment grew to 47 by the end of the Christian school's first year and to 121 during the 2024-2025 academic year when 97 students participated in the EFA program. Enrollment is expected to be around 160 this fall and the EFA program has been 'a huge part of it,' Head of School Kara Witzke said. Joshua Academy serves 'a fairly underserved population' in a rural county with about a quarter of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch and more than 70 ACE scholarships expected next year, Witzke said. Founded in 2000 by a group of people that included Walmart heir John Walton, ACE Scholarships are designed for families that make up to 350% above the poverty level ($112,525 for a family of four in 2025). 'The fact that everybody's getting it, the families are so relieved, those especially that have been paying full price for our school or relying on outside scholarships to do so,' Witzke said. 'They're so relieved to have that big burden taken care of.' Tuition will cost $9,000 for elementary school and $9,500 for middle school next year, and with the EFA program covering the majority of that, Witzke said it creates an opportunity for the outdoor-based school to launch its first annual fund. Heads of Arkansas private schools participating in state voucher program cite aid to families Private schools often rely on donors to pay for operational costs not covered by tuition, she said, so an annual fund would allow some families to donate part of what they would have paid in tuition and receive a tax deduction. While tuition increases are common, Jackson said she's cautioned her school's board not to raise tuition too much because it's important for families to have EFA funds for other things like uniforms and supplies. Shiloh Excel's tuition will increase from $4,250 to $5,000 this fall. At Clear Spring School in Eureka Springs, tuition will stay the same next year, ranging from $9,000 to $10,500 for K-12 students. Roughly 85% of the school's students receive scholarships, so the EFA program helps alleviate concerns about how much the independent school needs to raise for tuition assistance, Head of School Jessica FitzPatrick said. Though EFA funds are available, technology can make them difficult to access. Beyond the initial application, families must submit invoices through an online portal for quarterly payments to be disbursed to schools. Joshua Academy families often have phones but not computers, so some use the school's main office computer to access the online EFA portal, Witzke said. With a smaller enrollment of 69 students, FitzPatrick said staff can generally remind families to submit invoices or assist those who aren't 'tech savvy at all.' 'It's not hard, but if you've never done it, it's a challenge and it's usually our lower-income families that it's the biggest challenge for, which is who they're trying to help,' FitzPatrick said. 'But there's a disconnect there between the lowest income and their hurdles to technology.' Beyond technical glitches, some private school leaders have concerns about how the EFA program could change in the future. Opponents of the program have called for private schools receiving state funding to be held to the same standards as public schools. Some lawmakers have proposed laws to require just that. If program requirements change such that the state dictates the direction of Clear Spring, that could be a problem because it goes against its accrediting body's guidelines for independent schools to set their own mission, vision and philosophy, FitzPatrick said. Likewise, Witzke said the EFA program seems like it's often 'under attack' and she's worried about efforts to repeal the program or attach 'strings that would make it impossible for a Christian school, for instance, to maintain their freedom and curriculum choice.' 'I hope that the spirit of the LEARNS Act is maintained and that fidelity is maintained forever, but I am concerned,' she said. 'If it were to go away and we have 200 students at our school that all of a sudden lose 80% of their funding, we would at that point have to rely on donor funding to keep the kids here, and that would be more challenging.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Blytheville school board dissolved by state
The Arkansas State Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to dissolve the Blytheville School Board and place the district under a Level 5-Intensive Support classification due to ongoing academic, financial and administrative issues. The board authorized Education Secretary Jacob Oliva to assume the board's duties, appoint a superintendent and pursue the possibility of a transformation contract, a provision of the LEARNS Act that allows struggling public schools to partner with an open-enrollment public charter school or another state board-approved entity to create 'a public school district transformation campus.' Oliva notified the board on May 8 of his intent to recommend the state's highest support classification. He initially alerted the board to his concerns with the Northeast Arkansas school district last July. Over the last year, the Arkansas Department of Education has provided on-site support to the district, ADE Deputy Commissioner Stacy Smith said at the state board's special meeting in Blytheville Thursday. The district is one of the lowest-performing in the state, struggles with declining enrollment and has financial issues, Smith said. Fiscal year 2025 revenue is down by about 15%, and the district has spent $1.5 million that was not budgeted, she said. Teachers and administrators have been receptive to the state's help, and Blytheville has 'a bright future,' but more assistance is needed, Smith said. 'People are showing up, but this is a district that is in need of a lot of support to be able to get them out of the hole that they're currently in,' she said. Oliva notified the Blytheville School District of his recommendation of a Level 5-Intensive Support classification and the state board's special meeting via a letter dated May 14. An ongoing lack of a permanent superintendent, delayed staffing decisions and stalled hiring processes have led to 'organizational instability, weakened strategic planning efforts, and impeded the district's capacity to effectively support students and staff,' according to the letter. In addition to an 'absence of coherent leadership,' the letter also cited 'inconsistent governance structure' and 'chronic student underachievement.' The district appealed the recommendation in a May 21 letter, which prompted a hearing at Thursday's special meeting. The letter, signed by Interim Superintendent Jennnifer Blankenship and board President Desmond Hammett, argued the district has 'worked tirelessly' to implement the education department's recommendations and 'demonstrated both measurable academic progress and consistent good faith efforts to comply with all directives.' Specific actions include hiring a school improvement consulting firm, increasing the number of fully licensed educators and assigning mentors to novice teachers, the district leaders wrote. The letter also rebuts 'chronic student underachievement,' noting that one school improved from an 'F' ranking to a 'C' ranking in one academic year. Additionally, the district's letter takes issue with Oliva's past characterization of it as a 'failure factory,' which 'undermines the morale of educators and students,' its authors said. 'It is difficult to accept the designation of Level 5-Intensive Support while actively doing everything we were advised to do,' the letter states. 'Rather than punitive reclassification, we respectfully submit that BSD's path would be better supported by continued partnership, encouragement, and recognition of its progress.' The letter's authors said they also 'strongly disagree' with Oliva's comments about a lack of 'coherent leadership' and 'inconsistent governance.' Blytheville has had two full-time superintendents and three interim superintendents since 2018, Smith said at the state board's May 8 meeting. Blankenship was appointed as the current interim superintendent on June 12, 2024. She also served in the interim role from July through December 2021. After the previous superintendent was officially terminated last August, the board reviewed candidates in late November and decided to keep Blankenship. A consulting firm hired in February presented two of 13 applicants in late April, but the board declined to interview them and reposted the position, Smith said. According to the district's letter, the board voted to delay interviews because it hadn't received certain requested information. 'Unfortunately, the ADE observer left the meeting without seeking clarification, which may have inadvertently contributed to subsequent misunderstandings about governance stability,' the letter states. At Thursday's meeting, Hammett said the board didn't refuse to interview the two candidates, but instead extended the application deadline by two weeks to gather a larger pool of applicants. Smith confirmed that Blytheville's school board decided at its May 22 meeting to interview three applicants. One interview was scheduled for Thursday, and Smith said she 'would be embarrassed' to interview a superintendent on the same day that the state board is considering whether to dissolve the school board. 'While it may be embarrassing to some,' Hammett said, the board was committed to continuing its work. Blytheville has only been working with the state for a year, Hammett said, and he believes the district can continue to improve. The state board's discussion of Blytheville's circumstances at its May 8 meeting was 'disappointing and discouraging,' but the school board 'rose to the challenge,' he said. 'We didn't tuck our tails, we didn't run away from the challenge,' he said. 'We became more committed, more engaged to show that we're not dysfunctional, that we're willing to do the work.' Much of Thursday's discussion centered on frustration with the board's actions, or lack thereof. Oliva discussed 'frustration of how much we have to babysit the people that are elected to govern the district.' Meanwhile, members of the public like Blytheville native Bradley Ballard requested the state board dissolve the school board 'before more damage is done.' 'This [mess] is the result of a board that is too prideful to lead and too fractured to function,' Ballard said. 'We cannot keep pointing fingers while our children fall through the cracks. Today you have the power to stop this. You can cut through the chaos and bring order, accountability and hope back to our schools.' The state board granted his request and voted to dissolve Blytheville's school board and give the district a Level 5-Intensive Support classification. Blytheville joins four other districts that already have the state's highest support classification — Earle, Lee County, Helena-West Helena and Marvell-Elaine. Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arkansas education board dissolves Blytheville school board
The Arkansas State Board of Education held a special meeting at the Blytheville School District on May 29, 2025. (Screenshot from livestream) The Arkansas State Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to dissolve the Blytheville School Board and place the district under a Level 5-Intensive Support classification due to ongoing academic, financial and administrative issues. The board authorized Education Secretary Jacob Oliva to assume the board's duties, appoint a superintendent and pursue the possibility of a transformation contract, a provision of the LEARNS Act that allows struggling public schools to partner with an open-enrollment public charter school or another state board-approved entity to create 'a public school district transformation campus.' Education secretary to recommend increased support for east Arkansas school district Oliva notified the board on May 8 of his intent to recommend the state's highest support classification. He initially alerted the board to his concerns with the Northeast Arkansas school district last July. Over the last year, the Arkansas Department of Education has provided on-site support to the district, ADE Deputy Commissioner Stacy Smith said at the state board's special meeting in Blytheville Thursday. The district is one of the lowest-performing in the state, struggles with declining enrollment and has financial issues, Smith said. Fiscal year 2025 revenue is down by about 15%, and the district has spent $1.5 million that was not budgeted, she said. Teachers and administrators have been receptive to the state's help, and Blytheville has 'a bright future,' but more assistance is needed, Smith said. 'People are showing up, but this is a district that is in need of a lot of support to be able to get them out of the hole that they're currently in,' she said. Oliva notified the Blytheville School District of his recommendation of a Level 5-Intensive Support classification and the state board's special meeting via a letter dated May 14. An ongoing lack of a permanent superintendent, delayed staffing decisions and stalled hiring processes have led to 'organizational instability, weakened strategic planning efforts, and impeded the district's capacity to effectively support students and staff,' according to the letter. In addition to an 'absence of coherent leadership,' the letter also cited 'inconsistent governance structure' and 'chronic student underachievement.' The district appealed the recommendation in a May 21 letter, which prompted a hearing at Thursday's special meeting. The letter, signed by Interim Superintendent Jennnifer Blankenship and board President Desmond Hammett, argued the district has 'worked tirelessly' to implement the education department's recommendations and 'demonstrated both measurable academic progress and consistent good faith efforts to comply with all directives.' Specific actions include hiring a school improvement consulting firm, increasing the number of fully licensed educators and assigning mentors to novice teachers, the district leaders wrote. The letter also rebuts 'chronic student underachievement,' noting that one school improved from an 'F' ranking to a 'C' ranking in one academic year. Additionally, the district's letter takes issue with Oliva's past characterization of it as a 'failure factory,' which 'undermines the morale of educators and students,' its authors said. 'It is difficult to accept the designation of Level 5-Intensive Support while actively doing everything we were advised to do,' the letter states. 'Rather than punitive reclassification, we respectfully submit that BSD's path would be better supported by continued partnership, encouragement, and recognition of its progress.' The letter's authors said they also 'strongly disagree' with Oliva's comments about a lack of 'coherent leadership' and 'inconsistent governance.' Blytheville has had two full-time superintendents and three interim superintendents since 2018, Smith said at the state board's May 8 meeting. Blankenship was appointed as the current interim superintendent on June 12, 2024. She also served in the interim role from July through December 2021. After the previous superintendent was officially terminated last August, the board reviewed candidates in late November and decided to keep Blankenship. A consulting firm hired in February presented two of 13 applicants in late April, but the board declined to interview them and reposted the position, Smith said. According to the district's letter, the board voted to delay interviews because it hadn't received certain requested information. 'Unfortunately, the ADE observer left the meeting without seeking clarification, which may have inadvertently contributed to subsequent misunderstandings about governance stability,' the letter states. At Thursday's meeting, Hammett said the board didn't refuse to interview the two candidates, but instead extended the application deadline by two weeks to gather a larger pool of applicants. Arkansas education board removes Lee County's fiscal distress status Smith confirmed that Blytheville's school board decided at its May 22 meeting to interview three applicants. One interview was scheduled for Thursday, and Smith said she 'would be embarrassed' to interview a superintendent on the same day that the state board is considering whether to dissolve the school board. 'While it may be embarrassing to some,' Hammett said, the board was committed to continuing its work. Blytheville has only been working with the state for a year, Hammett said, and he believes the district can continue to improve. The state board's discussion of Blytheville's circumstances at its May 8 meeting was 'disappointing and discouraging,' but the school board 'rose to the challenge,' he said. 'We didn't tuck our tails, we didn't run away from the challenge,' he said. 'We became more committed, more engaged to show that we're not dysfunctional, that we're willing to do the work.' Much of Thursday's discussion centered on frustration with the board's actions, or lack thereof. Oliva discussed 'frustration of how much we have to babysit the people that are elected to govern the district.' Meanwhile, members of the public like Blytheville native Bradley Ballard requested the state board dissolve the school board 'before more damage is done.' 'This [mess] is the result of a board that is too prideful to lead and too fractured to function,' Ballard said. 'We cannot keep pointing fingers while our children fall through the cracks. Today you have the power to stop this. You can cut through the chaos and bring order, accountability and hope back to our schools.' The state board granted his request and voted to dissolve Blytheville's school board and give the district a Level 5-Intensive Support classification. Blytheville joins four other districts that already have the state's highest support classification — Earle, Lee County, Helena-West Helena and Marvell-Elaine. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas' rising 3rd graders will be first to be held back under new literacy standards
A group of elementary schoolchildren take a test. A 2023 Arkansas law requires third graders who fail to meet literacy standards to be held back beginning with the 2025-26 school year, but the rules haven't been written yet. (Getty Images) Arkansas students entering the third grade at public schools and open enrollment charter schools this fall will be the first cohort to be retained if they don't meet literacy expectations, a policy established by the 2023 LEARNS Act. 'By the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, if a public school student has not met the third-grade reading standard, as defined by the state board, or the student does not have a good-cause exemption, as provided under this subsection, the student shall not be promoted to fourth grade,' the law states. This new requirement could have extreme implications, considering a 2024 assessment showed that only about 36% of the state's third graders could read proficiently. Would the state of Arkansas really require all but 36% of the state's public school third graders to be held back? It's currently unclear. State education officials haven't yet set the new literacy standard by which third-grade reading will be measured for the 2025-2026 academic year. Kimberly Mundell, spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Education, didn't answer specific questions about how the policy would play out. 'The law affects this school year's second graders, who will be third graders next year,' Mundell said. 'More information and details will be provided in the future.' The LEARNS Act — a 2023 law that overhauled K-12 education with increased teacher pay, a controversial school voucher system and new volunteer requirements for public school students — tasked the State Board of Education with establishing the literacy standard for third graders. Alisha Price, associate legal counsel for the state education department, said the nine-member board hasn't yet crafted rules related to the literacy requirements, but it will be discussed this year. 'These rules have not started the drafting process but will soon,' Price said. 'It usually takes a few months to go on a board agenda for approval, then public comment, but I do not yet have an estimate on that date.' As with other requirements set by the Arkansas LEARNS Act, mandatory retention for third graders who fail to meet reading standards applies only in public schools. Private school and homeschool students are exempt. Annual comprehensive testing typically occurs in April and May, near the end of the academic year. The current round of testing is expected to end Friday. While the standard for next year isn't set, data from an existing assessment — the Arkansas Teaching and Learning Assessment System (ATLAS) — showed that most third graders had not achieved proficiency, and had only a basic literacy understanding in 2024. ATLAS replaced the ACT Aspire assessment that was used from third to 10th grade from 2016 through 2023. Last year was the first time school districts used ATLAS. State education officials have said the assessment created a new baseline that should not be compared to previous methods. Of 250 public school districts included in state ATLAS data, a dozen reported that at least half of its third graders tested at the lowest level for reading, meaning students showed limited skills. Low reading scores also typically correlated to low English language arts (ELA) scores, another component of literacy testing within ATLAS. Among the lower performers was Blytheville School District in Mississippi County, where 70% of its 109 students showed a limited understanding of reading and another 26% showed a basic understanding. According to last year's state ATLAS data, only about five Blytheville third graders could read proficiently. The same data was reported for the school's English language arts scores. Last week, Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said he intended to recommend to members of the State Board of Education that Blytheville School District should receive the highest level of state support due to declining enrollment and administrative challenges, the Arkansas Advocate reported. Little Rock School District, which had the highest number of third graders in the state in 2024 — more than 1,500 — reported one in three children had only limited reading skills last year. The district's English language arts scores matched within a few percentage points of its reading results. How those figures will compare to new literacy standards remains to be seen. States have authority over day-to-day operations and curriculum standards in schools, making apples-to-apples comparisons among states tricky. Though that process leads to varying standards nationwide, the National Assessment of Educational Progress — known as 'the nation's report card' — tracks average reading scores and how they change over time. These national reports focus on fourth grade reading attainment, rather than third. The congressionally mandated program within the U.S. Department of Education reported that no states saw improvements in reading scores among fourth graders from 2022 to 2019, and Arkansas students' average scores decreased by three points. The state's decrease was on par with the national trend among all public school fourth graders. While the literacy standard the State Board of Education has been tasked to establish will apply to most third graders in public schools, there are some exceptions. The education board has already adopted rules outlined in the LEARNS Act to set good-cause exemptions for promotion to the fourth grade, such as limited English proficiency students and those with individualized education programs or 504 plans. Other exemptions include students who were previously held back, kids on an intensive literacy intervention program, or those who have received a special education referral. According to the Pew Research Center, roughly 16% of Arkansas public school students, K-12, have a learning disability. Dyslexia is among the most common learning disabilities, and state law requires school districts to screen each student in kindergarten through third grade for dyslexia, then provide appropriate resources for their academic success. The State Board of Education further describes the third grade retention policy in the Right to Read Act, which outlines what public school districts or open enrollment charter schools should provide for students who don't meet the reading standard or are promoted with good-cause exemptions. The literacy improvement plan extends beyond the classroom and into students' homes. According to the rules, schools must provide 90 minutes of evidence-based literacy instruction each school day, assign the students to a high-performing teacher and send legal guardians a 'read-at-home' plan. Students will also be given priority to receive a literacy tutoring grant, and have the option to participate in additional programming. This story was first published by the Arkansas Times and is republished here by permission.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Report: Arkansas pre-K landscape meets most quality standards, still has room for improvement
(Getty Images) Arkansas preschool programs met eight of 10 benchmarks in a national early childhood education group's analysis of the state's pre-K efforts. Some of the standards Arkansas meets are class sizes of 20 children or fewer, at least one teacher per every 10 students, specialized pre-K training for teachers and 'comprehensive, aligned, supportive, culturally sensitive' early learning and development standards, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIERR), housed at Rutgers University. Arkansas falls short in its early childhood education degree requirements and annual staff professional development, the report noted. Arkansas does not require all early childhood educators to hold bachelor's degrees, and the state requires a minimum of 15 hours of professional development per year while the report says at least 30 should be required. Arkansas ranked 31st nationwide in state spending on early childhood education during the 2023-24 school year, and its spending per student decreased while its enrollment of 3- and 4-year-olds in pre-K remained steady, according to NIERR's nationwide analysis of state preschool programs released Tuesday. The state's preschool program, Arkansas Better Chance (ABC), serves children ages 3 and 4 from families earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level. ABC enrolled 20,311 children during the last school year, accounting for 19% of 3-year-olds and 32% of 4-year-olds statewide, according to the NIERR report. While ABC enrollment increased by 1,063 children compared to the previous school year, overall spending decreased by more than $43 million, and spending per student decreased by $2,564, with those figures adjusted for inflation, the report states. Federal funds helped Arkansas childcare providers stay afloat, but staffing struggles continue Arkansas spends $2,016 less per student and nearly $41 million less overall than what the report considers 'adequate' for its early childhood education landscape. The report defines adequacy as enough money to 'support minimum quality standards and provide K-12 pay parity for preschool teachers within their current operating structures.' The starting annual salary for Arkansas' K-12 teachers increased from $36,000 to $50,000 in 2023 due to the wide-ranging LEARNS Act. This pay disparity between educators who teach 5-year-olds as opposed to 4-year-olds makes it challenging to maintain a robust pre-K workforce, early childhood education administrators told the Advocate in November 2023. Arkansas has not implemented any 'statewide initiatives or minimum set pay' to bolster the early childhood education workforce, which not only affects the overall quality of the system but also forces some preschool educators to rely on public assistance to meet their needs, Nicole Carey, policy director for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, said in an interview Monday. State spending per child enrolled in pre-K was at its lowest in nearly two decades during the 2023-24 school year, according to the NIERR report. Spending spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic but has since dropped, and it saw little change and no upward trend during most of the 2010s. Meanwhile, Arkansas' rates of child enrollment in pre-K have returned to their pre-pandemic levels after decreasing in the early 2020s, according to the data. 'It would be great if we could have additional state investment in the ABC program, either toward educator wages or other types of workforce support,' Carey said. Arkansas Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill this year that would have created a tax credit for early childhood educators, and a Republican-sponsored bill would have created a similar policy for 'a licensed childcare provider.' Neither bill advanced. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Eleven states met nine or 10 of the NIERR standards, and none of those 11 states were 'low spenders' because 'money does matter for quality,' Steve Barnett, NIERR's senior director and a co-author of the report, said in a virtual press briefing Friday. Overall, Arkansas ranked 8th nationwide in 3-year-olds enrolled in pre-K, while 15 states do not have pre-K programs for 3-year-olds at all, according to the report. Arkansas ranked 24th in enrollment of 4-year-olds. Additionally, 5% of 4-year-olds and 7% of 3-year-olds in Arkansas were enrolled in the federally-funded Head Start program in 2023-24, while 15% of 4-year-olds and 4% of 3-year-olds were enrolled in special education, the report states. Arkansas has 28 Head Start locations statewide. Federal employees who administer Head Start have faced recent layoffs, but changes on the federal level have not impacted the program in Arkansas, said Leslie Taylor, spokesperson for Head Start's Arkansas grantee, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The state Department of Education oversees the Office of Early Childhood, which was under the jurisdiction of the Department of Human Services before the LEARNS Act went into effect in 2023. The law also required 'local lead' organizations throughout the state to assess local and regional access to pre-K and what gaps or barriers should be addressed. CONTACT US Most of the local lead organizations are education cooperatives, along with some school districts and child care organizations, according to the Department of Education. AACF is 'hopeful' that local leads will create 'positive growth' in their areas, Carey said. 'For the local leads that I've spoken with, they have put in a lot of work and are doing a good job trying to connect with their communities,' she said.
