Latest news with #RyanRose
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mountainburg School District mill increase fails in 2025 school election
CRAWFORD COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — It has been nearly six decades since Mountainburg Middle and High School has updated its cafeteria. And it will be at least a little longer before that update is done, as residents voted against proposed changes in the 2025 School Election. Mountainburg School District Mill Increase The Mountainburg School District needed voters to increase the millage rate by 3.9 to 'support students and provide a high-quality learning environment,' according to a Facebook post. But 87%, or 395, of voters voted against the millage increase. Ryan Rose seeks re-election 'This funding would allow us to build a new middle school/ high school cafeteria providing a modern, warm, safe and dry kitchen and student dining space. Voters will decide on this investment in May 2025, ensuring we can meet both current and future student needs,' the post published on April 29 stated. School officials said that the cafeteria is nearly 60 years old and needs updates. '…with three faulty roofs with frequent and recurring leaks,' school officials said on a webpage. 'The space lacks adequate insulation and refrigeration. Systems including roof, foundation, plumbing and HVAC are at or near end-of-life. Facility Conditions Index score is Below Standards and must be brought to standards.' Currently, the school has allocated nearly $1.2 million towards construction in state partnership funds. What now? The school said the nearly $1.2 million is at risk of being lost if a request for an extension isn't approved. The district is also at risk of losing funding due to a decrease in the State Wealth Index. 'The District could re-apply in future cycles, competing with other districts,' school officials said on the website. 'State Wealth Index (based on a number of factors and statewide ranking) at the time of approval for this project was 67% of a formula cost per square foot. Our rank in State Wealth Index has decreased 14% points over the past decade, meaning the District will qualify for decreased funds in future projects (approx. 58% at present rates).' The district has created a nonprofit, The Dragon Foundation, to raise funds for improvements to athletic facilities such as baseball field lights, stadium improvements, etc. For more information, contact the office at 479-369-2121. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
22-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Rep. Ryan Rose Announces Re-Election Campaign for Arkansas House District 48
Van Buren, AR May 21, 2025 --( )-- State Representative Ryan Rose (R – Van Buren/Ft. Smith) officially announced his candidacy for re-election Wednesday, seeking a third term representing Arkansas House District 48. 'From day one, I've been committed to fighting for the families, values, and future of the River Valley and all of Arkansas,' said Rep. Ryan Rose. 'I've worked to cut taxes, protect the unborn, advance education freedom, and deliver conservative healthcare reforms that save lives. I've been a bold voice for faith, family, and freedom in every committee, every floor debate, and every policy discussion. We've made major strides, but our work is far from done. That's why I'm running for re-election, to continue delivering real results and building a safer, stronger, and more prosperous Arkansas.' Rep. Rose was the lead house sponsor on 15 key pieces of legislation this session and he co-sponsored an additional 27 new laws. Some of his accomplishments from the 95th Legislative Session include: · Protecting Lives and Health: Authored HB1309 and HB1859 for early cancer detection and comprehensive reconstructive coverage, inspired by his wife Tiffany's battle with breast cancer. Rep. Rose also maintained a 100% pro-life voting record, vigorously defending the lives of the unborn. · Combating Human Trafficking: Led a multi-agency working group and passage of landmark legislation SB428 and SB430 to ensure justice and restitution for survivors of human trafficking. · Cutting Taxes and Government Efficiency: Co-sponsored legislation repealing the state grocery tax, increased the Homestead Property Tax Credit and championed measures eliminating bureaucratic waste. · Higher Ed & Education Freedom: Co-sponsored Arkansas ACCESS, which reforms higher education by enhancing academic readiness, streamlining admissions, expanding scholarships, and standardizing credits to better serve students and families. Continued the fight for education freedom and defending parental rights. Rose's effectiveness and leadership are widely recognized and endorsed by prominent conservative leaders: · Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders: 'I'm proud to endorse Representative Ryan Rose for re-election. He's a proven conservative leader for the people of Van Buren. He has championed pro-life causes, lowering taxes, empowering parents through education reform, and improving cancer treatments — an issue that is personal for both of us.' · U.S. Senator Tom Cotton: 'I wholeheartedly endorse Representative Ryan Rose for re-election. Ryan is a proven conservative who defends the unborn, cuts taxes, and champions education freedom.' · Attorney General Tim Griffin: 'Ryan has championed education and healthcare reform, helped lower taxes, and been one of the leading voices in the legislature for conservative pro-life, pro-family values.' Rose has also earned endorsements from Speaker Brian Evans, Senate President Bart Hester, and numerous state legislators from the River Valley. For more information, visit Contact: 479.285.6383 / [email protected] Contact Information: Ryan Rose for Arkansas Ryan A. Rose 4792856383 Contact via Email Communications Read the full story here: Rep. Ryan Rose Announces Re-Election Campaign for Arkansas House District 48 Press Release Distributed by
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposed maximum reading level for citizen-led ballot measures stumbles but passes Arkansas House
Rep. Ryan Rose, R-Van Buren, presents House Bill 1713 to the House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) A proposal mandating citizen-led ballot measures be written at an 8th-grade or lower reading level cleared the Arkansas House of Representatives Wednesday after three attempts to pass its emergency clause. House Bill 1713 passed the House on Tuesday with 60 votes; a separate vote on the emergency clause received 63 votes. Emergency clauses require a two-thirds vote in each chamber, meaning at least 67 House votes, and allow laws to go into effect immediately upon the governor's signature. HB 1713's emergency clause received 70 votes Wednesday and will next be heard in the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs. HB 1713 narrowly passed the equivalent House committee on March 12 after lawmakers and members of the public raised concerns that proposed ballot measures are too complex by default to be written at or below an 8th-grade reading level. Bill sponsor Rep. Ryan Rose, R-Van Buren, said the bill should help Arkansans 'make informed decisions when asked to sign a petition, without confusion, without legalese, without any deceptive wording.' Republican lawmakers this year have introduced a wide range of bills that would add regulations to Arkansas' direct democracy process. The 2024 election cycle saw a wide range of proposed citizen-led ballot measures, only one of which qualified for the November ballot, and supporters of the direct democracy regulations have made allegations of deceptive practices by supporters of last year's measures. Many of the bills have had emergency clauses, and some have required multiple votes in either chamber before meeting the two-thirds threshold. Several of those bills have been signed into law, and most were sponsored by Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton. Two bills to change citizen-led petition process pass Arkansas House, but without emergency clauses Hammer will run next year for Secretary of State, the office that oversees elections. He is a co-sponsor of HB 1713. Rep. Nicole Clowney, D-Fayetteville, voted against HB 1713 in committee and on the House floor. She said Wednesday that she supported 'a readability standard of some sort' for ballot measures but did not believe HB 1713 was the right mechanism for creating one. The bill mandates the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level readability test as the determinant of compliance with the policy. 'It's just an algorithm that spits out a readability level based on sentence length and word length,' Clowney said. 'If a word has five syllables, a word like 'constitutional,' you are automatically penalized by the parameters of this test.' Committee chairman Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, R-Paragould, said the bill does not acknowledge that 'it can be difficult to convey complex ideas or concepts with small words.' His vote to pass the bill out of the committee was the deciding vote, but he voted present on the bill and the emergency clause Tuesday. He voted for the emergency clause Wednesday. HB 1713 would not apply the same readability standards to legislatively proposed constitutional amendments, which drew concerns from lawmakers and members of the public March 12. Voters approved an amendment last year that the Legislature placed on the ballot, allowing trade-school students to benefit from scholarship lottery funds. Clowney pointed out Wednesday that this amendment had a college graduate-level reading level, according to the Flesch-Kincaid readability test. Proposed amendments are required to begin with 'an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution.' House Minority Leader Andrew Collins, D-Little Rock, told the committee last week that this phrase is also deemed college-graduate level by the reading test. So is the title of HB 1713 itself, said Gail Choate, a political scientist and civics educator who spoke against the bill March 12. 'What I'm concerned [about] with this bill is that it does nothing to address civic education,' Choate said. 'It does nothing to address the ability of people to understand even what a ballot initiative is or what it works… It dumbs down the process, it lowers the standard under which we're presenting information under the guise that people aren't able to understand.' Jerry Cox, president of the conservative Family Council, spoke in favor of the bill before the committee, while attorney and direct democracy advocate J.P. Tribell spoke against it. HB 1713 is likely to be considered by senators after the Legislature's spring break next week.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
River Valley Recap: Mar. 15
Related video: Fort Chaffee breaks ground on new facility. FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Here's a quick roundup of the biggest stories from the River Valley this week. KNWA/FOX24 obtained body camera footage from the Fort Smith Police Department's investigation into hazing, harassment and dangerous behavior among night shift officers. Click to watch. Fort Smith faces a $24-25 million funding gap for improvements to Towson Avenue, despite the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) securing $33.4 million for the project, Talk Business & Politics reported. A groundbreaking ceremony at Fort Chaffee on Mar. 15, marked the start of construction on a new facility that will unite the Fort Chaffee campus with the headquarters of the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade. Beaver Lake fire contained after burning for 3 days One of the former Crawford County deputies sentenced in October for using excessive force in the arrest of a man in 2022 is appealing his sentence, according to federal court documents. Fort Smith police say they responded to a stabbing incident near Darby Middle School on Friday morning. Once on the scene, authorities found a male victim with multiple stab wounds. The bill was introduced by Representative Ryan Rose, a Republican from Van Buren, during the 95th General Assembly. He says his inspiration to write the legislation came after his wife, Tiffany Rose, was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2020, following what she calls a 'lifesaving mammogram.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
