Arkansas Parents for School Choice

ICYMI! The Succeed Scholarship application window is open today.

This program provides a $7000 scholarship for K-12 tuition and fees to any approved private school for children with disabilities, foster children and in June military families.

Details here- > https://thereformalliance.org/succeed-scholarship-parent/

There are no longer any excuses to not know your public school district’s or charter school’s reading readiness.

The question is: What are you doing about it?

Arkansas is 41%, meaning 59% are NOT READY. 34% are NOT CLOSE.

Interactive map at ArkansasReads.org!

BREAKING! SB680 JUST PASSED THE SENATE FLOOR -

This is a Tax-Credit bill that will give struggling families an opportunity to access options that have been out of their reach. It will go to the Arkansas House next week for a committee vote.

SB680 TO CREATE A TAX CREDIT FOR ELIGIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE TO A SPONSOR-GRANTING ORGANIZATION UNDER THE PHILANTHROPIC INVESTMENT IN ARKANSAS KIDS PROGRAM

BREAKING!- Military families now eligible for $7000 K-12 Scholarships through the Succeed Scholarship Program-

Succeed Scholarship eligibility expanded to military families Rep. David Ray and The Reform Alliance thank legislators for passage of bill FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: DeAnn Thomas Communications Director (501) 244-9028 [email protected] Succee

Arkansas's most vulnerable children are being left behind again-

"Nearly 50 school-choice bills have been introduced this year in 30 states. It’s a testament to how school shutdowns have made the advantage of education choice more evident, and its need more urgent."

https://www.wsj.com/articles/school-choice-advances-in-the-states-11617059660

Opinion | School Choice Advances in the States The union shutdowns have increased support across the country for more educational options.

Attention military personnel- Here's the vote on HB1446 a bill allowing Members of the Uniformed Services to be eligible for the Succeed Scholarship Program- a voucher that awards $7000+ to families to find private schools for their children. Check it out here https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=HB1446&ddBienniumSession=2021%2F2021R

ARKANSAS PARENTS!

More efforts to stiffle parent voices, give underserved and disadvantaged families options.

"Arkansas students should never be deprived of the best education, so I am pleased the Eighth Circuit granted the petition for rehearing and vacated its original, erroneous decision in this matter," Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said Wednesday in a statement released by her staff.

Panel rehearing ordered in school-transfer case The dispute between the state and four south Arkansas school districts over the application of the state's School Choice Act is headed for a rehearing before a federal appeals court panel.

HB1371 being heard now on the House Floor you can watch live here

https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00284/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20210317/-1/21373?viewMode=1

House Meeting Meeting in House

HB1371 just passed the House Education Committee and is headed to the House Floor! It will be vital for you to contact your legislator and let them know you support this bill. You can find them here! https://arp4sc.org/lookup-your-state-legislator/

Lookup Your State Legislators! – ARP4SC To make it easier for families of Arkansas to find their State Legislators we’ve provided two buttons below! Give them a try! Find you SenatorFind Your Representative

Are you watching the House Education Committee today?! They will be voting on HB1371 this morning. You can watch live, hit the "video" button for the Committee- it is under way now, HB1371 is last on the agenda.

https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us

Home Page - Arkansas State Legislature This site is maintained by the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research, Information Systems Dept., and is the official website of the Arkansas General Assembly.

Here are some facts you need to know about HB1371!

We are receiving questions about HB1371. 56% of ASTA members support this legislation, 23% are indifferent, and 20% do not support.

It is 27 pages long. So, in a factual nutshell, you can decide how to engage on this legislation...

HB1371 would establish the ARKANSAS CHILD ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP AND GRANT ACT.

Summary:

The act creates a new dollar-for-dollar state income tax credit program for individuals and businesses that contribute toward either flexible scholarship accounts for low-income families or grants for public schools serving predominantly low-income populations of students.

Eligible public schools would be those serving a majority low income students.

Eligible families would be those who have an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, military families, foster families, and families with children who have special needs.

In its first year, the program allows for up to $10 million in state income tax credits. Of this total amount, $6 million is reserved for public-school grants and $4 million is reserved for private-school scholarship accounts.

Both these credit caps are subject to their own “escalator clauses.” If 90 percent of either cap is fundraised in a given fiscal year, the cap will automatically grow by 25 percent in the following fiscal year. For example, if $3.6 million is raised against the $4 million private-school cap, that cap would automatically grow to $5 million in the following fiscal year.

Public schools can use grants for a wide variety of educational expenses, including:

Technology enhancements like wireless access points, computers, or tablets
Building upgrades for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, or roof repairs
Remote learning intervention platform technology
Social and emotional well-being programming for students and parents
Professional development for staff working with diverse populations
Sensory rooms and equipment for special education services
Funding for economically disadvantaged public school student populations

Families can use scholarship accounts for a wide variety of educational expenses, including:

Tuition and fees at an approved private school
Courses in local public schools
Educational course materials like textbooks
Tutoring services
Testing fees for college-placement exams, industry certifications, or other assessments
Fees for academically focused after-school or summer educational programs
Tuition, fees, or materials at institutions at in-state or out-of-state institutions of higher education if students are dual-enrolled in high school and a postsecondary school

Currently there are no tax credits that generate funds for public schools or families to meet the education needs of their children. https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/excise-tax/tax-credits-special-refunds/business-incentives-and-credits/?fbclid=IwAR2lhIpESggsBf-tKKLh5bLcFNmWz617JQg8_wSrf9q-s963sqCe_IzGjT4

Read the bill here: https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=HB1371&ddBienniumSession=2021%2F2021R&Search=

HB1371, the THE ARKANSAS CHILD ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP AND GRANT ACT, will be heard in the House Education Committee tomorrow, you will be able to watch it here https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Committees/Detail?code=810&ddBienniumSession=2021%2F2021R

If you have not already- please call the members of the committee and share with them your families story of why this program is so important to our students, our teachers and our communities.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE- HOUSE - Arkansas State Legislature This site is maintained by the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research, Information Systems Dept., and is the official website of the Arkansas General Assembly.

Why are we relegating our most vulnerable students to having access to only the school where their families can afford to live? What if that school is not able to meet their needs?

HB1317 not only provides $7000 in scholarships for these families but $6 MILLION in grants to Arkansas's poorest schools!

Take a few minutes and get the details here!
https://lrca.podbean.com/e/episode-34-the-new-arkansas-school-choice-bill/ #

Episode 34 - The New Arkansas School Choice Bill In this episode, Dr. Arnold talks about school choice and the new Arkansas School Choice Bill with Laurie Lee from Trace Strategies....

Why Arkansas Public School Teachers Support The Arkansas Child Academic Opportunity Scholarship and Grant Act.

A privately funded $10million tax-credit program that will benefit both public and private school students.

If passed HB1371 will provide $6mil in grant funding to Arkansas public schools that serve our most vulnerable populations.

With this money schools will be able to purchase much needed equipment for special education, sensory rooms, remote learning platforms, wireless access points, etc.

Additional a $4mil fund will be set up for those children who need services their public school is not able to provide. Families will be able to receive scholarships unto $7000 annually that can be spent on private school tuition, tutoring, therapies, summer enrichment and help with transportation cost.

Why I support the Arkansas Child Academic Opportunity Scholarship and Grant Act Katelyn is a first grade teacher in Little Rock and supports to Arkansas Child Academic Opportunity Scholarship and Grant Act.

Are you a parent or guardian of a child that is struggling in an Arkansas public school?

Would a $6million grant program for your public school help supply some of the much needed equipment, technologies or supplies to directly help your child?

OR

Would a $7000 scholarship to pay for private school tuition, therapies, tutoring etc make a difference in your child's life?