LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Department of Education is pleased to launch the $5 million Transportation Modernization Grant Program. Created through the LEARNS Act, the program focuses on innovative approaches to transportation for students who attend public schools, open-enrollment charter schools, and licensed child care centers serving publicly-funded students.
“Like every parent, I know the challenge of getting your kids out the door and to school on time,” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “Through Arkansas LEARNS, we established this new grant program to help schools meet parents where they are and provide efficient transportation to families across the state,”
“Traditional routes for school buses and established bus stops can sometimes be underutilized and inefficient,” ADE Secretary Jacob Oliva said. “Modernizing the way students get to and from school is long overdue, and this grant will recognize efforts to reimagine transportation.”
The application cycle opens today and closes on January 31, 2025. At least 25 percent of the grants will be awarded to support rural and remote public school districts. The following entities are eligible to apply:
Public school districts,
Open-enrollment public charter schools,
Early childhood care and education programs or their local early childhood coordinators,
Cities,
Towns,
Counties,
Education service cooperatives, and
Non-profit organizations.
A committee will score applications based on student safety, cost effectiveness, innovation, and the need and demand.
