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Sanders announces school choice week

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LITTLE ROCK — Governor Sarah Huckabee-Sanders proclaimed next week — January 21-27, as “Arkansas Parental Choice Week.”
Applications for school choice are currently being accepted. Deadline for application is May 1, 2025. Contact the Office of School Choice and Parent Empowerment at 501-683-3162 or by email at:
ade.homeschool@ade.arkansas.gov to obtain forms and information.
The Arkansas General Assembly authorized school choice in 2015 through the Public School Choice Act, giving parents the ability to apply for their child’s admission to school districts outside their residential district.
Sanders introduced a number of changes to Arkansas’ education system when she came into office in 2023. These changes, made under the LEARNS Act, included the creation of Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). EFAs may be used by eligible families to cover private school tuition, fees, uniforms, and some other required expenses. The accounts provide funding up to 90% of the State’s prior year per-student foundation funding amount, up to around $6,600 for the 2023-2024 school year.
The funding of non-public schools through public funds via this system is a controversial one.
While Republicans nearly unanimously lined up in support of the plan, Democrats in the legislature were unanimously opposed to it, noting that they had attempted to pass, earlier in the session, a straight teacher salary increase, with no support from Republicans. Specifically, the voucher program came under early scrutiny by educators and other groups
The law’s endorsers state that it provides a range of educational options, including traditional public schools, charter schools, homeschooling, online schools, and learning centers. These choices are presented as offering families greater flexibility in meeting their children’s educational needs.



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