Bill Kopsky, treasurer for a coalition called For Ar Kids, points out polling data the group has collected regarding a proposed constitutional amendment it hopes to submit to voters. The group held a press conference Dec. 22, 2023, to reveal a ballot initiative that would standardize education programs and requirements for all Arkansas schools receiving public funds. Kopsky is also executive director at the Arkansas Public Policy Panel. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)
The group trying to amend the Arkansas Constitution’s education clause on Thursday withdrew its second proposal and submitted a new one to the attorney general.
The proposed ballot measure aims to hold private schools participating in the state’s new voucher program to the same standards as their public counterparts.
The updated proposal incorporates feedback from a meeting with members of Attorney General Tim Griffin’s staff Wednesday, according to the amendment’s drafters, For AR Kids.
For AR Kids is a coalition of Arkansas groups, including the Arkansas Education Association, Arkansas Conference of the NAACP, Arkansas Public Policy Panel, Citizens First Congress and Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES).
“The meeting yesterday was very productive, and we appreciated the feedback,” For AR Kids spokesman Bill Kopsky said. “This should address their concerns more quickly and in a cooperative manner.”
Kopsky said the changes were mostly technical, but the substance of the proposal remains the same — requiring any schools that receive any public funds to follow the same academic and accreditation standards as public schools.
The provision stems from the LEARNS Act’s creation of a voucher program that provides nearly $6,700 in state funds for allowable educational expenses, primarily private school tuition, this first year.
Critics of the Educational Freedom Account program argue that it’s unfair because private schools don’t have the same requirements as public schools, such as admitting all students, providing transportation and administering certain standardized exams.
The LEARNS Act does require private schools to administer approved annual exams, but only for students with EFA accounts.
In addition to equal standards, the Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2024 would guarantee voluntary universal access to pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds, afterschool and summer programming, quality special education and “wrap-around services” for children in families within 200% of the Federal Poverty Line.
The measure would also establish the minimum quality standards ordered in the Lake View School District No. 25 v. Huckabee decision.
Griffin rejected For AR Kids’ first submission on Jan. 9. The group resubmitted a second version on Jan. 18, but it withdrew and replaced it with a third submission Thursday.
Griffin has until Feb. 8 to certify or reject the new proposal.
The Arkansas Advocate is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to tough, fair daily reporting and investigative journalism that holds public officials accountable and focuses on the relationship between the lives of Arkansans and public policy. Images: Mayberry — Arkansas House of Representatives; Davis — Arkansas Senate; Hester — Batesville School District.
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