Lifelong educator Meg White looks at the voucher program, and questions just what it will help.
Starting in 2024, the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program, which falls under the LEARNS Act, is open to homeschoolers who are now able to use voucher funds for a other education-related expenses, such as books and supplies, curricula, computers and other technology, and private tutoring (arkansasadvocate.com).
LEARNS is voucher program that will provide up to 90% of the the per-student funding rate for use on allowable expenses including private school tuition. This legislation also removes the limit on the number of charter schools in the state.
A report from the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) reported rather lackluster data from the first year. In 2023, 95% of students in Arkansas who received funds through the EFA were already enrolled in private schools. And in 2024, 82% of students were not enrolled in a public school before they received the money . Overall, 95% of participating students reported either being a first time kindergartener or enrolled in a private school upon submitting their application (kark.com). There are no income eligibility requirements for homeschool or private school households to receive a voucher.
Of the nearly 4,800 students participating, the report shows just 55 come from F-rated or Level 5 schools. Those schools are graded based on student performance each year. The amount of money students can receive through EFAs ($6,856 in 24/25) does not cover the full tuition for several of the top schools participating, like Episcopal Collegiate, Pulaski Academy, and Little Rock Christian Academy (kark.com). The expected cost of the EFA is roughly $34 million, and the majority of that money is spent on private schools-including Little Rock Christian Academy and Shiloh Christian School (arktimes.com).
There are 569 education services providers approved for participation in the voucher program, including – among other things climbing gyms, dance studios, jiu-jitsu instruction and at least seven equestrian related vendors. Sold in part as “equine assisted therapy” for students with disabilities, it also offers students an opportunity to ride and care for horses (dianeravitch.net).
