Amendment to boost ESSA/ESA matching grant to $21 million fails after brief department exchange

Representative Diana Gonzales Worthen (District 9, Springdale) presented an amendment seeking to increase the Enhanced Student Achievement (ESA/ESSA) matching grant appropriation from $5,600,000 to $21,000,000. She said school districts have been spending far more than the line item appropriation in recent years on pre‑K, tutoring and before/after‑school programs and argued the increase would support vulnerable students.

Greg Rogers of the Arkansas Department of Education told the committee the department had not had prior notice of the amendment and clarified program details: the matching grant is tied to the ESA (Enhanced Student Achievement) program and was created to encourage districts to use ESA funds for pre‑K, tutoring, and before/after care. Rogers said the $5,600,000 figure had been increased recently based on an advocacy recommendation and that the program is a prorated match grant.

Worthen said she placed $21,000,000 in the amendment because that reflected what districts were spending. She described district spending by category and year, saying roughly 54% of the program funds were going to pre‑K, 34% to tutoring and 12% to before/after‑school programs.

Committee members voted on the amendment; the chair announced, “I believe the no's have it.” The amendment to increase the ESSA/ESA matching grant to $21,000,000 was not adopted.

No alternative increase was adopted during the meeting. The Department of Education’s representative indicated the department did not have prior knowledge of the proposal and left implementation details and amounts unresolved.