Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
ALC debate over $90 million for education assistance ends with full peer report approved; separate vote on $90M fails
Summary
Legislators debated a $90 million restrictive-reserve transfer intended for EFA-related funding; a substitute motion to separate the $90 million for a separate vote failed, and the peer-review subcommittee’s report was approved, leaving the $90 million included in the package.
Members of the Arkansas Legislative Council debated whether to separate a $90,000,000 restrictive-reserve transfer tied to EFA funding before approving the broader peer-review subcommittee report on June 19. Representative Collins moved “that we take out this $90,000,000 for a separate vote and approve the rest.” The substitute motion failed; the council then approved the peer-review report as presented.
Why it matters: Committee testimony and members’ questions showed the transfer affects thousands of students. Department of Education staff said cumulative budget actions have placed roughly $177,000,000 for the program in the RSA and that the legislature had added a one-time $90,000,000 appropriation during the session; department officials said they were still evaluating whether current funds would cover all applicants for the 2025–26 school year.
Department estimates cited in the meeting indicated that, if the $90 million were not approved for the coming year, roughly 12,800 students would be left without funding for the school year in which they applied. Department officials also distinguished between applications received and approved: one staff member said total applications received were about 44,000; the department stated that the breakdown of applications received included roughly 28,000 private-school applications and about 16,000 home-school applications, and that review and admissions were ongoing.
A substitute motion led by Representative Collins to remove the $90,000,000 from the package for a separate vote was seconded but failed on a voice vote. After the substitute failed, Representative Wardlaw moved to approve the peer-review report; that motion passed on a voice vote.
Members asked whether the funds already in agency budgets or other one-time appropriations would be sufficient; Education staff said they were still evaluating applications and anticipated setting a final cutoff for the current school year around mid-August. Staff emphasized a priority window existed but that applications continued to be accepted after that window closed.
The council approved the peer-review subcommittee report, which included authorizations for several temporary appropriations such as American Rescue Plan Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds, restricted reserve transfers and related items detailed in the packet.
