When your paycheck doesn’t cut it

Arkansas legislators have an opportunity to improve the lives and health of working families by adopting our own state-level Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). At tax time, the EITC gives a boost to working families with low-wage jobs who...

A Spotlight on Achievement Gaps

In light of the attention paid to the achievement gap between white students and students of color during the recent legislative hearing on adequacy (the descriptor for the hearings that determine our state’s education funding priorities), I thought it...

Arkansas Works on changes to the Private Option

We’ve previously recapped options to change the Private Option that the Health Reform Legislative Task Force will consider recommending to the Governor by the end of the year.  Among these changes two common themes have emerged: increasing personal responsibility...

“Surplus” is a backhanded compliment

If you are hoping that recent tax cuts will generate new revenue to pay for more parks, quality public schools, and services for veterans and the elderly, don’t hold your breath. The November report from the Department of Finance...