I was recently interviewed by Dick Mendel for an article by the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange on the state of the juvenile justice system reform in Arkansas, “Analysis: What’s the Matter with Arkansas.” As part of the interview, I tried...
Helping working Arkansas families grow their assets will build a stronger middle class and a healthier economy, which benefits us all. Our state has come a long way in making it easier for all Arkansans to build assets, but we need to continue...
If we rebuild our tax code in a way that works for everyone, we can afford to make public investments that will contribute to the common good. Unfortunately, recent tax cuts have put more money in the pockets of...
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families firmly believes that all children deserve a quality education, regardless of income, geography, or disability. It is our state’s constitutional obligation to give every child access to the advantages and opportunities of a...
Despite claims to the contrary, personal income tax cuts don’t help small businesses grow. Business owners hire when there is increased demand, regardless of what the tax rates are. In Arkansas, the majority of firms are small businesses (96.6 percent)...
We ended up with more revenue than we spent this fiscal year, but don’t let the surplus fool you. No one should be proud of the surplus at the end of this fiscal year, because it was on the...
Arkansas serves nearly 56,000 students through special education programs. The state constitution guarantees every child access to the advantages and opportunities of free, public education. It also charges the legislature with adopting all suitable means to make it happen. This means that the state...
States should think twice before enacting big personal income tax cuts. Despite the claims of tax-cut proponents, low tax rates aren’t associated with economic prosperity, and are more likely to lead to budget problems. Most major studies over the...
Note: This blog is second in a series of posts covering the findings in the 2016 Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book. Arkansas has continued to make impressive gains in reducing the rate of uninsured children in...
Many poor, often minority Arkansas students start school already behind. They face diminishing opportunities when they stay behind. Recognizing this, the Arkansas state legislature put in place a funding stream to ensure that all of our children have the...