What do end-of-year revenue numbers really tell us?
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...
Special Education in Arkansas: where we are, where we need to be, how we can improve
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...
Part 1 of 4: Why Personal Income Tax Cuts are Bad News
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...
Report shows coverage gains, but room for progress in child health
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...
Closing the Opportunity Gap
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...
AACF Statement on 5-Year Highway Funding Plan
Statement from Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families: Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) believes Governor Asa Hutchinson’s five-year highway funding plan, HB1009/SB11, doesn’t address our long-term highway funding needs and ultimately siphons...
5-Year Highway Plan Won’t Get Us Far
Governor Asa Hutchinson’s five-year highway funding plan, which appears on the verge of passing,* is a short-sighted gamble that eats away at funds for our child welfare system, our schools, and other critical services. Because of a refusal to increase...
UPDATED: Funding Arkansas Highways
In a special session beginning later this week, Gov. Hutchinson and Arkansas lawmakers will make decisions on how to fund Arkansas’s highways, many of which are in dire need of repairs. Gov. Hutchinson’s proposal for highway funding works in...
2016 Voter’s Guide
This November, elections are critical to the well-being of Arkansas’s children and families and to the future of this great state. Arkansas voters will help decide which candidates win a number of important public offices, including the U.S. Presidency,...
Women Mean Business
Nearly half of Arkansas single moms live in poverty. The best way to make sure that moms and their kids have bright financial futures is to start making smart policy decisions. This Mother’s Day, let’s give moms a gift...