Chronic absenteeism – defined as students missing 10 percent or more of the school year for any reason – is a big problem in Arkansas. Time lost in the classroom has a direct impact on students’ academic progress, especially...
Recent tax cuts haven’t helped struggling parents make ends meet. Instead, they have hurt public investments that Arkansas kids and their parents need to succeed. Personal income tax cuts mean less revenue for quality schools where kids can learn,...
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...
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)...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
For the first time in our country’s history, 95 percent of children have the health care coverage they need to be healthy and thrive, according to a new report by the Urban Institute and funded by the Packard Foundation....