Ballot initiative threatens Arkansas private schools and EFAs

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette published an Opinion piece by ARISE Founder Dr. Misty Newcomb that argues against the proposed ballot initiative. She highlights how Arkansas Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs) have made private school access more attainable for lower- and middle-income families and can offer benefits that extend beyond academics. She draws on 15 years of experience leading a PK-12 private school, Prism North America. At Prism, she saw firsthand how smaller, community-oriented schools can give students access to stronger relationships, social networks, civic engagement, and long-term opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.

She also acknowledged that a major weakness in the current implementation of the EFA program is that too few lower-income students are participating and entire regions of Arkansas remain underserved. But applying the same rules and standards to schools with fewer than 20 students that apply to districts with over 18,000 students will not solve that problem—it will only make it worse. Instead of adding regulation, we need grater flexibility for small schools and support launching more schools in underserved regions across the state.

Read the full Op-Ed here.