As Arkansas embraces vouchers, public school funding lags behind national, regional norms

Arkansas officials mark LEARNS Act anniversary as school voucher cost concerns continue

From left: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Education Secretary Jacob Oliva meet third graders during a reading lesson taught by Jocelyn Taylor (right) at Murrell Taylor Elementary School in Jacksonville on March 9, 2026. (Photo by Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)JACKSONVILLE — Arkansas leaders marked the third anniversary of a 2023 education overhaul law Monday with a visit to an elementary school that has markedly improved its student out…

As Arkansas embraces vouchers, public school funding lags behind national, regional norms

Arkansas’s per-student funding trails behind both the national average and regional peers, and students of color are shortchanged the most, a new report says.