In The News

Deemed a “STEM Star” by the Milken Family Foundation, North Little Rock Middle School teacher Dawn McLain on Thursday received the $25,000 Milken Educator Award. Read More

The Arkansas Department of Education announced Tuesday that its ESSA proposal has been approved, which means it will be implemented in the 2018-19 school year. The approval follows 18 months of input from stakeholders and educators from across the state.   Read More

LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas State Board of Education on Thursday voted to approve the last batch of waivers sought by school districts seeking to maintain their current calendar schedules.  Members agreed to let the Little Rock School District and Pulaski County Special School District join the rest of the state’s school districts in starting the 2018-19 school year on August 13 instead of August 20. At Thursday’s meeting, Arkansas Parks and Tourism Director Kane Webb testified before the board that in the past years, an “early creep of the school start calendar has slowly eroded summers” for businesses and agencies dependent upon the dollars spent by vacationing families.  Read More

LITTLE ROCK – The Joint Budget Committee on Wednesday voted to accept Governor Asa Hutchinson’s 2019 funding recommendations for public education. Some lawmakers, however, voiced concerns about the fact that the governor’s budget doesn’t include a $50 million transfer from the general revenue fund to the adequacy fund.  Read More

Governor Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday presented his 2019 budget proposal to the Joint Budget Committee. Hutchinson’s $5.62 billion plan includes an additional $172 million in spending – most of which will be directed toward the Department of Human Services – and the creation of a restricted fund for an expected $63.9 million surplus. The governor also announced that he has requested in writing that all four-year colleges freeze their tuition rates next year.  Read More