George Soros Targets Arkansas Election With Independent Expenditures

Current Events, Elections

In April billionaire George Soros gave $321,000 to the Arkansas Justice & Public Safety PAC — an independent expenditure committee based in Washington, D.C.

Reports filed with the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office show Soros is the group’s only financial supporter.

According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Soros’ money is funding independent expenditures in support of Alicia Walton — a candidate for prosecuting attorney in Pulaski and Perry counties.

Documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission indicate the Soros-backed committee is spending thousands of dollars on radio ads in the central Arkansas area.

Reports also show Arkansas Justice & Public Safety PAC has spent more than $100,000 on research and polling in Arkansas ahead of the May 24 primaries.

Soros is known for promoting leftwing policies such as marijuana legalization.

As far as Family Council can tell, this is the first time that George Soros has shown a direct interest in elections in Arkansas.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

Photo Cred: Niccolò Caranti, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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As Schools Reopen Nationwide, Home Schooling Remains Popular

Current Events, Home School,

Last week the Associated Press reported that home schooling’s surge has continued nationwide despite COVID-19 generally subsiding in many areas and schools reopening.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, home schooling has seen an uptick across the country.

Last year the U.S. Census Bureau reported the percentage of households home schooling in Arkansas jumped from 6.8% in spring of 2020 to 10.3% by the following fall.

All told, as many as one in ten families in Arkansas home schooled their children during the 2020-2021 school year.

Private schools in Arkansas also saw an increase in enrollment following the pandemic.

The Associated Press reports,

Two years later, even after schools reopened and vaccines became widely available, many parents have chosen to continue directing their children’s educations themselves.

Homeschooling numbers this year dipped from last year’s all-time high, but are still significantly above pre-pandemic levels, according to data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.

Families that may have turned to homeschooling as an alternative to hastily assembled remote learning plans have stuck with it — reasons include health concerns, disagreement with school policies and a desire to keep what has worked for their children.

These numbers seem to underscore that parents are taking a strong interest in their children’s education — and that’s a good thing.

Research shows parental involvement generally is tied to better educational outcomes for children. That’s true no matter how families choose to educate their children.

However, home schooling is particularly good for many families, because it lets them choose the education that’s best for them.

For 24 years Family Council’s home school division, the Education Alliance, has supported home schooling in Arkansas, because it gives families the flexibility to provide the education that’s right for their children.

It’s good to see more families taking advantage of this excellent opportunity.

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Arkansas’ Congressmen, Senators Receive High Marks on FRC Action Report Card

Current Events
Above: U.S. Sen. John Boozman (left) receives FRC Action’s True Blue Award from the organization’s President, Tony Perkins (right).

On Thursday, FRC Action issued a news release highlighting its 2020 and 2021 scorecards for the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.

FRC Action is the legislative affiliate of Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. The organization recently endorsed a religious freedom amendment that is on the ballot in Arkansas this November.

FRC Action’s scorecards show that Arkansas’ congressional delegation received high marks from the organization both years.

In 2020, Arkansas Congressmen Rick Crawford, French Hill, Bruce Westerman, and Steve Womack all received perfect scores; Arkansas’ U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton received perfect scores as well.

In 2021, Congressman Rick Crawford received a score of 92 out of 100; Congressman Hill received a 92; Congressman Westerman received a 96; and Congressman Womack received a 92. U.S. Senators Boozman and Cotton received 100’s.

Family Council regularly monitors legislative news related to Arkansas’ congressional delegation.

In December, we reported that all four congressmen and both senators from Arkansas received 0’s on Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s scorecard.

You can download FRC Action’s 2020 scorecard here.

You can download FRC Action’s 2021 scorecard here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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