Legislators Ask Arkansas Department of Education About Delays in EFA Reimbursements
On Friday, the Arkansas Legislative Council (ALC) accepted a subcommittee’s approval of new Education Freedom Account (EFA) rules from the Department of Education. During discussion of the rules, lawmakers asked staff members from the Department of Education about delays in EFA reimbursements, and the department acknowledged that approval currently takes 30 days.
Arkansas created the EFA program in 2023, making it possible for students to use public funds to pay for an education at a public or private school or at home. Thousands of homeschool students have taken advantage of the program and test scores show they are excelling.
But earlier this spring the Arkansas Department of Education approved new administrative rules restricting how homeschoolers spend EFA funds on extracurricular activities and establishing complicated preapproval and reimbursement requirements for homeschoolers. Homeschoolers submitted comments to the State and testified in committee that approval for EFA expenses already takes weeks or months. The process created under these rules could take even longer.
The Arkansas Legislature’s Administrative Rules Subcommittee approved the rules without objection at its June 15 meeting, following some three hours of testimony from the Department of Education and from homeschoolers who are deeply concerned about changes the rules make to the EFA program.
On June 19, ALC accepted the subcommittee’s approval of the rules, but Sen. Terry Rice (R — Waldron) asked the Department of Education about the lengthy delays in approvals and reimbursements under the EFA program.
During discussion, the Department of Education indicated it has chosen to review EFA expenses and reimbursements in-house using department staff instead of outsourcing that responsibility to its vendor, Class Wallet, who is helping the state administer the EFA program.
The department also acknowledged that it currently takes its staff approximately 30 days to review expenses and approve reimbursements for homeschoolers, but says it is committed to reducing that timeframe.
You can watch the lawmakers’ discussion with the Department of Education here.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
Tyson Family Foundation Pledges Half-a-Million Dollars to Pro-LGBT Efforts in Northwest Arkansas
The Tyson Family Foundation has pledged to give $500,000 as part of a multi-year commitment to support pro-LGBT efforts in Northwest Arkansas. Talk Business reports that with the pledge, the foundation is set “to be a presenting sponsor of NWA Pride Weekend through 2030.”
The Tyson Family Foundation is located in Fayetteville, and its primary purpose is to promote education, health, arts and culture, and youth programs, as well as scholarship opportunities for Tyson Foods employees and their families.
The foundation’s pro-LGBT support comes as other groups are wisely choosing to pivot away from these sorts of initiatives.
For a long time, major corporations and charitable foundations spent a tremendous amount of time and money pandering to pro-LGBT groups. But in recent years, corporate support for LGBT Pride has fizzled and Fortune 500 companies have abandoned the pro-LGBT Equality Index.
Major companies from Walmart to Target and John Deere to Lowe’s have rolled back pro-LGBT policies due to consumer backlash.
In 2023, Bud Light managed to single-handedly overthrow itself as the number-one beer in America after sending transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney a novelty can of Bud Light with Mulvaney’s picture on it. Mulvaney posted a video showcasing the Bud Light can — which led to backlash and boycotts from Bud Light drinkers nationwide. All told, that novelty can of Bud Light ended up costing the company more than $1 billion in lost sales, and the brand has never fully recovered.
The pushback from Americans has reached all the way to Hollywood as well. In recent years, we’ve seen entertainment giants like Disney and Pixar remove pro-LGBT elements from their storylines in response to moviegoers.
It’s obvious that consumers are tired of pro-LGBT pandering by corporations and other groups. It’s also deeply concerning when organizations use their wealth and influence to support ideologies that lead to troubling consequences. These sorts of efforts are out of step with everyday Americans, plain and simple.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.