Arkansas Lottery Gives Paltry 11% of Revenue to Scholarships in February

2 CommentsCurrent Events

Yesterday the Arkansas Lottery posted its financial figures for the month of February.

The Arkansas Lottery took in nearly $40.8 million in February, but paid out a paltry $4.5 million for scholarships–about 11% of its gross revenue for the month.

This is the same, old story we have seen month after month at the Arkansas Lottery: No matter what lottery ticket sales do, scholarship funding takes a backseat.

Even in January, when PowerBall sales went through the roof, college scholarships did not see even 24 cents of every dollar the Arkansas Lottery made.

Below is a breakdown of lottery figures since the start of Fiscal Year 2016 last July:

Month Gross Lottery Revenue Paid to Scholarships % Gross Revenue
July $ 31,665,651.14 $ 5,784,683.09 18.3%
August 31,265,177.55 5,490,094.00 17.6%
September 36,134,389.63 6,624,967.11 18.3%
October 35,261,533.80 6,020,642.32 17.1%
November 32,226,599.28 5,725,139.09 17.8%
December 38,670,746.09 6,425,754.66 16.6%
January, 2016 58,746,249.00 13,831,359.75 23.5%
February 40,790,144.05 4,474,356.06 11.0%
Total $ 304,760,490.54 $ 54,376,996.08 17.8%

As you can see, the Arkansas Lottery has allocated less than 18% of its total revenue for scholarships this fiscal year. Based on these numbers, the Arkansas Lottery is on track to pay out somewhere around $80 – $85 million for scholarships in Fiscal Year 2016.

Below is a breakdown of Arkansas Lottery figures since July of 2014:

Month Gross Lottery Revenue Paid to Scholarships % Gross Revenue
July, 2014 $ 30,925,067.43 $ 5,928,447.99 19.2%
August 31,571,412.10 5,296,965.80 16.8%
September 30,710,493.31 4,317,227.10 14.1%
October 32,959,739.29 5,939,625.59 18.0%
November 30,617,278.28 5,577,035.16 18.2%
December 34,507,731.54 5,474,318.77 15.9%
January, 2015 35,433,619.67 7,287,773.28 20.6%
February 41,770,314.46 6,161,343.01 14.8%
March 37,367,453.25 6,898,524.35 18.5%
April 33,866,970.54 5,881,005.95 17.4%
May 35,689,036.10 5,409,050.48 15.2%
June 33,815,559.59 8,278,928.14 24.5%
July 31,665,651.14 5,784,683.09 18.3%
August 31,265,177.55 5,490,094.00 17.6%
September 36,134,389.63 6,624,967.11 18.3%
October 35,261,533.80 6,020,642.32 17.1%
November 32,226,599.28 5,725,139.09 17.8%
December 38,670,746.09 6,425,754.66 16.6%
January, 2016 58,746,249.00 13,831,359.75 23.5%
February 40,790,144.05 4,474,356.06 11.0%
Total $ 713,995,166.10 $ 126,827,241.70 17.8%

 

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EU Labels ISIS Action “Genocide.” Will U.S. Follow?

Christian Persecution, Current Events

A few months ago we explained how the U.S. could be poised to label some of the atrocities committed by ISIS in the Middle East “genocide.”

I say “some of the atrocities,” because at the time the State Department was prepared to leave Christians off the list of genocide victims, despite the fact ISIS has specifically and brutally targeted Christians time and time again.

Last week, however, the European Union took steps to label ISIS violence as “genocide,” and to call on other nations to do the dame. Sophia Kuby, director of European Union advocacy at Alliance Defending Freedom International, issued a statement, saying,

“We applaud the European Parliament for having responded to clear and compelling evidence that Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East are victims of intentional destruction and genocide. The overwhelming majority who voted in favor of this recognition is remarkable and shows that Europe supports action against this intolerable and ongoing genocide. It was high time that the EU responded to the undeniable evidence of this genocide, which includes assassinations of church leaders, torture, mass murders, kidnapping, sexual enslavement, systematic rape of Christian and Yazidi girls and women, and the destruction of churches, monasteries, and cemeteries.”

You can read more about this decision by the European Union here.

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NE Arkansas School District to Offer Academic Course on the Bible

Current Events, Religious Freedom,

A public school district in northeast Arkansas has announced plans to offer students an elective, academic course on the Bible.

According to Christian Post, Westside Consolidated School District hopes to have course material lined up in time to offer the course to students during the 2016-2017 school year.

Act 1440 of 2013–sponsored by Rep. Denny Altes and enacted under Governor Mike Beebe–permits public schools to offer elective academic courses that study “the Bible and its influence on literature, art, music, culture, and politics.”

The law states the course must be objective and nonsectarian, and it must meet the same academic standards as other elective courses offered in public schools. Anyone wishing to teach the course must be licensed to teach in the State of Arkansas.

Courts have indicated the U.S. Constitution does not prevent public school students from being taught about the Bible and its significance throughout human history, provided the instruction is conducted in an educational and neutral manner.

In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court even went so far in its Stone v. Graham decision as to say, “the Bible may constitutionally be used in an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like.” The key is the state has to have a legitimate, secular purpose in offering elective courses on the Bible.

In the case of Act 1440, the purpose is clear: To study the Bible’s influence on multiple facets of our culture. Since no single book has held more sway over western culture than the Bible, this purpose seems more than reasonable.

Of course it’s also worth remembering students and teachers do not shed their First Amendment freedoms simply by walking into a public school. Students and teachers can peacefully read their Bibles or pray during breaks, before school, and after school. Students are free to form religiously-based student organizations–such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Students can even discuss their faith, if relevant, as part of course assignments and homework.

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