Tag: Arkansas Legislature

Unpacking EFA Rules, Homeschool Measures at the Capitol

We are urging homeschoolers across the state to call the Arkansas House of Representatives and Arkansas Senate, and ask their lawmakers to oppose H.R. 1008, S.R. 16, and a new set of Educational Freedom Account rules from the Arkansas Department of Education.

Call your senator: You can call 501-682-2902 between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. to leave a message asking your state senator to oppose these measures.

Call your representative: You can call 501-682-6211 between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. to leave a message asking your state representative to oppose these measures.

Here is more information about how these measures would affect homeschoolers.

H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 Restrict Homeschoolers Under EFA Program

H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 would restrict homeschoolers participating in the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program.

Lawmakers created the EFA program in 2023, making it possible for Arkansas students to use public funds to pay for an education at a public or private school or at home. Thousands of students have taken advantage of school choice in Arkansas under this program, and many homeschool families have benefited from it.

H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 would significantly reduce EFA funding for homeschoolers and implement mandatory assessment scores for students participating in the EFA program.

It would also expand the list of mandatory reporters to include education service providers who work with homeschoolers.

These proposed laws are homeschool control measures dressed up as accountability measures. They turn educational freedom into a state compliance program. The State is using EFA dollars as a way to standardize and regulate homeschooling rather than provide parents the freedom to tailor the education that is best for their children.

You can read our entire policy brief about these laws here.

The 2026 Educational Freedom Account Rules Stop Homeschoolers from Using EFA Money for Certain Team Sports

New rules from the Department of Education would prohibit Educational Freedom Account spending on team sports that require tryouts or that limit participation based on ability. That means that a homeschool student who wants to play basketball for a local school could not pay for athletic expenses with EFA money even though public schools pay for team sports with state money.

Arkansas law clearly caps extracurricular spending at 25% of a student’s total EFA funding, which means no more than one-fourth of a student’s EFA money can go toward team sports and extracurricular activities. The new rules go farther by prohibiting all spending on team sports that require tryouts.

The rules also limit EFA balances. Right now, EFA funds can roll over each year up to a maximum balance of $20,000. But the new rules set this limit at $8,500 or a lesser amount set by the Arkansas Legislature in a future session.

The proposed rules also set up a new framework differentiating between “core educational expenses” versus “qualifying expenses.”

Lawmakers could vote very soon on whether to approve the Department of Education’s new EFA rules.

You can read our entire policy brief about the new rules here.

Please contact your lawmakers, and ask them to oppose the bad homeschool laws H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 and the Department of Education’s bad EFA rules.

You can call 501-682-2902 to leave a message asking your state senator to oppose these measures.

You can call 501-682-6211 to leave a message asking your state representative to oppose these measures.

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

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Two Measures Filed to Restrict Homeschoolers Under EFA Program

Last week, two bad resolutions authorizing introduction of non-budget measures were filed at the Arkansas Legislature.

The General Assembly convened on Wednesday for its 2026 budget session, and lawmakers are currently reviewing appropriations for the coming fiscal year. During the budget session, legislators can file non-appropriation measures, but those measures cannot be brought up for consideration without a two-thirds vote of the Arkansas House and Senate.

Two identical non-appropriation measures — H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 — have been filed to restrict homeschoolers participating in the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program.

Lawmakers created the EFA program in 2023, making it possible for Arkansas students to use public funds to pay for an education at a public or private school or at home. Thousands of students have taken advantage of school choice in Arkansas under this program, and many homeschool families have benefited from it.

H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 would significantly reduce EFA funding for homeschoolers and implement mandatory assessment scores for students participating in the EFA program.

It’s worth pointing out that lawmakers have rejected homeschool testing legislation in the past.

The State of Arkansas used to require homeschoolers to take a state-mandated test. In 2009, Arkansas’ homeschoolers performed better on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills than 61% – 80% of the students who took that test, nationwide.

According to the 2013-2014 Home School Report from the Arkansas Department of Education, in 2014 homeschoolers in grades 3 – 9 scored anywhere from the 51st percentile to the 65th percentile on that same test.

In fact, homeschoolers in Arkansas performed so well on standardized tests that the Arkansas Legislature finally ended state-mandated homeschool testing in 2015.

H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 cannot be brought up for consideration without a two-thirds vote of the Arkansas House and Arkansas Senate, and there does not seem to be much interest in these measures among lawmakers at this time.

Family Council and its homeschool division, the Education Alliance, plan to continue monitoring this legislation at the Capitol.

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

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