Additional scholarships earmarked for disabled

Arkansas next school year will nearly double the number of publicly funded private school scholarships available to students with disabilities.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said last week that he will increase the Succeed Scholarship program’s funding to $3 million. The increase will expand the number of scholarships available to eligible students from 238 this school year to about 400 next year, said Valerie Pruitt, executive director of the Reform Alliance, the nonprofit group that administers the program.

The scholarships, which were created in 2015, are available to current public school students with an individualized education plan and to foster children.

Pruitt said the increase was needed because more families have wanted to apply for the scholarships than there are scholarships available. An Arkansas Department of Education spokesman said that the department didn’t maintain a wait list because it stops reviewing applications once all the scholarships have been awarded.

“There was definitely a demand,” Pruitt said. “We’re really happy and really appreciate the governor seeing the need and wanting to offer more families a choice.”

On a first-come, firstserved basis, the Succeed Scholarship program gives families a voucher based on the state’s per-student funding amount for public

school districts — $6,781 this school year. Pruitt said that amount sometimes covers all of the tuition and only partially in other cases.

The program has been controversial at the state Capitol in recent years as the General Assembly has passed several measures expanding the eligibility criteria.

In 2017, foster children were added to the list of eligible students. Earlier this year, Act 548 expanded the scholarships to students with individualized service plans.

Individualized service plans are similar to individualized education plans in that they’re developed for students with certain disabilities. The difference is that individualized service plans are created by private schools, whereas public schools develop individualized education plans.

The legislation met bipartisan opposition because some lawmakers felt that it expanded the program beyond its original intent. Rep. Jana Della Rosa, R-Rogers, spoke against the bill on the House floor, pointing out that the original program required students to try public schools first.

Act 548 takes effect July 24, and the application window for the Succeed Scholarship program begins today.

The General Assembly also passed Act 827 earlier this year requiring a legislative review of the program every two years. The bill’s sponsor, the House Education Committee chairman, Rep. Bruce Cozart, R-Hot Springs, said at the time that the review would give lawmakers an idea of how the program was working. They could then make informed decisions about whether the program should be tweaked or expanded, he said.

Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, sponsored the amendment to the Arkansas Department of Education’s budget that doubled the Succeed Scholarship program’s spending authority. He said he’d been pushing for the governor to fully fund the program.

“It’s been highly successful,” Hester said. “And it’s been highly successful in a market where parents, who clearly understand their kids best, need something other than what’s being offered. That’s the beauty of choice. Public school is the best option for most children but not all children.”

J.R. Davis, a spokesman for the governor, said that $1.8 million in the governor’s rainy day funds had already been allotted to the scholarship program, and Hutchinson will ask lawmakers to approve another $1.2 million rainy day fund transfer later this year. The approval would come from committees that meet when the Legislature is not in session.

Hester said he doesn’t expect lawmakers to hold up the funding.

“There may be some discussion on it and maybe even some dissenters, but I don’t foresee an issue getting it approved,” Hester said.

Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, a vocal advocate of school choice, praised the program’s increased funding.

“I applaud Governor Asa Hutchinson’s commitment to fully fund the Succeed Scholarship Program,” Griffin said in a statement. “Succeed Scholarships are already helping some of our most vulnerable children, and we must expand school choice, so that all children can obtain the best education for their individual learning needs regardless of income or ZIP code.”

“There may be some discussion on it and maybe even some dissenters, but I don’t foresee an issue getting it approved.” — Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs