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(March 2019) Critics argue school choice benefits only the wealthy1 but records show most2 Arkansas private schools serve the middle-class, charging annual tuition rates less than the $6,781 state K-12 student foundation grant.3 Fayetteville Christian School $2,3754 First Baptist Christian School (Rogers) $2,500-$4,8005 North Little Rock Catholic Academy $2,750-$3,0006 Miss Selma’s School (Little Rock) $2,820-$4,4657 […]

“Government, in order to be lean and effective, needs to be infused with market forces; less of a monopoly provider of services and more a broker of services in a competitive; and measured for accountability and performance.”1 Murphy Commission, Policy Foundation Project First in a series on how to advance Arkansas’ fiscal progress. (February 2019) […]

“Market-based economists have opposed the taxation of food for more than 200 years … The outstanding example is France in the (late) 18th Century …. French economist A.R.J. Turgot (1727-1781) … attempted to stop the French government’s dependence on sales taxes and the corve’, a form of forced labor used against the poor.” Policy Foundation research memo, 2002 […]

“State agencies are using consolidation to advance efficiencies.  The practice should be applied to other governmental units …” Efficiency Project, 20161   (January 2019) Gov. Asa Hutchinson proposes reorganizing state government from 42 to 15 agencies, the most sweeping consolidation since 1971.    In proposing the reorganization in November, Gov. Hutchinson stated, “This move will increase an […]

(January 2019) Sixty-five percent (65%) of the nearly 4,800 K-12 students enrolled in Little Rock open-enrollment public charters in 2018-19 attend schools in zip codes with median household incomes less than $62,258, Arkansas Department of Education1 and U.S. Census Bureau2 data show. Three percent (3%) of students attend a charter in one of Little Rock’s […]

“Capital flight is an economic problem in Arkansas. Entrepreneurs have fled Arkansas, which has the highest top income tax rate (6.9) among border states. Three in the region … do not levy an individual income tax.” Policy Foundation column, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, December 28, 2018 (January 2019) Various factors such as a skilled work force, infrastructure […]

(January 2019) Only 17 states have job creation rates1 greater than the U.S. average in the current economic expansion that is in its ninth year.2   Utah 29.6% Nevada 23.6% Colorado 23.4% Texas 23.1% Florida 22.9% Idaho 21.9% Washington 21.5% Oregon 20.2% California 19.8% Arizona 19.0% North Dakota 18.6% South Carolina 18.2% Georgia 17.5% North […]

“There is significant evidence that reductions in marginal state tax rates encourage state economic growth …Rates on productive behavior should be reduced.” “Reduce the state’s income tax.” Policy Foundation, Murphy Commission project, 1998 (January 30, 2019) A fiscal proposal by Gov. Asa Hutchinson and state legislators is being described as the “two-four-five point nine” (2-4-5.9) […]

  (December 2018) More K-12 students are participating in the Pulaski County school choice market in the current school year (2018-19) than total enrollment in three of four local public school districts, Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) records and other data show. The school choice market includes K-12 students attending charter, private and home schools. […]

“The most callused aspect of the current education monopoly in Arkansas is that it willingly and deliberately forces children–except those whose parents have wealth–to attend bad schools.” Policy Foundation report,11998   (December 2018) The Arkansas school choice market continues its explosive growth rate, expanding from an estimated 66,627 K-12 students (2013)2 to more than 83,000 […]