UPDATE (APRIL 12, 2025): Since the publication of this article, SB625 has been amended. The amendment partially addresses some of the concerns below; however, other concerning provisions (most notably the arbitrary caps on certain expenditures) still remain.
Over the past two years, Arkansas has emerged as a national leader in the education freedom movement. With the passage of the LEARNS Act and the launch of Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs), families across the state are finally able to access more choices for their children’s education.
Thousands of families have embraced this opportunity, and the early results have been inspiring. For families like the Beans, the Sandersfelds, the Blines, the Cunninghams, and thousands more, this program has changed their lives—reigniting their children’s love of learning and giving them options they would not be able to access otherwise.
Now, in the very last week of the legislative session, a bill is being pushed through the General Assembly that would roll back this progress and limit access to education freedom for families across the state.
SB625 is sponsored by Sen. Breanne Davis (80% – Russellville) and Rep. Keith Brooks (80% – Little Rock), both sponsors of the LEARNS Act. Thanks to Sen. Davis and Rep. Brooks, Arkansas has become a national leader in education freedom. But unfortunately the language in this bill would take the program in the wrong direction.
1. Spending Caps That Burden Families
SB625 would place hard limits on how much EFA families can spend on certain categories of expenses, such as transportation and extracurricular activities. These new caps would require families to track their spending with extreme precision, adding new red tape and stress—especially for those who are still adjusting to how the program works.
These restrictions might sound minor on paper, but they make it more difficult for families to use the program. If a family accidentally exceeds these caps, they could be penalized under the bill’s new fraud provisions.
EFAs were designed to give parents the flexibility to meet their child’s unique needs—not to create bureaucratic hurdles that resemble the very system many families were trying to escape.
2. Expelling Students from the Program
Another troubling provision in SB625 would remove students from the EFA program if they are expelled from a participating school. This means a child facing academic or behavioral challenges—often the very reason families seek alternatives—could be denied access to the program altogether.
This contradicts the very spirit of educational freedom. Families should be empowered to move their child to a better fit, not punished for hitting roadblocks. Expulsion alone is a severe punishment, and denying families access to education freedom dollars to find another option for their children only diminishes the chance that they will find a better environment that helps get them on the right track.
3. Lower Standards for Accusations of Fraud
Under current law, families can be removed from the EFA program for “substantial misuse” of funds. SB625 would remove this standard, opening the door for families to be kicked out of the program for a variety of reasons that are not clearly articulated in the bill, without any requirements that parents first be notified, provided an opportunity to remediate the error, or appeal the decision.
This lowered threshold could leave well-meaning families vulnerable to removal over minor errors or misunderstandings. As the program grows, we should make it easier for families to succeed and work with them to utilize the program appropriately—not make the rules more ambiguous and intimidating.
4. Aggressive Clawback Provisions
Perhaps most concerning of all, SB625 allows the state to pursue repayment of EFA funds “by all means permitted by law.” In plain terms, that could include garnishing wages or withholding tax refunds from families accused of spending violations—again, even if those violations are accidental.
Arkansas doesn’t even take this approach with traditional welfare programs, many of which are far more prone to abuse of much larger sums of taxpayer dollars. The mere threat of garnishing a parent’s wages due to a determination made by the Department of Education would discourage an untold number of families from even participating in the program.
5. A Narrow Enrollment Window That Shuts Families Out
SB625 would limit the EFA application window to just two months: February 1 to April 1. That might seem reasonable at first glance—but in practice, it means any family that decides to seek an alternative school after the spring semester begins (a common reality for many families) will be forced to wait an entire year before enrolling.
That’s a long time for a child to remain stuck in a school that isn’t working. A better approach would be to keep the window open through the summer months—closer to when most families finalize their school decisions. Education flexibility requires enrollment flexibility.
6. A Signal That the Program Might Not Be Fully Funded
One quiet provision in SB625 suggests that EFAs may not be fully funded in the future. It creates a framework to prioritize funding by need if resources are limited. While similar language was included in the original LEARNS Act, the program has now grown and will be available to every family in Arkansas starting with this school year.
The state has implemented this program, asked parents to participate, and offered it to everyone in the state. Utilizing language that suggests that it might not be fully funded in the future sends the wrong message—that education freedom is conditional.
It undermines the commitment we made to families—that all students would have access to this opportunity, no matter their income or background. Rather than preemptively scaling back expectations, we should be doubling down on ensuring the program’s sustainability.
A Better Path
Arkansas has received national praise for its implementation of Education Freedom Accounts. Opportunity Arkansas is committed to working with policymakers to build the best education freedom program in the country.
There is no doubt that there are certainly ways that the EFA program can be improved. In fact, we have highlighted several policy changes in our Roadmap to Opportunity. But at its core, the program is meant to serve families, and these policies should focus on putting students first.
We are grateful to those in the legislature who have fought for these principles and laid the groundwork for EFAs to succeed. But SB625, as currently written, is a step backward.
It adds complexity, reduces flexibility, and undermines trust—all without giving families the tools they need to thrive in the program. It could cause families to lose access to EFAs over technicalities, drive parents away from participation, and discourage new families from exploring the program in the future.
In passing the LEARNS Act, our state made a promise to deliver education freedom to every family in Arkansas, and it’s a promise that should be kept.
