Cornerstone Christian Academy

“I taught at Cornerstone Christian Academy for seven years, and this is my second year as principal. Cornerstone is a homeschool co-op in Kensett, and most of our students are part of the Education Freedom Account program this year. 

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Before this year, we had several students attending on scholarships. That means as a school, we discount the tuition, which leads to less money coming in and our teachers not being paid super well. We try to keep our tuition cost low, because we have families who can’t pay a lot but don’t want their kids in public school. We’ve had a history of people falling behind on payments or not being able to make them, especially because we’re living in hard times financially right now. This year, we had lots of families sign up for the EFA program, which means they’re not struggling to make payments. 

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There was one family who attended in the past, and their mom had to work off the tuition cost by teaching here every day and not getting paid. Unfortunately, her situation didn’t work out to come do that for the last couple of years, and her kids couldn’t attend. As soon as she found out about the EFA program, she applied. Now, her kids come back to school here. And she’s not coming in to work it off. It’s been like that for a lot of families.

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We had another family that attended this school for 10 or 11 years, and every year they needed a scholarship. This year, they all qualified and could pay the full amount. It’s not causing financial strain for them. Before the EFA program, they were looking at going to a public school, but that would have been a huge change for their family. We’re glad they were able to stay. 

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In the past, we’ve had a hard time paying the teachers and keeping tuition costs low. Last year, we had several students on scholarships and a few more that needed to leave. When we sat down to figure out the budget this year, we were excited to find out we could pay everybody. We can pay the bills, and there’s some money left over as a buffer, just in case. We didn’t have that last year.

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I have a friend who has wanted to send her son here for years, but she couldn’t afford it. This year is his first year being able to come, because he qualified for the EFA program. With the times we’re living in now, you can’t go to the store without spending nearly $100 dollars on just a few items. The economy isn’t doing well, and we have lots of students who wouldn’t be here without this program.

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Recently, a new family enrolled in our school because their children were being bullied pretty badly. They’ve attended for a little over a month and are loving school again. The kids needed a change of environment to help them get over their fear of school. Their family is well below the poverty line and saw no way to enroll before the EFA program. We allowed the kids to attend as soon as they applied for the EFA program, because they met the requirements for this year. Unfortunately, the funding for this year ran out before their application could be approved, so we’re working together to make sure they can attend. But they will be on the waiting list for next year. Had the EFA program not been available, they never would have tried to attend this school, because there was no way to afford it.

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The EFA program definitely is not just for the ‘rich kids.’ We have lots of families who struggled to send their kids here in the past. My kids also qualified, because my husband is a veteran. We’re not rich or poor—we live comfortably but also struggle sometimes. Not spending that much on tuition helps us go to Walmart and buy what we need for $100. I haven’t seen this program just be for the rich kids. It’s helping those who would not be here otherwise, because they couldn’t afford it. Whether you live comfortably or not, there will be times when something comes up and you’re scrambling to cover tuition. Knowing that my tuition will be paid every month no matter what—and that my teachers will get paid—is a huge relief. 

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I want to thank all of the people who worked to put this program in place, and apologize for all of the people who are impatient with them. They’ve made it possible for us to keep kids that we wouldn’t have been able to keep otherwise, because they’re not from rich families. The program has opened us up to help kids that are less financially fortunate but can still come and get a private education. We’re a Christian school, so we also pour into these kids spiritually. I’ve watched kids’ lives be transformed because they’re here, and they wouldn’t be if tuition wasn’t paid for.”

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Amber McChristian

Principal, Arkansas mom, and Education Freedom beneficiary

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