The application window for the Arkansas LEARNS voucher program for the 2024-2025 school year for new participants opens on April 1, but students won’t be notified if they have been approved or not until June.
The Arkansas Department of Education is in the process of finalizing rules to govern Arkansas LEARNS and, until that is done, the state cannot move forward with the voucher approvals, Dustin Wood, director of school choice and parent empowerment at the Arkansas Department of Education, said in a Tuesday night webinar hosted by the Reform Alliance, a school voucher lobbying group.
The state Board of Education gave the nod earlier this month to open seven sets of rules to public comment with an April 24 deadline. The rules, which can be found here, cover some of the most controversial pieces of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, including a new requirement for public school students to complete community service as a graduation requirement and rules surrounding school bathrooms and gender identity.
After the 30-day comment period ends, the rules will come back to the Arkansas Board of Education for further edits or final approval before going on to the Legislature to be finalized.
An Arkansas LEARNS voucher is equivalent to 90% of the amount public school districts received the prior year in per-student state foundation funding, which is about $6,672 for the current year. The amount increases to $6,856 for the 2024-2025 school year, Wood said.
The renewal window for the 2024-25 school year for existing voucher students opened on March 4 and new students can begin applying on April 1.
In the current year, those eligible included students enrolled at F-rated schools; who are enrolled in kindergarten; who were or are in a foster care program; who have a disability; or who have an active-duty military parent.
The 2024-25 eligibility expands to include those enrolled in a D-rated school; who have a parent who is a military veteran; or who are children of first-responders. Homeschool and microschool students are also included.
Parents can go to the Department of Education website for more information and to register.
