School Choice Rally

House Bill 1897 (Parental Choice Scholarship Program) is now in the Arkansas General Assembly, will be heard by the House Committee on Education April 2 at 10:00 am. This bill will make educational options affordable for nearly all Arkansas families. It allows parents of students in grades four through eight to direct up to 92% percent of their state and local ?adequate funding amount? (currently $6,267 per pupil) in the form of scholarships in the amount of $5765 per student to the school of their choice beginning in 2014. Each year thereafter, one grade on each side of this band will be added until all students in K-12 grades are covered. HB1897 makes it feasible for more parents to choose the best school for their kids, whether that is public, private, charter, or religious.