64% of Arkansas’s general revenue (over $3 billion) goes to education (46% General, 18% Higher). Public school districts are the largest local government entities in the state, generally dwarfing their respective city and county budgets. And yet, school board and millage elections are held on an obscure date in September and generally decided by hundreds, if not tens, of votes.
This insider system has empowered incumbent school board members, administrators, and teachers unions to drive local and state education policy, while disengaging parents (public, private, home school), non-union teachers, employers and citizen property tax payers.
If the current governance model were delivering excellence to every student in Arkansas and properly preparing them for post-secondary (two and four-year) education and the workforce, change would be unnecessary. But it’s not.
Arkansas Learns, a nonprofit, nonpartisan alliance, empowers the private sector – employers, parents, citizens – to assert individual and collective leadership to ensure excellent education for all students to ensure the talent and workforce necessary for Arkansas and her people to successfully compete in a global economy.
Further, Arkansas Learns‘ highly interactive, user friendly online community gives members the opportunity to take action by joining local/regional Voter Groups, tracking state bills and local initiatives, telling state and local elected and appointed officials how they want them to vote on those issues, and holding those officials accountable for their actions.
By making the first investment in Arkansas Learns, The Walton Family Foundation has given the students and business community of Arkansas a gift. It is now up to Arkansas’s employers, parents and citizens to accept that gift and fully prepare all of our students for success by insisting on the following core principles:
- Students First Focus
- Accountability
- Transparency
- Innovation, Best Practices & Choice
- Return on Investment
Membership in Arkansas Learns is available to all employers and citizens, regardless of ability to invest:
- Individuals (Parents, Teachers, Citizens) – No Annual Fee
- Employers (Members of Local/Regional Chamber of Commerce/Economic Development Organization which is a Community Partner of Arkansas Learns) – No Annual Fee
- Employer Founding Honor Roll Investors (Includes All Employees as Sub-Accounts) – $100 – $50,000+
Because Arkansas Learns is a private, nonprofit, member-supported organization, only Investors may be considered for leadership roles within the organization. Arkansas Learns reserves the right to deny and/or revoke membership, including privileges on the website, for any reason.
Whatever your level of investment, join today! Because…
When Arkansas Learns, Arkansas Earns