Arkansas’s voucher program has become a publicly funded shopping spree
A deep dive into the state’s Education Freedom Account (EFA) data shows that taxpayer dollars, which are meant to educate Arkansas kids, are being spent on everything from TikTok purchases and Tommy Hilfiger polos to Cracker Barrel brunches and Nintendo games.
The University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions, via their School Choice Demonstration Project, released the report that includes expenditures for the 2024-2025 voucher program.
Where the $$$ goes
The numbers tell a story of a program that’s already out of control. Arkansas taxpayers are subsidizing the lifestyles of some families, not the education of their children.
The most recent EFA report looks at spending from the previous school year, which was the academic year before the voucher program was offered universally to any student in Arkansas. Here’s a snapshot of some very non-educational expenditures paid with your tax dollars:
- Restaurants and recreation spending at places like Cracker Barrel, Harp’s, and What’s for Dinner. Did we mention there’s a taxpayer-funded reimbursement for Buc-ees?
- Luxury retail spending at Ralph Lauren, Ray-Ban, and Tommy Hilfiger. EFAs aren’t supposed to fund designer eyewear and wardrobes, especially while other Arkansans can’t afford health care.
- Home entertainment + gaming expenditures. Folks spent taxpayer money on Nintendo games, as well as VAVA and XGIMI, which are home theater equipment sites.
- Lifestyle purchases for things like the Little Rock Athletic Club and Freckled Hen gift boutique in Fayetteville. Home Goods, a decor store, is also listed as a vendor.
- Snack subscriptions like Universal Yums, which is literally just a monthly box of candy. SNAP benefit recipients can’t spend their money on candy but EFA recipients can. Make it make sense.
- Banned platforms + Chinese companies. TikTok and Shein, both Chinese companies, are explicitly prohibited from state contracting under Arkansas law.
Public cash funding private religion
In the 2024-2025 school year, more than $70 million of EFA funds went directly to religious private schools and other sectarian institutions. These schools aren’t required to meet the same transparency, testing, or nondiscrimination standards as public schools… not to mention that pesky establishment clause of the First Amendment.
Parents can even spend EFA dollars on religious homeschool curricula (Abeka, BJU Press, Apologia, and Classical Conversations, which teach creationism (which has been soundly debunked) and Christian Nationalism (which advocates for taking away our freedoms) instead of expert-approved science and civics.
Voucher money leaving Arkansas 💸💸💸
At least $4 million in EFA purchases flowed out of state to Amazon, Apple, and other national retailers headquartered outside of Arkansas.
Thousands more went to foreign companies, like we mentioned above, including AliExpress, Temu, and Shein.
The same politicians who rail against state money going to China are quietly allowing Arkansas education dollars to fly away from Arkansas businesses and straight into the Chinese marketplace.
Who benefits?
While the voucher spending spree continues, Arkansas’s public schools are tightening budgets, cutting staff, and cutting programs. The EFA system sold as “helping low-income families” is effectively underwriting luxury living. Private club memberships and boutique shopping. Designer brands and snack boxes. Home entertainment systems and fitness perks.
We must see clearly that educational freedom is a scam. It’s not intended to actually help kids that need it. It’s economic favoritism disguised as education reform.
Taxpayers are the only source of accountability
Unless Arkansans demand oversight for vouchers, your tax dollars will keep flowing into TikTok and Ralph Lauren while public-school kids go without crucial supplies and infrastructure.
Who’s really getting what they need here? Our kids, or the grifters gaming the system?
For AR People demands accountability. We’re calling for:
1) A robust reporting system that requires categorical spending and full description of services. If candidates for office can supply this information, homeschool families can too.
2) Audits of spending that is unrelated to legitimate education.
3) Repayment requirements for those who misuse our tax dollars. These individuals should not be allowed to continue receiving voucher cash until the money they stole from us has been repaid.
4) An end to out-of-state and foreign vendor eligibility for Arkansas voucher dollars. If we say no state money should go to China, let’s make sure it doesn’t happen with EFA money.
Public money should serve a public purpose. Not Cracker Barrel. Not TikTok. Not Tommy Hilfiger.
Want to see exactly where your money went? We’ve uploaded the raw vendor data, dollar for dollar, below. Take a look and decide if this is what “education freedom” looks like to you.
