Today members of joint education met early to hear the Arkansas ACCESS bill, the Governor’s signature piece of education legislation for the 95th General Assembly.
Arkansas ACCESS (filed as twin bills HB1512 and SB246) would reshape higher education funding, scholarships, governance, and school accountability. We know you don’t have time to sit and watch hours of committee discussion, so here’s a quick rundown of what was discussed among committee members.
1. More state control, fewer local voices
- The bill cuts some education boards, raising concerns about rural and minority representation being lost
- Sponsors argue it’s too hard to get work done with a large board, but critics say it removes key voices from decision-making
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2. Rural schools & online learning in question
- Lawmakers pushed back on limits to virtual concurrent credit courses (college classes taken in high school), which rural schools heavily rely on
- The bill originally removed state funding for online courses, but an amendment restored some funding ($65 per credit hour) — though questions remain about how much schools will have to cover and how the changes will be implemented
3. Scholarships are expanding; some conditions may apply
- ACCESS creates $23 million in new scholarships, including more aid for Arkansas military families.
- However, raising concerns over the Arkansas Heroes Scholarship, which may deny benefits to students if a family member dies by suicide
4. School grading and accountability system changes
- The bill eliminates certain data points in how Arkansas rates schools, including:
- Number of teachers with advanced degrees
- Percentage of students in concurrent credit courses
- Growth of students with disabilities
- Some lawmakers worry these changes will hide important indicators of school quality and equity
5. Banning student advocacy?
- Students will no longer be excused for civic engagement or legislative advocacy — something several lawmakers from both parties pushed back on
- Critics argue this is an attempt to silence student voices, while supporters claim it ensures students stay in class to learn
6. Restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher ed
- Some higher ed folks worry the bill could limit academic freedom by restricting teaching or research related to DEI topics
7. Democrats again shut out of the process
- Rep. Murdock called out GOP lawmakers for drafting the bill without input from Democratic legislators or minority communities
- The debate highlighted a pattern of one-party control, where policies impacting all Arkansans are crafted behind closed doors and revealed only after being filed
- Sponsors denied this was the case with ACCESS, saying they are proud of the drafting process which has taken into account feedback from many stakeholders; Murdock did not accept this as due diligence
The Bottom Line
Arkansas ACCESS is being sold as a commonsense higher education reform, but it consolidates power to the state, limits student advocacy, weakens rural education options, and raises concerns about equity.
The overall impact is a shift toward state control over local decision-making, which is quite similar to the impact of 2023’s LEARNS Act. Some parts of this legislation could help students succeed, but others may do more harm than good. We simply wish the bad could be separated from the good to better serve Arkansas students.
What do you think? Should Arkansas be prioritizing in-person education over online options? Should students be penalized for participating in civic engagement?
Wanna dig deeper? Follow our Bluesky account for LIVE updates (don’t hate on the typos) as this bill moves through the legislature.
