Arkansas School Standards and State Education Obligations Initiative (2024)
| Arkansas School Standards and State Education Obligations Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 5, 2024 | |
| Topic Education | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin Citizens |
The Arkansas School Standards and State Education Obligations Initiative was not on the ballot in Arkansas as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 5, 2024.
This measure would have required schools that receive state or local funds to have identical standards and expand the state's obligations relating to education.[1]
Text of measure
Popular name
The popular name would have been as follows:[1]
| “ | The Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2024[2] | ” |
Ballot title
The ballot title would have been as follows:[1]
| “ | An amendment to Article 14 (Education) of the Arkansas constitution requiring identical academic standards and identical standards for accreditation, including assessments of students and schools based on such standards, for any school that receives State or local funds; defining “receives, or in receipt of, any State or local funds” to mean: (i) receipt by the school of any State or local funds, property, or tax credits to cover or defray, in whole or in part, the costs of any student attending the school; (ii) receipt by the student attending the school, or the student’s parents or guardians, of any state or local funds, property, or tax credits to cover or defray, in whole or in part, the costs of the student attending the school; or (iii) receipt by a school, a student attending the school, or the student’s parents or guardians, of financial assistance for the cost of the student attending the school that is funded, in whole or in part, by monetary contributions that qualify for a State tax credit under Arkansas law; denying State or local funds to any non-public school that fails to meet the same academic standards, standards for accreditation, or assessment requirements as public schools; expanding the State’s obligation to ever maintain a general, suitable, and efficient system of free public schools to include: (1) universal access to voluntary, early childhood education for students three (3) years old until they qualify for Kindergarten; (2) universal access to voluntary afterschool and summer programs necessary for the achievement of an adequate education; (3) assistance to children who are within 200% of the federal poverty line so that the qualifying children can achieve an adequate education and overcome the negative impact of poverty on education; and (4) services that fully meet the individualized needs of students with disabilities to allow them meaningful access to integrated education; defining an adequate education as, without limitation, all children developing sufficient: (1) oral and written communication skills to enable students to function in a complex and rapidly changing civilization; (2) knowledge of economic, social, and political systems to enable students to make informed choices; (3) understanding of governmental processes to enable students to understand the issues that affect their community, state, and nation; (4) self-knowledge and knowledge of their mental and physical wellness; (5) grounding in the arts to enable students to appreciate their cultural and historical heritage; (6) training or preparation for advanced training in either academic or vocational fields so as to enable children to choose and pursue life work intelligently; and (7) academic or vocational skills to enable public school students to compete favorably with their counterparts in surrounding states, in academics or in the job market; requiring the General Assembly to enact legislation to implement this amendment, including allocating funding necessary to fully implement this amendment; forbidding the General Assembly from amending, altering, or repealing this amendment absent a vote of the people; and providing that this amendment’s provisions are severable.[2] | ” |
The attorney general's opinion may be found here.
Support
For AR Kids led the campaign in support of the initiative.
Supporters
- Arkansas Conference of the NAACP[3]
- Arkansas Education Association[3]
- Arkansas Public Policy Panel[3]
- Citizens First Congress[3]
- Arkansas Retired Teachers Association[3]
- Stand Up Arkansas[3]
Opposition
Arkansans for Students and Educators led the campaign in opposition to the initiative.[3]
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Arkansas, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot is equal to 10 percent of the votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. Proponents must collect signatures equaling at least half of the designated percentage of gubernatorial votes in at least 50 of the state's counties. Signatures remain valid until the date of the next general election following the certification of ballot language. Signature petitions must be submitted four months prior to the election at which the measure is to appear.
The requirements to get initiated constitutional amendments certified for the 2024 ballot:
- Signatures: 90,704 valid signatures
- Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was July 5, 2024.
If the secretary of state certifies that enough signatures were submitted in a petition, the initiative is put on the ballot. If a petition fails to meet the signature requirement, but the petition has at least 75 percent of the valid signatures needed, petitioners have 30 days to collect additional signatures or demonstrate that rejected signatures are valid.
Details about this initiative
- Clinton W. Lancaster filed the proposed initiative. Attorney General Tim Griffin approved the ballot language on January 11, 2024.[1]
- On June 20, 2024, U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker of the Eastern District of Arkansas granted a request from For AR Kids blocking an ordinance approved by the town of Rose Bud that would have blocked proponents' ability to collect signatures for the measure at the town's Summerfest in a public park.[4]
- Sponsors did not collect enough valid signatures.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Arkansas Attorney General, "Opinion No. 2023-132," accessed January 16, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Arkansas Advocate, "Arkansas groups declare neutrality, opposition to proposed education ballot initiative," accessed April 9, 2024
- ↑ Arkansas Advocate, "Ballot measure supporters can collect signatures at Arkansas town’s festival, federal judge rules," accessed June 22, 2024
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State of Arkansas Little Rock (capital) |
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