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                    (March 14, 2011) Students and teachers at Arkansas charter schools are less likely to face weapons incidents and assaults than their counterparts at traditional public schools, according to a Policy Foundation analysis of 2009 school performance report cards. (1)   The analysis compared the percentage of discipline incidents in charter schools with those in […]

(March 2011) Arkansas Medicaid program costs have tripled since 1996, increasing from $1.3 billion to $4.1 billion (2010), with an increase of another $416 million projected for 2011. (1)   The number of unduplicated beneficiaries nearly doubled from 356,053 to 755,607. The average cost of treating a beneficiary rose from $3,651 to $5,429.  The number of […]

INTRODUCTION  The Policy Foundation has advanced Arkansas virtual education for nearly a decade.   Virtual School Application and Charter Expansion (2002-11)   The Foundation submitted an application to establish an Arkansas virtual school for K-12 students in 2002.  The application was submitted after discussions with education officials.  The application was withdrawn following further discussions.  The state Department of […]

“Issue school-by-school performance report cards to parents and the public. Use the results of this report card to hold schools accountable–rewards for those performing on an exceptional basis and sanctions for low performing schools.”  1998 Policy Foundation recommendation (February 2011) The status of Arkansas’ first formal government report to issue grades to districts based on performance is […]

  The capital gains tax “makes Arkansas less competitive in attracting capital as compared with states with lower or no capital gains tax rates.” Murphy Commission, Policy Foundation, 1998   (February 2011) Legislative branch action to freeze part of Gov. Mike Beebe’s proposed $109 million spending increase for FY 2012 creates the policy option of […]

(January 2011) Funding for core Arkansas government functions—education, corrections and transportation—could occur at slightly increased rates while other operations are frozen at current levels, providing $31 million in savings to cut state income, capital gains and grocery tax rates.   Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe has called on tax cut proponents to identify spending cuts.(1)  Spending cuts […]

(December 2010) Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe has called on tax cut proponents to identify spending cuts.  But spending cuts are not required to cut income, capital gains or grocery tax rates. Three 2011-2013 budget alternatives that increase state spending at lower percentage rates or freeze spending at current levels would provide an extra $57 million-to-$109 million […]

Tax policy recommendations extracted from a statewide conference on taxation and two Policy Foundation research papers include a proposal to repeal the state capital gains tax.  (Arkansas Policy Foundation, 1998) (October 2010) Arkansas Republicans are poised to increase their numbers at the state Capitol next month, which means capital gains taxes are likely to emerge as an issue […]

(August 2010) Five ‘A’-rated Arkansas school districts in four Policy Foundation studies have fewer discipline incidents, with one exception than three in Pulaski County (Little Rock, North Little Rock and the Pulaski County Special School District). The five districts—Bentonville, Fayetteville, Greenwood, Lakeside (Garland County) and Valley View—received ‘A’ grades in four consecutive Foundation Arkansas School District […]

“Consider an across-the-board (tax) cut, reduce the marginal rates, exempt taxpayers below a certain income level from filing, and expedite the process of indexing for inflation (Arkansas Policy Foundation, 1998)   (August 2010) The federal Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act (1978), also known as ‘Humphrey-Hawkins’ assigned a target unemployment rate of 4.0 percent for […]