**Arkansas’s school voucher program**—officially called *Education Freedom Accounts*—is facing a funding shortfall for the upcoming 2025–26 school year. The state has allocated a total of **$277.4 million**, including a $90 million reserve, yet it's already almost tapped out. Demand surged after vouchers were made available to all K–12 students statewide, but that expansion wasn't matched with sufficient funds.
Each voucher is worth up to 90% of the state’s per-student public school funding, or about **$6,994**. So far, over **44,000 applications** have been submitted, and more than **39,000** have been approved—putting the current voucher cost at around **$274.9 million**. That leaves funding for only about **350 more vouchers**, even though thousands more applications are pending.
The Arkansas Department of Education has begun using a **priority list** to determine who gets aid, favoring returning students and those with special needs. Lawmakers are expected to approve the release of the $90 million reserve shortly, but whether even more funding will be requested in the near future remains uncertain.
**1. Reduced Public School Funding:**
Since each voucher pulls funds from the state’s public education budget, every dollar that goes to a private school via a voucher is a dollar no longer supporting public schools. With tens of thousands of students now approved, the financial strain on traditional schools could be substantial—especially in rural or under-resourced districts.
**2. Enrollment Shifts and Resource Drain:**
As more students exit the public system, schools may experience declining enrollment, which can trigger cuts to staffing, programs, and services. Ironically, those left behind—often students with the highest needs—may suffer the most from a shrinking pool of resources.
**3. Accountability Concerns:**
Public schools are subject to strict academic standards and oversight. Private schools receiving vouchers don’t always face the same level of transparency or performance reporting, which may muddy the water on educational outcomes at the system level.
### Implications for Low-Income Families
**1. Limited Access Despite “Universal” Framing:**
While the program is marketed as open to all, private school tuition often exceeds the voucher amount. That means families with fewer resources may still be unable to afford participation, leaving them functionally excluded from the program's benefits.
**2. Equity Gaps May Widen:**
Families with the means to supplement the vouchers—through transportation, tuition gaps, or extracurricular fees—can fully benefit, whereas low-income families may be left behind. This dynamic risks creating a two-tiered education system: one for those who can afford choice, and another for those who cannot leave public schools.
**3. Uneven Distribution of Support Services:**
Students with special needs or those requiring ESL programs may not find equivalent support in private schools. And if public schools lose the funding necessary to provide these services, vulnerable students could face significant setbacks.