AEA in the News
March 24, 2025 - Arkansas community leaders discuss Dept. of Education lawsuits
Several national groups, including the NAACP and National Education Association, are filing lawsuits against the Trump administration in response to the president signing an executive order to end the Department of Education.
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March 21, 2025 - How dismantling the Department of Education affects Arkansas
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday aimed at dismantling the Department of Education.
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March 20, 2025 - Oliva endorses Trump’s executive order ending the U.S. Department of Education
Responding to a request to weigh in, Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva told legislators Thursday he supports President Donald Trump's decision to shutter the U.S. Department of Education.
February 24, 2025 - The Arkansas Access Act will soon be heard by lawmakers and the public
The Arkansas Access Act is a comprehensive higher education reform bill that consists of 122 pages and more than 36,000 words, and nearly half of the bill applies to public schools.
February 18, 2025 - House committee approves two of Hammer’s ballot initiative bills after more than five hours of debate
The Arkansas House of Representatives Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs met on Monday, February 17, and approved two of three bills filed by Republican State Senator Kim Hammer (Benton), which add more requirements to the petitioning process of ballot initiatives. The State Senate passed five bills, but Hammer held Senate Bills 209 and 210 in the Senate because they did not receive enough votes to enact the emergency clauses.
February 18, 2025 - Arkansas Advocate: Direct democracy bills stir passion, hours of discussion in Arkansas House committee
A divided House committee on Monday, February 17, 2025, advanced two bills to regulate how signatures are gathered in Arkansas for citizen-led ballot initiatives after nearly six hours of debate that included at-times passionate testimony and bipartisan opposition.
February 18, 2025 - State House committee discusses three of Senator Hammer's ballot initiative bills
The Arkansas House of Representatives Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs met on Monday, February 17, and considered three bills filed by Republican State Senator Kim Hammer (Benton), which add more requirements to the petitioning process of ballot initiatives.
February 14, 2025 - Arkansas education advocates resubmit ballot measure amid legislative threats
On Friday, a coalition that includes the Arkansas Education Association and the Arkansas Conference of the NAACP resubmitted their ballot initiative to Attorney General Tim Griffin after proposed legislation could threaten its validity.
February 5, 2025 - HEA hosts Chamber Community Coffee
The Hope Education Association hosted this morning’s Hempstead County Chamber Community Coffee at Yerger School. Refreshments were served in the library, and many locals, staff, students, and school board members came out to show their support and learn about HEA’s mission and programs.
President Trump ousts NLRB board member, general counsel
WASHINGTON—President Donald J. Trump fired National Labor Relations Board Member Gwynne Wilcox, late Monday night, according to news reports. He also fired NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, a strong advocate for unionization who undertook an aggressive approach in enforcing workers’ rights.
The following statement can be attributed to Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union representing 3 million workers:
“Hardworking Americans, of every race and from every place in this country, deserve to have their voices heard and their rights on the job protected. Anyone who is not a CEO or billionaire donor should be deeply alarmed by President Trump’s unlawful and unprecedented decision to remove a member of the National Labor Relations Board. This stunt is a gross abuse of power that undermines the very foundation of workers’ rights and protections in this country.
“By ousting experienced and dedicated NLRB personnel, Trump is silencing the voices of workers who rely on the board to protect their rights, secure fair treatment, and advocate for just conditions in their workplaces. The Trump administration wasted no time betraying campaign promises to support the rights of working people and their unions. NLRB’s rulings on important worker rights and organizing cases will grind to a halt. Trump is giving a gift to his donors, and we are all paying the price. Every member of Congress has an obligation to tell President Trump that they will not tolerate this kind of imperial declaration.”
NEA President: Trump’s funding freeze hurts students, communities, and public schools
January 28, 2025 - National Education Association President Becky Pringle released the following statement responding to the Trump Administration’s federal funding freeze:
“Parents and educators know America's students need more opportunities to succeed, and we need to invest in our public schools where 90% of students -- and 95% of students with disabilities -- learn.
“Creating chaos is not leadership. The unprecedented, illegal, and reckless decision by the Trump administration to freeze federal funding will hurt students, communities, and public schools - especially students in lower-income communities who benefit most from federal funding.
“This is a move straight from the extreme Project 2025 playbook and will have an immediate and devastating impact on millions. Students will lose access to learning opportunities if Head Start programs are shuttered. Parents will be cut off from childcare services they depend on so they can go to work and provide for their families. Students will go hungry if school meals are taken away. And the dream of higher education will be further out of reach as institutional aid for programs is affected. These are the real people impacted.
“Educators won’t be silent as anti-public education politicians hurt our students, our families, and our communities across America. Together with parents and allies, we will continue to organize, advocate, and mobilize for the public schools our students deserve – no matter their race, place, or background.”
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December 3, 2024- Hope's Born Receives NEA Foundation Grant
Hope Academy of Public Service (HAPS) teacher Hosea Born is the recipient of a $5000 grant from the NEA Foundation.
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November 14, 2024 - Arkansas could benefit from potential elimination of federal Department of Education, according to Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva
Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva spoke Tuesday on the possibility of the U.S. Department of Education being shut down by the forthcoming presidential administration.
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Mar 6, 2024 - Arkansas schools implementing new ‘Science of Reading’ curriculum (ualrpublicradio.org)
AEA was asked to weigh in on privatizing reading instruction. We need public money to stay in public schools so that students can get quality education from qualified educators.
Read the entire Little Rock Public Radio article here.
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Mar 5, 2024 - Arkansas charter schools ‘raise some red flags’, after getting D and F grades (katv.com)
There is a growing issue of charter schools in Arkansas receiving D and F grades. Poverty is a real issue here in Arkansas, and that certainly leads to poor performance at school. Kids need to have their basics taken care of like food, safety, shelter, and love, before they can even think about learning. We need to have some sort of measuring tool for school performance, but it cannot only be based on a final test at the end of the year.
Read the entire KATV article here.
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Mar 3, 2024 - Arkansas group pushes for a constitutional amendment to boost Arkansas education (katv.com)
As part of the ForARKids Coalition, AEA is all in on making sure our students and staff have all they need to grow and thrive.
Read the entire KATV article here.
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Dec 12, 2023 - New poll shows favorability for Arkansas LEARNS Act as education association calls foul
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — A new statewide poll on education in Arkansas shows a majority of parents polled are in support of key elements of the LEARNS Act but some in educational leadership roles are calling foul.
Robert Coon, managing partner at Impact Management Group, a public affairs and public research firm in Little Rock, said ExcelinEd, a nonprofit organization out of Florida asked his group to conduct the survey.
The poll, conducted between Aug. 24 and Sept. 8, surveyed 800 registered voters who have children in K-12 grades.
“We tested a couple of different components of the LEARNS Act,” Coon said. “One dealt with Education Freedom Accounts (EFA’s), one dealt with teacher salaries, but we wanted to make sure that we were looking at what are the viewpoints of folks in various demographics.”
Read the entire KATV article here.
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Dec 11, 2023 - Gov. Lee looks at Arkansas program to create Tennessee’s private school voucher proposal
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Gov. Bill Lee was joined by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders as Tennessee proposed a statewide school voucher program in Tennessee.
Arkansas families were already using tax dollars for private schooling.
“The voucher program is something we’ve been fighting for a long, long time,” Arkansas Education Association president April Reisma said.
Reisma was against the program in Arkansas and Tennessee. She said she wants to keep this money for public schools.
“Taking that money away from public education and taking it away from students; don’t do it. It’s a horrible, horrible hole going down,” Reisma said.
Read the entire WVLT article here.
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July 25, 2022 - #payAReducators sit-in at ALC
Grassroots parents, educators and public-school advocates attended the July 21st meeting of the Arkansas Legislative Council and called on lawmakers to prioritize educator pay increases during the upcoming Special Session.
