Arkansas
For AR Kids takes another shot on Educational Rights Amendment
A group hoping to put its Educational Rights Amendment of 2024 on the Nov. 5 ballot sent a new draft to state Attorney General Tim Griffin Thursday.
This was the fourth submission for the group For AR Kids.
“Our legal team addressed the concerns raised by the attorney general in the previous rejection, and met once again with the Attorney General’s staff to discuss their concerns and our goal,” Public Policy Panel Executive Director Bill Kopsky said.
The changes made to the measure were narrowly tailored to the specific concerns that have been raised, Kopsky said.
The initiative aims to amend the state constitution to require any private schools that accept public funding in the form of vouchers to meet the same standards required of traditional public schools. It would also establish minimum quality standards for schools and would guarantee free access to pre-K, after-school and summer programs; quality special education; and wrap-around services for children within 200% of the federal poverty line.
The group’s first attempt was rejected. Griffin said the amendment’s language lacked specificity. Griffin also said it would violate parochial schools’ First Amendment right to freedom of religion if they were required to meet state standards when accepting vouchers.
Arkansas LEARNS, the K-12 education law passed last spring, created a voucher program that will eventually be open to all students in the state.
On Thursday, the group asked for an expedited review to ensure their volunteers have enough time to collect the more than 90,000 signatures required to put their proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot.
“We met with the staff of the attorney general’s office to understand their concerns and to seek their input on how to achieve our goal of providing every Arkansas student with an excellent opportunity to learn and excel,” April Reisma, president of Arkansas Education Association, said. “We look forward to putting this measure before voters.”
Steve Grappe, executive director of CAPES, said the group had more than 450 volunteers ready to collect signatures.
“We are just starting our outreach efforts to train people on how to collect signatures and share details about how the Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment will improve the educational opportunities of ALL Arkansas students,” Grappe said. “We are just getting going to build toward our goal of over 2,500 people helping collect signatures for the measure.”
The For AR Kids Ballot Question Committee is a coalition that includes the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, the Arkansas Conference of the NAACP, the Arkansas Education Association, the Citizens First Congress, and CAPES.
It’s been a bone-dry year in Arkansas. It’s now the 7th driest year on record in Little Rock since record-keeping began in 1875, as of April 20.
24 days so far this year in Little Rock have received measurable rainfall. 12 days received a trace amount of rain, meaning there were no rainfall measurements to report (it was too little to record), as it was just a sprinkle or a few spits.
Only 4 days have received an inch or more of rain so far this year. Those occurred on April 4, March 7, February 14, and January 24. January’s “rain” was really winter precipitation.
April is usually the rainiest month of the year in Arkansas. In Little Rock, April on average receives 5.59 inches of rainfall. So far this April, as of April 20, Little Rock has only recorded 1.17″ of rain for the month.
The rainfall deficit over the last 6 months is well over a foot for much of Arkansas, including Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and Harrison.
Spring is the rainy season, and summer is the dry season. If rain isn’t recorded soon, the drought will persist into the summer. In fact, the latest seasonal drought outlook shows that while some areas of Arkansas could see improvements, the drought continues into July.
To fully end the drought, parts of central and northeast Arkansas need more than 25 inches of rain over the next 3 months. Parts of northwest Arkansas need between 15 and 20 inches of rain over the next 3 months. The rest of the state needs between 20 and 25 inches of rain over the next 3 months. All of this rain would need to be received slowly, not all at one time.
The odds of receiving this much rain slowly over the next 3 months are very low.
The Arkansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Sunday, April 19, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Cash 3 numbers from April 19 drawing
Evening: 5-3-2
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from April 19 drawing
Evening: 7-5-4-8
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Natural State Jackpot numbers from April 19 drawing
02-07-17-20-23
Check Natural State Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 19 drawing
32-42-52-53-55, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Arkansas Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash 3 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- Cash 3 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
- Cash 4 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- Cash 4 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
- Lucky For Life: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Natural State Jackpot: 8 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- LOTTO: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arkansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.
BENTON, Ark. (KATV) — Saline County residents got a fresh boost earlier today when the Central Arkansas Development Council hosted its third Fresh Market event in the county, handing out about 300 bags of fresh produce free of charge.
The council, described as the largest community action agency in Arkansas, said the event is part of its ongoing effort to address food insecurity in the state and expand access to healthy food options.
“What we’re here to do is we’re here to be what our community needs us to be,” Randy Morris, CEO of Central Arkansas Development Council, said. “We are here to serve our mission, which is to alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty, to help vulnerable populations achieve their potential and to build strong communities in Arkansas through community action.”
The council also said it was rewarded funds by the government to host an emergency food drive that will happen soon.
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