Education company receiving $144 million didn’t violate Arkansas procurement law, audit finds

KUAR | By Antoinette Grajeda / Arkansas Advocate

From the Arkansas Advocate:

An Indiana education company broke no Arkansas procurement laws during its seven-year contract with the state, according to an audit lawmakers requested in February.

Legislators requested the audit of contracts with Solution Tree after learning the company was collecting money from school districts, education service cooperatives and higher education institutions in addition to its multimillion dollar contract with the state. Arkansas Legislative Audit, a nonpartisan entity that reviews government spending for compliance with the law, presented the report to the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee Friday.

Lawmakers have also criticized the company’s effectiveness in improving student test scores.

Education company receiving $144 million didn’t violate Arkansas procurement law, audit finds

Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate

Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, speaks during a committee meeting at the Arkansas Capitol in Little Rock on Oct. 28, 2024.

Arkansans can’t afford proposed utility rate increase, lawmakers tell regulatory agency

From the Arkansas Advocate:

Thousands of Arkansans would pay more for natural gas under an $87.7 million proposed utility rate increase, and lawmakers told leaders of the state’s utility regulator Monday they’re concerned constituents can’t afford it.

Summit Utilities, one of Arkansas’ natural gas providers, proposed a 30% rate increase for its approximately 525,000 customers in January. That was amended in an October settlement to instead raise rates by 23.4%. For the average household using 50 cubic feet of gas, that means an estimated monthly bill that’s $15.43 higher, plus a $4.37 monthly credit that’s about to roll off.

“We the taxpayers cannot afford this,” Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, said during Monday’s Joint Insurance and Commerce committee meeting. “We’ve had an increase in our water bills, we’ve had an increase in our energy bills. The hospitals that are saying they’re OK with this are going to go up on their prices, and all of that’s going to be passed on to us.”

Arkansans can’t afford proposed utility rate increase, lawmakers tell regulatory agency

Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate

Rep. Jon Eubanks, R-Paris, shares concerns about Arkansas’ poultry growers being left out of the conservation on a proposed rate increase for Summit Utilities during a committee meeting on Oct. 28, 2024.

Rep. Brooks, Sen. Chesterfield discuss LEARNS bill, changes to be made

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Two vice-chairs of the education committees in the House and Senate say there are changes to be made to Gov. Sarah Sanders’ LEARNS bill, but those changes are unlikely to alter votes in the state legislature.

Appearing on this week’s edition of Capitol View, Rep. Keith Brooks, R-Little Rock, vice-chair of the House Education Committee and the primary House sponsor of SB294, the omnibus education bill, said there is an amendment being added to the measure before it is considered in his chamber.

The amendment was added Friday afternoon. It offers technical corrections and clean-up language brought up in Senate testimony last week. It also outlines some steps of due process for teachers who may be dismissed; speaks to a requirement for teacher salary schedules; and outlines how auditing for potential misuse of public school money being used for private or homeschooling purposes will work.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/02/rep-brooks-sen-chesterfield-discuss-learns-bill-changes-to-be-made/

Rep. Keith Brooks, R-Little Rock, and Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock.