Committee advances Davis bill to preserve scholarship funding for some students with disabilities

Sen. Brianne Davis introduced a cleanup bill to the Senate Education Committee clarifying eligibility for students with disabilities under scholarship programs tied to the LEARNS Act. The committee gave the measure a do-pass recommendation on a voice vote.

Davis said the bill fixes two leftover session errors and ‘‘applies specifically to students with disabilities as identified under the IDEA law,’’ ensuring that students who had been enrolled at private schools and who previously received SUCCEED scholarship funding can continue to receive comparable amounts through Education Freedom Accounts until they graduate or leave those schools.

Ron Ekstrand, CEO of Easterseals Arkansas, testified in support and described the local impact. He said his organization currently serves about 75 students, has roughly 50 people on a waiting list and estimated about 27 families would newly qualify under the corrected language because their children meet both the disability definition and the income threshold (he cited families below 200 percent of the federal poverty level). ‘‘Our school has flourished under the SUCCEED scholarship program,’’ Ekstrand said, adding that lawmakers who toured the program had been ‘‘very impressed with the quality of services and education that the kids are getting there.’’

Committee members asked no substantive questions during the public testimony. Davis closed her presentation and moved for a do-pass recommendation; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The committee record provided no roll-call tally.

The bill is intended as a narrow, technical correction to prevent a cohort of students who previously attended private schools from losing continuity of funding as programs transition. The committee advanced the measure to the next step in the legislative process.