The bill amends the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program, allowing parents of participating students to direct account funds to the public school to which their child is assigned. Specifically, it introduces a new provision that permits parents to elect to have the funds allocated to their child's resident public school, with the Department of Education required to make quarterly payments for tuition and associated costs. This change is reflected in the amendments to Arkansas Code 6-18-2505, which includes the addition of a new subsection (j) detailing the process for directing these funds.

Additionally, the bill clarifies existing provisions regarding the use of account funds, ensuring that they cannot be refunded or shared with parents or students, and can only be used for qualifying educational expenses. The amendments also allow for the possibility of contracting with vendors to facilitate the disbursement of payments and outline the development of a system for electronic fund transfers starting in the 2024-2025 school year. Overall, the bill aims to enhance parental control over educational funding while maintaining strict guidelines on the use of those funds.

Statutes affected:
SB 471: 6-18-2505(b), 6-18-2505(d), 6-18-2505(j)