Arkansas’ Blueprint for Educational and Economic Growth: Jonathan Williams on The Dave Elswick Show

ALEC President and Chief Economist Jonathan Williams spoke with host Dave Elswick on 101.1 FM The Answer about Arkansas’s educational and economic progress following its third place ranking in the latest ALEC Index of State Education Freedom.

The conversation began with an overview of Arkansas’ policy progression in education freedom and economic growth.

“One of the things I’ll be coming to Arkansas to talk about, which is, I think, just a phenomenal idea to repeal the personal income tax,” Williams noted. “Governor Huckabee Sanders, legislative leaders, and our friends at AFP have been talking about this as a way to really unleash growth for the state, but also happy to talk about our brand new report, which kind of goes hand in hand with economic competitiveness, and that’s the issue of education freedom in our new ALEC Education Freedom Index. Arkansas came in number three in the nation.”

Elswick continued the discussion by highlighting the need for continuous improvement in education, even with the state’s current high rankings. Williams suggested practical improvements for Arkansas, such as updating charter school laws and reducing regulatory barriers for homeschooling.

“A couple of areas to improve that we pointed out practical things such as improve the charter school laws in Arkansas, to remove some of the regulatory barriers that exist for charter schools that probably don’t need to exist,” he highlighted. “These are things outside of health, and then another one is homeschooling is another great option, obviously, that many families across Arkansas choose as the best option for their kids.”

The conversation then turned to Arkansas’ economy and its ranking in the ALEC-Laffer Rich States, Poor States publication, which ranks states based on economic outlook and policy.

“Half the states decide to use that opportunity to cut taxes and become more competitive, to attract jobs, to attract those families. And you know, combining things like education freedom with lower taxes is an incredible combination,” he noted.

Elswick then pivoted the discussion to focus on the impact of tax cuts on small businesses and entrepreneurs. Williams explained that eliminating the personal income tax would reduce compliance costs for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

“We look at the states that are phasing out their personal income tax, like those three that we just talked about, and then we look at all the others and their various rates,” he said. “I think when you look at it in terms of position in Arkansas for job growth and growth of individuals coming into the state, that is such an important point that you have that certainty in law.”