Your Connection to Music, News, Arts and Views for 65 Years

Governor Signs Bill Changing Arkansas Higher Education Funding

Gov. Asa Hutchinson, surrounded by education and legislative officials, signs into law a bill changing how public colleges and universities are funded.
Governor's Office
Gov. Asa Hutchinson, surrounded by education and legislative officials, signs into law a bill changing how public colleges and universities are funded.
Credit Governor's Office

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has signed into law a bill that links college and university funding to factors such as the number of students who complete their degrees.

Hutchinson on Wednesday signed the bill that requires the state to adopt a "performance-based" model for funding higher education rather than basing the money on enrollment.

Hutchinson has said he'll call for increasing higher education funding by $10 million in 2018 if the plan was approved.

The state's colleges and universities received about $733 million in the state's current $5.3 billion budget, and that funding would not change in the fiscal year that begins July 1 under the governor's proposed budget.

Hutchinson says the new formula "will encourage and empower" students to obtain their degree, license or certificate in a timely manner.

Copyright 2020 KUAR. To see more, visit .

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.