Arkansas Department of Education memo criticizes payment vendor for state’s school choice program

June 29, 2026 - 03:25

Arkansas education officials have issued a sharp critique of the online payment vendor handling the state's universal school choice program, describing the system as "fragmented, inefficient and increasingly misaligned" with what the state expects. The criticism came in a memo from the Arkansas Department of Education, which detailed ongoing frustrations with the platform's performance.

The memo, obtained by local media, outlines several specific complaints. Officials say the vendor's system has struggled to process transactions smoothly, leading to delays and confusion for families trying to use state funds for private school tuition or other educational expenses. The program, which allows public funds to follow students to approved private schools, has grown rapidly since its expansion to all families last year. That growth appears to have exposed weaknesses in the payment infrastructure.

According to the department, the platform lacks the flexibility needed to handle the program's complexity. "We are seeing a system that was not built for the scale or the specific requirements of our program," the memo states. It also warns that the misalignment could undermine public confidence in the school choice initiative if not corrected quickly. The vendor has not yet issued a public response to the criticism, but the state is reportedly exploring options to either overhaul the existing system or find a replacement. The memo stops short of terminating the contract, but it makes clear that the current arrangement is not sustainable.