The Arkansas Division of Higher Education is contracting with an Austin, Texas-based consultant to conduct an analysis of return on investment in the state's higher education funding formula.
The division's contract with HCM Strategists LLC for $107,500 started Aug. 23 and runs through the end of this year, according to state records.
The proposed contract cleared the Legislative Council on Aug. 23 -- about a week and a half after Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she wanted to focus on higher education in the 2025 regular session.
Improvements in higher education are needed to provide the skilled workforce vital to business expansion and the state's economic growth, Republican governor said during an Aug. 13 stop in Rogers.
During the 2023 regular session, the Republican-dominated Legislature enacted the Republican governor's signature education initiative known as the LEARNS Act.
LEARNS