The Tipton Family

“Apart from my time attending Ouachita Baptist University, I’ve lived in Cabot my whole life. It’s an amazing thing to get to raise your kids in your hometown. My daughter, who is 11, has done well throughout her elementary education in the Cabot public schools. If anything ever did come up, I could reach out to teachers and other administrators and work together to make sure she had the support she needed.

When it came time for my son to start kindergarten, my wife and I knew that his path needed to be different. My son is what you’d expect from an energetic six year old boy. Before starting, he needed a little more focus before entering kindergarten, so we were able to keep him in his pre-K in-home prep program. We also started him at the tail end of the age cut off, instead of starting him younger when he wasn’t ready.

Having options for him on when to go to school and where to go to school has been the most life-changing, positive thing that has happened in my son's life. His school has been wonderful – almost like it's tailor made for him and his personality and growth. The attention, the class size, the loving teachers and surrounding staff have made a huge difference for my son.

One of the things that drives me, as a father and also as a member of the school board, is making sure we are putting students first when it comes to education. As a school board member, I get to meet so many amazing teachers and administrators who want the same things that parents want. They want children to thrive as they learn.

This means making sure parents have the opportunity and choice to put their child in the best setting for them to succeed. As citizens in Arkansas, we are all invested in educating children. It’s important that education funding is used for supporting student success.

I am looking forward to all students in Arkansas receiving the same positive experience with a successful school district that my family has had. The LEARNS Act creates this opportunity. Not only does it allow for higher entry pay for teachers and more support for tutoring and literacy for individual students, but it also allows parents to use some education funding in a way that better supports what’s best for their kids. As we grow as people and move forward as a state, this bill will allow for fresh ideas to blossom here. As both a parent and school board member, this is very exciting.

As an employer, our company hires locally and we are in constant need of new members who are ready to succeed from day one. The career development emphasis in the LEARNS Act is essential for Arkansas businesses, and will truly help the economic conditions in the state. The workforce dashboard and dual track diplomas are exactly the kind of fresh ideas I believe will help us in the long run to continue to be a great place to live and work.

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn where they thrive. I hope that we continue, as a state, to pursue this very important goal.” 

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Kevin Tipton

‍Arkansas dad, president of Dreamline Manufacturing, and Cabot Public School Board member

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