This is a blog dedicated to the numerous legal and policy issues in education facing school board members, administrators, educators, policymakers, and parents in Arkansas and nationwide. Here, I will discuss various court decisions, federal and state legislation, and current happenings that play a part in educating our children. My plan is for this blog is to be informational and a resource to all those involved in both public and private education.
But first, a little about me:
I am the owner and founder of the Flinn Law Firm in Little Rock, AR, and I serve as an Adjunct Professor teaching Education Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law. Prior to private practice, I served as a policy advisor to Governor Mike Beebe (D-AR) specializing in, among other things, education issues. While working in Governor Beebe’s administration, I drafted and reviewed legislation and regulations relating to education, served as a liaison between Governor Beebe and our Education Commissioner, Dr. Tom Kimbrell, and his staff, and monitored executive and legislative compliance with the Arkansas Supreme Court’s famous Lake View School District opinion, which invalidated Arkansas’s previous public school funding formula and ordered the State of Arkansas to ensure that each child receive an adequate and substantially equal education regardless of what school district that child attends. I’ve also worked as an attorney in the Arkansas Department of Education’s General Counsel’s Office, and immediately after law school, I had the distinct pleasure of serving as a judicial law clerk for recently retired Arkansas Supreme Court Associate Justice Robert L. Brown (who happens to be the justice who authored the numerous Lake View School District opinions). I am very thankful to Justice Brown for the experience he gave me as a law clerk, as I would not be where I am today without his patience and guidance.
That’s enough about me for now, though I do plan on incorporating highlights and updates from my practice on this blog where appropriate. Over the next several posts, I plan to give a very basic overview of a few of the most important court decisions (Arkansas and federal) affecting public education today.