Odds stacked against
As a teen mother, many people look down on you. I know this because I experienced it when I became pregnant at the age of 15.
Sadly, one of the few places I expected to have my back didn't: my brick-and-mortar high school. Even though I was pregnant, I was determined to earn my diploma in the traditional way. The school, however, wanted to move me to a program that didn't offer advanced classes.
That's not what I wanted.
So I decided to find an academic option that would help me reach my full potential. That's why I enrolled in online school.
After joining Arkansas Virtual Academy, I was encouraged at every step along the way. My teachers were supportive and understood the unique schedule I needed to take care of my child. The school also encouraged me to stay in honors classes. This was important to me because I wanted to prove to myself and others that I could still earn high grades and raise a child.
It was difficult at times to manage it all, but I knew that it would all be worth it.
I saw the results of my hard work come to life during my graduation a few weeks ago when I walked across the stage as valedictorian. Despite the odds being stacked against me, I took hold of my future and delivered success. Online school helped me make the seemingly impossible a reality, and I'm grateful that this option was available for me.
KAYLA REAGAN-SAGE
Nashville
Conservative parable
If your home or business is knee-deep in water and you gripe about welfare and government "fluff," then please don't bother to let FEMA come offer you funds now that your times are tough.
JUSTIN JONES
Bigelow
Reach full potential
I was grateful to work last week with a majority of the Little Rock Board of Directors to approve an amendment to the city's 2019 budget (approved December 2018), an important step that right-sizes our government to ensure that we are living within our means.
The board's action repairs a $7 million budget gap created by an effort to continue to provide services in the face of falling sales-tax revenue. We worked, throughout this process, to minimize the impact on taxpayers and city services, but program cuts are never perfectly painless. In the weeks ahead, we will cooperate to implement the changes we have approved, but there is no doubt this effort has put Little Rock on a more solid fiscal footing and positions us for future growth.
Serving as a responsible steward of public dollars is a foundational responsibility of my job as mayor. You can count on me, and my office, to be transparent and accountable. Our taxpayers deserve nothing less, but there is another very important reason for the city to maintain an unimpeachable reputation, particularly when it comes to our finances: Economic development prospects are always watching.
Companies value one characteristic above all others when it comes to new locations--consistency. Inconsistency in the budget and funding levels for investment and programs sends a signal to prospects that a city might not be capable of living up to its promises. Little Rock has been and will remain a reliable partner to all businesses working within our city.
I look forward to continued work with the city board as we strive to unite Little Rock, expand our economy and give all members of our community the opportunity to reach their full potential.
FRANK SCOTT JR.
Little Rock
Frank Scott Jr. is mayor of Little Rock.
Avoiding bad weather
Thank you so much for the replica newspaper online. I look forward to the paper every day, but I don't like having to go out in bad weather to get it. Reading it online is so much easier for me, and I am enjoying the paper more than ever. Now I am looking forward to the day when I will no longer have to go outside to get the paper.
Good job, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
MAGGIE MILLER
Alexander
Editorial on 06/11/2019