A public forum focused on public education and its connection to constitutional principles will take place Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the Donald W. Reynolds Library Serving Baxter County. The event, titled “Our Constitution, Our Schools, Our Future: Local Voice & Civic Action,” is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 300 Library Hill Lane in Mountain Home. It is free to attend and open to all.
The forum is hosted by Ozarks Free the Future in partnership with Ozark Forward. Organizers describe the event as a multi-partisan gathering aimed at fostering dialogue between voters and political candidates from various perspectives. Jessica Clanton, founder of Ozarks Free the Future, said the forum seeks to provide a welcoming space for community members to engage with local leaders directly. She emphasized that the intent is to inspire citizens to take action to support public schools and strengthen democratic processes.
Gail Choate, executive director and co-founder of the Arkansas Civic Action Network, will moderate the discussion. The forum will include a question-and-answer segment intended to give attendees insights into the positions of participating candidates on education and related policy issues.
The Baxter County Republican Party will offer a voter registration hub at the event to assist individuals with registering or updating their voter information ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. Constitution Day, which is observed annually on Sept. 17 in recognition of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, inspired the timing of the event.
Ozarks Free the Future is a grassroots nonprofit organization composed of parents, educators, and community members in north-central Arkansas. According to Clanton, the group aims to keep stakeholders engaged in school governance, advocate for public school funding, and protect critical educational resources such as special education services. She noted that Arkansas lags behind the national average and neighboring states in per-student funding and called for increased investment in public education.
“A good education can change lives; a great education can transform generations of lives,” Clanton said. “We can’t lose sight of the importance of public education to Arkansas’s future.”
Ozark Forward, a progressive political action network, is also partnering on the event. According to the organization, its membership has grown from 15 members in Baxter County in 2024 to nearly 900 statewide by 2026.
For additional information, contact Jessica Clanton at jessicajjn@gmail.com.