Members of the Searcy High School robotics team, The Goonies, traveled to the Arkansas State Capitol on Monday, March 17th, to testify before the Senate Education Committee in support of Senate Bill 391, which would establish a statewide grant program for competitive robotics.
Students Nicholas Carlton, Ash Williams, Jensen Johnston, and Lillian Ruiz joined Trevor McGarrah, a computer science teacher and robotics coach, to explain how the bill would expand access to robotics through a matching grant program administered by the Arkansas Department of Education.
SB391 is sponsored by Senator Jonathan Dismang and Representative Les Eaves of Searcy. Students from Team Breakaway of Harding Academy, who have worked on this bill for the past year, also testified during the committee meeting. After hearing the testimonies, the committee unanimously passed the bill, advancing it to the full Senate for a vote. If approved, it will move to the House Education Committee next.
Senator Dismang believes the bill has strong support and, with backing from Representative Eaves and the Arkansas Department of Education, is expected to pass the House and could be signed into law in April.
This experience gave Searcy High School students a firsthand look at the legislative process, allowing them to actively participate in democracy by advocating for legislation that could expand and support competitive robotics across Arkansas.
We are incredibly proud of our students for how they represented Searcy Public Schools in Little Rock and for their commitment to advancing STEM opportunities for students across the state.
Learn more about SB391 here:
https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=sb391&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R
