Arkansas Schools Cut Bus Routes as Diesel Crisis and Disability Waitlist Grip the State

Soaring Diesel Prices Hit Arkansas Schools Where It Hurts

Arkansas is grappling with a pair of pressing crises that are squeezing families and school districts alike. Fuel costs have exploded across the state, and thousands of families caring for loved ones with disabilities are still waiting — sometimes for years — for help they were already told they qualify for.

Central Arkansas school districts are facing increased costs due to rising diesel prices, with one district spending $100,000 more this year than last. The spike in diesel prices is the result of global supply disruptions, including issues in the Strait of Hormuz and damage to Russian oil facilities, leading to a roughly 80 percent increase in Arkansas and record-high prices nationally. That's not a rounding error — it's a budget catastrophe for schools operating on thin margins.

School leaders at one Arkansas district say they've cut bus routes to save money after diesel costs forced them to spend about $17,000 more on fuel this year. Meanwhile, U.S. diesel prices hit a historic high of $6.05 per gallon , and the ripple effects are being felt in every corner of the state's education system. While many drivers are focused on rising gas prices, economists say diesel plays a much larger role in the overall economy — it's what brings trucks to grocery stores with goods in the first place.

Families of Disabled Arkansans Demand Action

At the same time, a different kind of crisis has been unfolding at the state Capitol. Families of nearly 2,500 disabled Arkansans waitlisted for critical in-home services have been pushing for legislative action. The governor's office said the Arkansas Department of Human Services would begin work on providing supportive living services to families on the waitlist for the Community and Employment Support Waiver program — a Medicaid-funded program that helps people with disabilities live at home, rather than in a facility, but whose enrollment is limited.

More than 2,400 Arkansans are currently waiting to receive services like therapies and medical supplies to support people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. For some, the waitlist is as long as a decade. Families have made clear that a framework alone isn't enough. Their message was simple: those on the waitlist shouldn't have to wait for services they've already been told they qualify for. "Right now, in Arkansas, people who need disability services to live safely in their communities can be told, 'Yes, you qualify for help, but no, you have to wait years to actually receive it,'" said Paige McCammon, who has been advocating for her son Turner.

A State Plan — But Families Want More

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Department of Human Services announced a plan to provide supported living services to everyone on the CES waiver waitlist, meaning over 2,400 people would receive home care. DHS said those services can begin in January 2027 at a cost of about $17 million. But some activists said deep-seated problems with the waiver program will render the governor's solution largely ineffective.

Representative Clowney and other lawmakers have requested that Governor Sanders call a special session to use state funds to eliminate the waitlist entirely — a step the governor has so far declined to take. The tension between the administration's incremental approach and families' urgent demands shows no sign of cooling.

What Comes Next for Arkansas

Both stories reflect a state under pressure from forces that are partly local and partly global. The diesel crisis is tied to international supply chains and geopolitical instability, making it difficult for any single state to solve on its own. The Trump Administration has been considering a 90-day ban on diesel exports as a potential solution, though economists warn of unintended consequences and suggest tight diesel supplies could impact prices on consumer goods.

On the disability services front, the clock is ticking. By expanding supportive living services, the state hopes to ease the burden on families who have waited years for help and to strengthen long-term support systems for Arkansans with disabilities — a move the administration says is part of a broader push to improve access and create lasting solutions. Whether that promise holds — and whether a special legislative session is ultimately called — will define the next chapter for thousands of Arkansas families who have already waited far too long.