The Arkansas School Boards Association office will be closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day.

School board candidates may circulate petitions
Beginning June 17 school board candidates in Arkansas may circulate petitions to run for a seat on local school boards. School board petitions must be submitted to county clerks by July 17. Interested individuals may access general information here; election information here; and candidate resources here. The ASBA Handbook is a great resource and may be accessed here (free Adobe Reader required to view file may be downloaded here).

2009 NSBA Southern Region Conference in Little Rock July 8-10
The Arkansas School Boards Association hosts the 2009 NSBA Southern Region Conference this year. Please click here for more information and links related to the conference which will be held July 8 - 10, 2009 in Little Rock, Arkansas. New this month: ASBA staff recommendations on things for our guests to see and do and places to eat. Special thanks to our reception sponsor, JBHM Education Group; our breakfast sponsor, SMART Technologies; and to our break sponsors: All-Clean USA, Bible Literacy Project, and Ramsey, Krug, Farrell & Lensing/Risk Management Resources.

ASBA Education Foundation awards scholarships
Five Arkansas high school seniors recently received $650 scholarships from the Arkansas School Boards Association Education Foundation. The scholarships are awarded to graduating high school seniors who are children of Arkansas school board members and who will attend Arkansas institutions of higher learning in the fall. Click here to read more.

TAPS vendor fair a success
With school districts looking for ways to extend their budgets, many are using the Texas-Arkansas Purchasing System (TAPS) to save on purchases. In May TAPS sponsored a vendor fair to enable school personnel to learn more about TAPS enrollment, products and services. Many districts, colleges and agencies are considering TAPS for stimulus purchases. A photo gallery of the vendor fair is here.

Upcoming Training:

2009 NSBA Southern Region Conference
July 8-10, 2009
Little Rock, AR

2009 ASBA Annual Conference
Dec. 9-11, 2009
Little Rock, AR