Finding the right balance : A state senator and an educator differ on the length for superintendent contracts
LITTLE ROCK — Veteran state Sen. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette, promised recently he
would introduce legislation in the next regular state legislative session to limit to one year the length of employment contracts for public-school superintendents in Arkansas, requiring that the contracts be renewed on an annual basis, if they are renewed at all.
(Full story at NWANews.com)
Magna Awards
American School Board Journal is accepting applications online through October 15 for the 2009 Magna Awards, a national program that honors best practices in school districts.
Co-sponsored by the National School Boards Association and Sodexo School Services, the Magna Awards recognize programs that showcase district leadership, creativity, innovation, and commitment to student achievement. Nominations are being accepted at www.asbj.com/magna2; there is no cost to apply and eligible districts must be members of the state school boards association. (Full Story)
Texas-Arkansas Purchasing System (TAPS) wins state purchasing approval
Jay Bauman of the Texas-Arkansas Purchasing System and Mickey McFatridge of the Arkansas School Boards Association recently met with Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration procurement officials to review the discount purchasing program. Jane Benton, Director of the Office of State Procurement, reviewed the TAPS program and acknowledged that the program meets Arkansas statutes. Benton noted in a letter (attached here) that the TAPS cooperative agreement “would apply to purchases by any Arkansas State Agency, including higher education entities, or political subdivision (counties, municipalities, and school districts).” Attorney General opinions support the TAPS discount purchasing in lieu of school districts and other governmental entities having to obtain bids on items. To learn more about how to start saving money on purchases, please contact ASBA at 501-372-1415 or visit the TAPS website.
2008 Advanced Placement results out for Arkansas
From Ark. Dept. of Education news release: More public school students in Arkansas participated in Advanced Placement courses and scored well on Advanced Placement Exams in 2008 than in 2007, in a continued pattern of expanded access and improved performance, the College Board announced today.
“We appreciate news such as this because increased access to Advanced Placement is part of the state’s overall strategy to teach a rigorous, rewarding curriculum to all of our students and increase their likelihood of success in college,” said Dr. Ken James, Arkansas Commissioner of Education. (Full story)
New Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup survey results on public schools released
Almost half of the respondents to The 40th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward Public Schools would grade their local schools as an A or B. Over 40 percent of respondents believe the next president should change the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) significantly, while about 25 percent would like to see the law expire. To read the full report and coverage by The Center for Public Education, click here.
NEA and NSBA Joint Guidance on the Tax Consequences of Deferred Compensation
IRS has new regulations which take effect this year. NSBA has written a background paper as well as sample forms to help make your adjustment, if any, to the new regulations easier.
August Edition of Report Card
Our cover story this month features the El Dorado Promise, the program
funded by Murphy Oil that provides tuition and fees scholarships for all El
Dorado High School graduates. But El Dorado is only part of the story.
Read the full edition here.
ADE approves two districts’ alternative pay plans
The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) announced that the Cross County School District and Lincoln Consolidated School District have been approved to restructure their teacher pay plans under a state pilot program known as Rewarding Excellence in Achievement Program. A June 26, 2008, news release from the ADE noted that the program was created through Act 1029 of 2007, part of Governor Mike Beebe’s legislative package. The news release, reprinted in part below, describes the process and announces applications for future program participants:
Beverly Williams, Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) assistant commissioner for human resources and licensure, oversaw the approval process. “Both of these school districts submitted applications that reflect the intent of the law, which is to recognize excellent teachers through a pay plan that rewards success in the classroom,” she said.
To be approved, applicants had to show how they would pay teachers based both on knowledge and skills and on performance, with each overall factor accounting for between 40 percent and 60 percent of the individual’s salary. School districts were allowed to design their own models within those parameters, with knowledge and skills reflecting such factors as education level and years of experience and performance reflecting such criteria as students’ gains on performance assessments and evaluations by peers and supervisors. Also, 70 percent of the teachers had to have signaled support of the school’s or district’s REAP plan and 50 percent of teachers had to have elected to participate.
Cross County will receive a $289,870 grant from the state to implement its plan, and Lincoln Consolidated School District will receive a grant for $522,960. A total $2.5 million was appropriated by the state legislature to fund the pilot program.
Applications to participate in the program during 2009-2010 are due to the Arkansas Department of Education on January 5, 2009.
“We anticipate we’ll have a number of other districts and schools apply to participate for the 2009-2010 school year,” Williams said. “Several expressed interest but weren’t ready to put plans together for this coming school year."
Arkansas one of only four states to achieve consistent “moderate-to-large” gains under NCLB
A June 2008 study by the Center for Education Policy, Has Student Achievement Increased Since 2002?,” shows that Arkansas’ public school students are showing consistent gains on state tests. The report states:
“Four states (Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas, and Washington) showed consistent moderate-to-large gains in test scores since 2002, out of the 25 states with sufficient data to discern trends in both reading and math. The gains were found across the elementary, middle, and high school levels in both subjects using both the percentage proficient and effect size indicators. In other words, achievement in these four states has improved across the board. Several other states posted consistent gains in one subject area but not the other.”
The study and related state worksheets are available here.
Scores rising according to Arkansas 2008 Benchmark results
The majority of Arkansas students earned proficient or advanced scores on the 2008 Benchmark literacy and math exams, according to the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). This marks the first time that milestone has been met across those subject areas at each grade level. For more information about test results, please visit the ADE website.
 ASBA Board of Directors holds annual retreat
The Arkansas School Boards Association (ASBA) Board of Directors held its annual retreat from June 4 – 6, 2008, at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean Mountain. The board identified critical issues that are currently impacting education in Arkansas and forecast concerns expected to have an effect in the future. The board reviewed a preliminary 2008-09 budget, approved membership fees and spent time on the Key Work of School Boards. A photo gallery of the Board retreat is available here.
State Board of Education approves ethics code for educators
At its June 9 meeting, the Arkansas Board of Education approved an ethics code for educators. Click here to view coverage by the Arkansas News Bureau.
National teachers union ranks Arkansas standards high
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) reviewed educational standards in all states and the District of Columbia. The AFT issued its report, Sizing Up State Standards 2008, in May, and Arkansas ranks among the states with the most stringent standards. The report may be viewed here. (PDF)
Transportation Funding Under Discussion
The Joint Adequacy Evaluation Oversight Subcommittee has been discussing school transportation funding at the State Capitol. Concern arose over the amount of student transportation funding included in the funding formula. The amount included is $286 per student, but a large number of districts spend more than this amount for bus transportation. Read more in this story from the Arkansas News Bureau.
Six Seniors Awarded School Boards Scholarships
Six Arkansas high school seniors recently were awarded $650 scholarships by 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.
The awards are based on a student’s academic record and leadership potential. One award was made in each of the four congressional districts and two at-large. This is the 15th consecutive year for the awards. The recipients were:
- Whitney Brown, Lamar High School, daughter of Bryan Brown, Lamar School Board
- Jillian Carroll, Brinkley High School, daughter of Jon Carroll, Brinkley School Board
- Jena Marie Lockley, DeWitt High School, daughter of Johnny Lockley, DeWitt School Board
- Ethan Passmore, Bryant High School, son of David Passmore, Bryant School Board
- Jacob Smith, Horatio High School, son of Pollyanna Smith, Horatio School Board
- Callie Ann Wagner, Tuckerman High School, daughter of Randy Wagner, Tuckerman School Board
Please click here to view a slideshow about the scholarship recipients.
 Board members and administrators learn about ethics and Key Work of School Boards
More than 40 school board members and administrators in Northwest Arkansas received professional development on the topics of ethics and The Key Work of School Boards on May 29 (please click here to view a photo gallery of the event). Kristen Gould, staff attorney for the Arkansas School Boards Association (ASBA), led the discussion about the eight components of The Key Work of School Boards and described how all are interrelated within a systems approach. (Read full story - download ppts)
Eight Arkansas schools recognized for best practices
Governor Mike Beebe and Education Commissioner Ken James recently honored eight high schools for their innovative practices and focus on student achievement. The schools recognized were: Bentonville High; Clarksville High; Dardanelle High; Flippin High; Fort Smith Southside High; Nashville; Parkers Chapel High in El Dorado; and Pocahontas High School. Read the Arkansas News Bureau story here.
Reading First Program not meeting expectations nationwide
The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) released an interim report in May showing that Reading First did not have the expected positive impact on student reading comprehension. The Institute of Education Sciences, a division of the USDOE, conducted the study that found that “on average across the 18 study sites, Reading First did not have statistically significant impacts on student reading comprehension test scores in grades 1-3.” The study may be accessed on the USDOE website by clicking here.
Arkansas Applies for “Differentiated Accountability”
The Arkansas Department of Education has applied to participate in a pilot “Differentiated Accountability” system. The U.S. Department of Education accepted proposals and may allow up to 10 states to implement state-designed models that allow for flexibility in meeting mandates under No Child Left Behind. Click here to read the May 5, 2008, press release issued by the Arkansas Department of Education.
Position Announcement - Director of the Arkansas Leadership Academy (posted May 28, 2008)
The College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, invites nominations and applications for the non-tenure track position of Director of the Arkansas Leadership Academy and Clinical Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. (Read more...)
 Joint Conference a “categorical” success
About 230 school board members, superintendents and district staff attended the 2008 Joint Conference sponsored by ASBA and AAEA. The focus was on using categorical funds to improve student achievement. Special thanks to speakers from the Camden Fairview School District, Rogers School District, the Arkansas Department of Education and the University of Arkansas, as well as AAEA and ASBA.
Click here to view a photo gallery of the event, photos courtesy of Lifetouch.
Arkansas School Superintendent Positions (updated 7/8/08)
Just a few positions still open. Click here to find out more.
Federal Automated Recovery Systems (FARS)
FARS was formed as a way to help educational institutions and organizations that accept checks to successfully recover those checks that are returned non-sufficient funds (NSF) or otherwise dishonored. Protect every bank account within the district. Find out more about FARS and how to get involved at no cost to your district.
Handbook for Arkansas School Board Members
This handbook is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part for education purposes is granted. Download the electronic version in Adobe Reader format here.
State-Mandated School Board Training Requirements
What is the new law all about? When does it go into effect? Will I lose my ASBA Boardmanship credit? Download the actual language of ACT 1775. These questions and more are answered here in our handout.
Code of Ethics for Arkansas School Board Members
As a member of the board I shall promote the best interests of the school district as a whole, and to that end I shall adhere to the following educational and ethical standards. Find out more here. |
