School board members make decisions that have significant and long-term consequences for their students, schools, and communities. To equip school board members with the necessary knowledge to fulfill their responsibilities, the Arkansas General Assembly requires board members to receive and report annual training.

The complex challenges of education require policymakers and administrators to address problems from multiple perspectives and across disciplines. As a result, school board members benefit from instruction in the following areas:

• School laws and regulations

• Improving student achievement

• School finance

• Community relations

• School operations

• Effective governance

• School safety and student discipline
  

ASBA develops seminars, conference sessions, and customized training programs that provide information on these and other topics.

ASBA hosts numerous conferences and seminars every year, which provide board members with approved training credit to meet the state requirement. We also offer on-demand training via our online learning portal, AR Board Ed.

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In 2009, the Legislature revised the statute outlining the powers and duties of school board members. Over the years, additional laws have been enacted to ensure comprehensive training for board members. Below are key statutes and acts:

• § 6-13-620: Describes the powers and duties of school board members.

• § 6-13-629: Addresses board training, reporting requirements, and reimbursement

• Act 1213: Includes training related to how to read and interpret a school audit as part of the initial nine (9) hours required for new board members (enacted in 2011).

• Act 1029: Mandates training on school safety and student discipline (passed in 2019).

• Act 182 of 2021: Includes school safety and student discipline training as part of the initial nine (9) hours required for new board members.

Below is a comprehensive breakdown of Arkansas school board members' training requirements:

Required Hours:

• Every board member must earn at least 6 hours of training annually.

• Newly Elected Board Members: Must complete 9 hours of training by December 31 of the calendar year following their initial election.

  • Topics must include:

    • How to Read and Interpret an Audit

    • School Safety and Student Discipline

• DESE rules allow carryover of excess board training hours for up to three calendar years.

Reporting Requirements:

• Annual School Performance Report: Training hours for each board member must be published in the district’s annual school performance report (submitted in Cycle 5).

• January Board Meeting: Superintendents must present hours in a table format with a row for each individual board member that is followed by individual columns containing the following information:

  • The number of training hours the school board member received between January 1 and December 31 of the previous year;

  • The number of training hours carried forward that were eligible to be counted towards the previous year (DESE Rules prohibit hours from carrying forward for more than three years after they were received);

  • The sum of the number of training hours in numbers 1 and 2; and

  • The total number of training hours the board member is required to receive.

• The report shall not include any hours received after December 31 of the previous calendar year, even if those hours are being counted towards curing deficient hours the board member did not receive during the previous year.

• Template: ASBA has prepared a Board Training Hours Report template that can be used to calculate annual reporting information.

  • The template will automatically calculate carryover and total hours for each board member once the correct data is entered.

  • To begin using the template, first enter the data for the previous three years for your current board members. Next, to calculate totals for the current reporting year, fill in the boxes highlighted in red, and the formula will calculate the rest.

  • Please read the "Instructions and Information" tab carefully before using the template. If you have any questions or need assistance using the template, you may reach out to Jessica Prothro at jprothro@arsba.org.

Failure to Meet Requirements:

• If a board member fails to meet the annual training requirement, the board member must be removed from the school district board of directors unless:

  • The board member received the number of training hours the board member was deficient between January 1 and a thirty (30) day period following the school district’s January board meeting; or

  • The reason the board member was unable to receive the number of deficient training hours during the cure period was due to the board member’s military service or an illness that was attested by the board member’s treating physician.

• Board members who are deficient in hours are suspended from participating in official business, except for school board training, until the board member obtains the deficient training hours.

• Failure of the board to remove a board member who failed to meet the annual training requirement and who does not meet one of the above exceptions may result in the school district being placed on probationary status for violating the Standards For Accreditation.