One hundred twelve school districts this year are participating in a statewide pilot program initiated by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to reduce student cell phone use. Bentonville West High School got a year-long head start when it started its own program in 2023-24. While many schools in Arkansas will be using lockable cell phone pouches, BWHS went more “old school” by hanging up calculator pouches where students store their phones. Educators including the principal, Dr. Jonathon Guthrie, and English teacher Amy Groves say student engagement has increased. Meanwhile, aggression and drug-related offenses have fallen. There’s been very little pushback from students, parents and staff. As Guthrie explained, “We received hardly any negative response at all.”
Three ASBA board members elected, three will return
Three new ASBA board members were elected at this fall’s regional meetings, while two appointees were elected to full terms and one current board member was re-elected.
New board members include Jason Jones of Yellville, a member of the Yellville-Summit School Board for 10 years, in Region 2. Jones has completed 146.5 hours of boardsmanship training and has earned ASBA’s Master Board Member Award, which is awarded to board members who achieve at least 50 hours of training.
Region 5’s new director is John Gibson of Morrilton, a member of the South Conway School District. Gibson has served 16 years on the board and earned ASBA’s Pinnacle Award, which is awarded to board members who attain at least 200 hours of training.
Lonell “Dino” Lenox of Hot Springs, a member of the Hot Springs School Board, was
elected as Region 10 director. Lenox, a Hot Springs Police Department sergeant, has served nine years on the board and
has attained 223.25 hours of boardsmanship training, earning him the Pinnacle Award.
Two regional directors who had been appointed to their positions earlier this year were elected to full terms at the regional meetings.
One was Keith Baker of Kensett, a member of the Riverview School Board, who will serve as director for Region 6. Baker, who was appointed to the position in January, has served 16 years on the board and has attained 235 hours of boardsmanship training. He has also served more than 30 years on the Kensett City Council.
The other appointed board member elected to a full term was Debra Barnes
BUILDING TOGETHER
ASBA News and Notes continues on page 5 Jones
Gibson
Lenox
Baker
Report Card
30
Bentonville West High School last school year hung pouches in classrooms where students stored their phones during class periods. They still could use the phones between classes and at lunch, said the principal, Dr. Jonathan Guthrie. After the first year, 86% of teachers like English teacher Amy Groves, right, said they saw a positive effect in student engagement. Compared to the previous year, there was a 57% decrease in verbal or physical aggression offenses and a 51% reduction in drugrelated offenses.
News and Features
Regionals: Faces
ASBA will focus on student-focused leadership and the key roles board members play in achieving student success.
Moore now ASBA’s executive director
Shannon Moore loves ASBA. Now, she’s leading it. She became executive director Nov. 1 after taking over from Dr. Tony Prothro. She’s worked for the association since 2006.
Prothro: Time to be grandkids’
‘Doc’
After 12 years as executive director, Dr. Tony Prothro has retired to spend more time with his family, activities, and church.
16 New comms head tells schools’ stories
Jessica Prothro comes to ASBA from Beebe, where she led the district’s communications efforts.
Sherri Fite, a former business and accounting teacher, worked the last five years as ASBA’s communications director. Fite retires after 31 years in education
Robyn Keene recently became ASBA’s programs coordinator after previously serving as chief financial officer for the Benton and Conway School Districts and financial services director for the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA).
Top teacher: Give students options
Jeanie Wilcoxon, the 2025 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, wants her fourth grade math students to get the right answer. But how they do it might depend on their learning style.
One hundred twelve school districts are participating in a pilot program whose purpose is to reduce student cell phone use at schools. Bentonville West High School had a year-long head start.
of Crossett, a member of the Crossett School Board, as Region 14 director. Barnes, who was appointed to the board in June, has attained 177.5 hours of boardsmanship training and has earned the Master Board Member Award.
Travis Warren of Farmington, regional director for Region 1, was re-elected. He has served on the Farmington School Board 11 years and has been board president for four. Warren has attained 197.5 hours of boardsmanship training, earning him the Master Board Member Award.
Fall Leadership
Institute is available for credit online
School board members who were unable to attend the 2024 Fall Leadership Institute can view it online. Board members can register for the “Credit” option to earn six hours of training credit at a cost of $185 per person, or they can choose the “Audit” option to view the recording for free.
Agenda highlights include an update on the new Arkansas Teaching and Learning System from the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Hope Worsham; a presentation by state Rep. Bruce Cozart, R-Hot Springs, about his proposed new school funding formula; a discussion by Attorney Cody Kees about the state’s Freedom of Information Act; an engaging board member/superintendent panel that covered employee renewals and other topics; and
an informative policy Q&A led by Lucas Harder, ASBA’s policy director and staff attorney.
To access the Institute, go to ASBA’s website at www.arsba.org
COSSBA to host national conference in Atlanta in March
Laila Ali, four-time undefeated boxing world champion and the daughter of the late Muhammad Ali, will be the opening keynote speaker at the COSSBA National Conference. Ali is also a wellness advocate and television host.
The 25-member Coalition of State School Boards Associations, of which ASBA is a founding member, will host its National Conference March 21-23 in Atlanta. Pre-conference events will begin March 20. The theme of the conference is “Bridging Gaps, Breaking Barriers.”
Warren
Barnes
by Randy Hutchinson
ASBA’s changes make this an exciting time
As I sat down to gather my thoughts for my final Report Card article, I found myself reflecting on the incredible journey of the past several months as president of ASBA. It has been an honor to lead this remarkable organization and to work alongside dedicated board members from across the state to fulfill our shared mission: ensuring the success and well-being of every child in Arkansas’ public schools.
ASBA has been a cornerstone of support and advocacy for school board members, and I am grateful to have played a part in its important work. These past months have brought a season of change, growth, and renewal to our association.
In my last Report Card article, I touched on some of these changes, and since then, the momentum has continued. New faces are joining the staff while familiar faces have expanded roles. At the same time, beloved team members are moving on to new phases of life.
• Dr. Tony Prothro, our long-time executive director, has retired, embarking on new adventures with his wife and grandchildren.
• Sherri Fite, our communications and technology director, will retire in December, leaving behind a legacy of dedication and innovation.
• Shannon Moore, a trusted leader of our insurance department for nearly two decades, has been appointed as our new executive director. Shannon’s deep understanding of ASBA and her leadership in our insurance department make her the perfect fit for this role.
• Jessica Prothro has been hired as our new communications and technology director and has been working alongside Sherri to ensure a seamless transition.
• Robyn Keene has joined us as programs coordinator, bringing fresh energy and insights to our initiatives.
• Lucas Harder and Tammie Reitenger have taken on expanded roles as policy services director/staff attorney and deputy executive director/board development director, respectively. These changes are not only exciting but also essential to our continued success. Please join me in welcoming our new team members and congratulating those stepping into new responsibilities. Our talented staff is committed to serving and supporting board members throughout Arkansas.
As my term comes to a close, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your unwavering support and partnership. It has been a privilege to serve as your president. I’m confident that ASBA will continue to thrive under the capable leadership of Jeff Lisenbey, who will be sworn in as the next president during our Annual Conference in Little Rock this December. Please extend to Jeff the same support and encouragement you’ve shown me.
Together, we are making a difference for Arkansas students, and that is something to be proud of. Thank you for the opportunity to serve, and I look forward to seeing the great things ASBA will accomplish in the future.
Vol. 18, Number 4 December 2024
P.O. Box 165460 / Little Rock, AR 72216
Telephone: 501-372-1415 / 800-482-1212
Fax: 501-375-2454
E-mail: arsba@arsba.org / www.arsba.org
Board of Directors
President: Randy Hutchinson, Springdale
President-elect: Jeff Lisenbey, Sheridan
Vice President: Doris Parham, Bearden
Secretary-Treasurer: Nikki King, Pangburn
Past President: William Campbell, McGehee
Region 1: Travis Warren, Farmington
Region 2: Jason Jones, Yellville-Summit
Region 3: Joe Sheppard, Jonesboro
Region 4: Beth Ulrich, Paris
Region 5: John Gibson, South Conway County
Region 6: Keith Baker, Riverview
Region 7: Shane Bell, Cross County
Region 8: Graham Peterson, Mt. Vernon-Enola
Region 9: Donna Dunlap, Barton-Lexa
Region 10: Lonell Lenox, Hot Springs
Region 11: Carl “Buddy” Puckett, Poyen
Region 12: Laura Clark, Blevins
Region 13: Renee Skinner, El Dorado
Region 14: Debra Barnes, Crossett
Staff
Executive Director: Shannon Moore
Deputy Executive Director/Board Development Director: Tammie Reitenger
Communications and Technology Director: Sherri Fite
Incoming Communications and Technology Director: Jessica Prothro
Programs Coordinator: Robyn Keene
Receptionist: Kimberly Strom
TIPS-TAPS Project Manager: Stacey McPherson
General Counsel: Jay Bequette
Risk Management Program & Workers’ Comp: Krista Glover
Dwayne McAnally
Misty Thompson
Melody Tipton
Linda Collins
Lisa Wigginton
Kara Quinton
Julianne Dobson
Tamra Polk
TO CONTACT THE MAGAZINE
Please contact Steve Brawner, Editor 501.847.7743; brawnersteve@mac.com
Report Card is published quarterly by the Arkansas School Boards Association. Copyright 2024 by the Arkansas School Boards Association and Steve Brawner Communications. All rights reserved.
The Journal of the Arkansas School Boards Association
ASBA News and notes
Also speaking at the conference will be Brandon Farbstein, a speaker and author born with metatropic dysplasia, a rare form of dwarfism. His message is “Elevate Empathy.” Sarah Culberson will be the closing general session presenter March 23. She is an internationally known thought leader, artist and educator who raises awareness about issues affecting Sierra Leone.
For more information about the conference, go to www.cossba.org.
Sanders names Arnold to State Board of Education
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed Dr. Gary Arnold to serve on the State Board of Education Nov. 1. Arnold is director of head of school
He is the founder and partner at NextEd, LLC, a group that supports Christian school leaders. He previously spent 16 years as head of school at Little Rock Christian Academy.
During the LEARNS implementation process, Gary served on the Rules and Regulations Taskforce.
Arnold previously served as the head of school at the Trinity School of Cape Cod. He has served in school leadership positions in Massachusetts, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Arkansas.
A longtime advocate for school choice, he has served more than 20 years on The Council on American Private Education.
B’ville’s Jones AASA’s top superintendent
Bentonville School District’s superintendent, Dr. Debbie Jones, is the Arkansas Association of School Administrators’ 2025 Superintendent of the Year.
Arnold is Sanders’ third State Board appointment. His term will expire June 30, 2027. He is replacing Steve Sutton.
Jones is in her ninth year as the superintendent and has more than 25 years of educator experience in Arkansas. According to a press release from the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, her accomplishments include advancing the conversation about affordable housing for teachers, promoting laws that increase collaboration with police agencies, and implementing student success planning and career pathways before it became state law.
Jones
Regionals: Faces change, mission doesn’t
ASBA will focus on studentfocused leadership and the key roles board members play in achieving student success
At ASBA fall regional meetings. some of the faces may have changed, but the mission remains the same.
At the Region 8 meeting at Mayflower High School Oct. 17, new Executive Director Shannon Moore reminded attendees of ASBA’s mission statement. It states, “The mission of ASBA is to promote student-focused leadership in public education through training, advocacy and service for local board members.”
Moore told attendees that public education is a state function, and school boards are agents of the state that carry out acts of the Legislature. They are legislative bodies, not administrative ones.
“Your first important lesson as you take your position on the board is to
recognize that you’re a single member of a body that must function as a unit,” she said. “No individual board member, which I’m sure you know, has any power or authority and must never attempt to act as an administrator of a school system.”
ASBA, which has existed since 1956, serves the members. It has no enforcement or regulatory authority. Moore emphasized the association wants to focus on the key roles board members play in achieving student success.
“We are here for board members, and so my goal is, going forward, we want to hear from you what ASBA can provide in training and services to make your job better and easier,” she said.
Moore told attendees that ASBA’s leadership is changing. Four staff members have left or will be leaving: former Executive Director Dr. Tony Prothro, former Staff Attorney Kristen Garner, former Advocacy Director Dan Jordan,
and Communications and Technology Director Sherri Fite, who is retiring at the end of the year. Recent staff changes include Moore’s ascension Nov. 1 to executive director from being Risk Management and Workers’ Compensation Program director. Also, Board Development Director Tammie Reitenger added “deputy executive director” to her title. Two staff members have been hired: incoming Communications and Technology Director Jessica Prothro and Programs Coordinator Robyn Keene.
Moore told attendees that with Garner having retired, ASBA will only have one attorney, Policy Director Lucas Harder, for the time being. Jessica Prothro is publicizing local school district successes via social media. Moore asked attendees to send her information about positive things happening in their schools.
“We need to really highlight all of the good things going on in public schools today,” she said.
Moore asked attendees what their biggest challenges have been as school board members. Hector School Board member Carolyn Cook said her district had recently gone through the process of hiring a new superintendent. Conway School Board member Carl Barger said his growing district is at 98% capacity in its junior high and 96% in its senior high, so it will need a millage campaign. Mt. Vernon-Enola School Board member Graham Peterson said funding is a problem in his district. Some
REGION 8. Mayflower School Board member Delorise Kocher speaks with Superintendent Andy Chisum and fellow board member Chad Brown at the Region 8 Fall Regional meeting at Mayflower High School Oct. 17.
MT. VERNONENOLA SCHOOL BOARD member and Region 8 director Graham Peterson speaks at the Region 8 meeting. Oct. 17.
of its buildings were built by the Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration. A Pulaski County Special School District board member noted the challenges of serving students in four distinct locations: Little Rock, west Little Rock, Maumelle and Sherwood. In response to a question by Moore about how the different boards handle public comments, Pulaski County
School Board President Stephen Delaney said community members are given three minutes to talk after signing a signup sheet. He reads a preface saying the board’s obligation is to listen and not respond. Doing so sets clear expectations up front. Members of the public are asked not to name staff if it’s not necessary and are also told they will have 1st Amendment rights during their three minutes. Delaney said the soft-sell approach has tended to get things off on the right foot with community members.
“We get lots of complaints at Pulaski County, and the meetings haven’t gone off the rails,” he said.
Peterson said Mt. Vernon-Enola patrons are told they must go through the superintendent first, which often solves the issue before the board meeting.
Moore reminded attendees of the 11 duties of board members. Those are:
• Attend meetings.
• Determine the school district’s mission and direction.
• Adhere to state and federal laws governing public schools.
• Enact, enforce and obey school district policies.
• Employ all staff, including superintendents and assistant superintendents. School boards are directly responsible for hiring and evaluating the superintendent.
• Understand and oversee school district finances.
• Ensure that all properties and facilities are being properly built and maintained.
• Approve the selection of curriculum.
• Visit district schools and classrooms no less than annually when students are present and attend other events and functions.
• Obtain professional development and training.
• Do all other things necessary and lawful for the conduct of efficient, free public schools in the district.
Moore now ASBA’s leader
Longtime risk management/ workers’ comp director assumes head job; wants to hear member needs
Shannon Moore loves ASBA. Now, she’s leading it.
Moore became executive director Nov. 1 after taking over from Dr. Tony Prothro, who retired. She’s worked for ASBA since 2006 and, most recently, was director of its risk management and workers’ compensation programs.
Moore’s vision is to continue providing the same training, advocacy and other services ASBA has long provided. She wants board members to tell her how the association can improve.
“That is my message, because that is what we are here for, the school board members,” she said. “We are here to provide the best training and to meet their needs.”
Moore was happy in her old job when Prothro unexpectedly approached her about taking over his position more than a year ago. That was followed by a conversation with the board last summer.
“I’ve never wanted to go anywhere else,” she said. “I love ASBA. I love my job. When he opened the door, I started thinking, ‘Well, why not?’”
Prothro is confident he is leaving ASBA in good hands. It’s true that Moore is not an educator, as he was. But, he said, she’s not running a school; she’s leading a nonprofit, and she’ll
NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Shannon Moore stands in front of ASBA’s mission statement in its boardroom. Moore has worked at ASBA since 2006. Former Executive Director Dr. Tony Prothro said she “bleeds ASBA blue.”
have a lot of good people around her. She’s had a chance to shadow him the past couple of years. And she’s committed. According to Prothro, she “bleeds ASBA blue.”
“I don’t think you necessarily have to work in school to be a success and to work with educators,” he said. “If you’ve got a heart for kids and your integrity’s intact, and you listen to people and try to move an organization forward, I think those are the key elements.”
Some parts of the job will involve a learning curve, but Moore is well-
equipped to dive into the job. She certainly has the longevity at ASBA, as well as management experience.
“I’m a learner,” she said. “I’m like a sponge, and I like a challenge.”
ASBA President Randy Hutchinson of Springdale said the board hired Moore because she has been “an unwavering advocate” for the association.
“There is not another person I know as invested in the success of ASBA than she has been,” he said. “She has overseen the expansion of the insurance department and knows every school leader in the state. She has had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Prothro for the past year and has proven to be a quick learner, and I look forward to the continued success of ASBA under her leadership.:
Moore takes over during a time of change. In addition to Prothro, longtime Staff Attorney Kristen Garner, Advocacy Director Dan Jordan, and Communications and Technology Director Sherri Fite have retired or are retiring. Incom-
ing Communications Director Jessica Prothro comes to ASBA after serving in that role in the Beebe School District. She has been training for the job under Fite and is beefing up its social media presence with an emphasis on the good things school districts are doing. Programs Coordinator Robyn Keene also recently joined the staff. She was chief financial officer in Benton and Conway and worked at the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators. She will take over some of Moore’s past duties related to insurance and finance and will provide finance training for school districts.
“I’m going to surround myself,” Moore said. “We’ve got a really good team. We’ve built a good team. And I’m a team player.”
As director of the risk management and workers’ comp program, Moore has spent most of her time in the back half of the building. However, she has
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ASBA/AAEA
May 6
May 13
Election Day
Active Shooter & Intruder Response Training (ASIR)
The training assists school staff in their ability to prevent, report and protect themselves and their students from an active shooter during the critical moments they are waiting for police to arrive. It also educates school staff about what to expect from officers once they are on site. “This course has given me the knowledge, confidence, and ability to help protect those around me.”
ASBA staff changes
kept abreast of ASBA’s other functions, including its professional development offerings, its legislative advocacy, and its communications. She always attends the Annual Conference and other events.
“I had a 30,000-foot view of what was going on,” she said. “I wasn’t in the weeds, but I kept up with all the trainings and what they were doing.”
Not part of the plan
The El Dorado native didn’t plan on being an association executive director when she entered college as a political science major. Instead, she was going to law school. At the beginning of her senior year, her professor asked her why she wanted to do that when there were already so many attorneys. Taking his advice, she moved to Little Rock after graduation and began finding her way in the world. She did office management at an orthopedic clinic, where she oversaw insurance including workers’ compensation activities.
This experience led her to an opportunity as a workers’ compensation adjuster with a third-party administrator that handled ASBA’s claims.
Moore enjoyed doing workers’ compensation. It involves investigating whether an injury is compensable and whether fraud has occurred. Most claims are legitimate, so the adjuster coordinates and approves treatments and ensures the worker isn’t paying out of pocket for expenses that should be covered.
“It was taking care of someone, and it makes you feel good,” she said.
Moore worked for third-party administrators until then-Executive Director Dan Farley hired her as assistant director of the ASBA’s risk management program in 2006.
Farley had approached her previously about the opportunity. In 2006, she decided to have the conversation. When Moore came to ASBA, she had to learn quickly. She immediately started studying to obtain her insurance agent’s license.
“I was like a sponge, just absorbing that information,” she said.
It’s good that she was on a fast learning curve because within about six months, the program’s director
SHANNON MOORE speaks at the Region 8 Fall Regional Meeting at Mayflower High School Oct. 17.
her that reinsurance rates were increasing 50%. Costs were increasing everywhere after a series of expensive hurricanes. Insurers were pulling back, and capacity became an issue. Then came March 31, when a tornado destroyed much of Wynne High School. The claim is reserved for about $125 million, but ASBA had paid only $13.3 million in premiums. The expected 50% increase doubled.
“It was just the perfect storm,” she said. “You had a horrible market. You had a horrible loss. In turn, we got over a hundred percent rate increase on our program.”
This year is actually better. ASBA’s members have received a 15% rate reduction off last year’s sky-high rates. The market is calming down and capacity is improving, which reduces prices. Moore said it’s a cycle, not a doom loop.
left the job. Leading a staff of four or five, Moore began working to enhance ASBA’s offerings. In 2007, she hired a new broker, Bill Birch, a former school board member who understood school districts’ needs. They revamped the services and improved the rate structure, and the number of districts served increased from approximately 120 to 179.
“We don’t solicit, but word of mouth, we started picking up new members,” she said.
The staff grew to what is now 10 after she brought ASBA’s workers’ compensation services in house. Until then, ASBA had been paying a third party administrator to handle the claims, which didn’t make sense considering Moore’s expertise in the subject. She brought in a couple of adjusters from a previous employer, and ASBA’s program has been self-administered ever since.
The property insurance side has become more challenging with increasing claims and costs and fewer providers willing to underwrite customers. In 2019, Moore decided she no longer could limit ASBA’s choices to the domestic market, so the majority of the coverage was moved to Lloyd’s of London.
Things reached a head in 2023. In London that March, carriers were telling
But the challenges remain. Making it worse is the fact that Arkansas’ weather patterns have changed. Convective storms previously concentrated in Texas and Oklahoma are now occurring in Arkansas, bringing increased wind and hail. Carriers are putting separate windhail deductibles on policies.
As of now, ASBA still has a property insurance program. With the challenges remaining, legislators have been holding hearings about forming a captive insurance agency or a statewide program. ASBA would love to continue to serve school districts in this capacity. On the other hand, if the state can provide the same coverages as are currently offered and save districts money, that is a winwin for school districts.
Moore does have a life outside of ASBA. In her spare time, she likes to travel and attend concerts with her “other half,” Tony Ranchino. Their tastes range from Barry Manilow to U2. She is also a bird watcher.
“I am into photography and taking pictures of birds to the point that I log them on an app of what I’ve seen,” she said. “I even went on vacation, and the whole purpose was to see a certain bird that was on this one island, Channel Island National Park off the coast of Ventura, California. It’s an island scrubjay, and it’s only on this island, and that was the only reason I wanted to go.”
Prothro: Time to be grandkids’ ‘Doc’
ASBA’s longtime executive director, Dr. Tony Prothro, has retired to spend more time with his family, activities, and church
After 12 years as ASBA’s executive director, Dr. Tony Prothro retired at the end of October.
“This is the longest I’ve ever been employed in one position in one place,” he said. “I’ve been here 12 years. When I came here, I was originally going to stay three to five years, but I fell in love with the work. I have enjoyed the ASBA experience and working with board members around the state. I’ve built some great friendships, and it’s just been an awesome experience. However, it’s time for new blood. It’s time for someone different to be at the helm to look at the landscape with a new perspective.”
That perspective will come from ASBA’s new executive director, Shannon Moore. Moore came to ASBA in 2006 and has served as director of ASBA’s risk management and workers’ compensation program. When Prothro knew his time at ASBA was coming to an end, he and the executive committee began considering who might replace him. Moore, who had management experience and a love for ASBA, was a
THE REIMAGINED
RO CK EFELL ER EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
DON’T HAVE TO WEAR A TIE ANYMORE. Dr. Tony Prothro is pictured in 2012 after joining ASBA’s staff. He spent a year as assistant executive director before assuming the executive director’s role. In the same way, he’s mentored his successor, Shannon Moore, on his way to retirement.
ASBA staff changes
good fit. She’s been training for the job for more than two years.
“She’s going to sit at the helm, and she’s going to say, ‘Hey, what about this? Is there a way to do this differently?’ And I think she’ll have some great ideas moving forward being new in the seat,” he said.
Moore appreciates what Prothro has accomplished the past 12 years.
“It’s going to be pretty big shoes to fill,” she said at the Region 8 Fall Regional Meeting at Mayflower High School in October. “Tony has been an outstanding leader. His student-focused mind, what he has done at ASBA over the last 12 years has been incredible.”
From Rose Bud to ASBA
Prothro grew up in Rose Bud, a small town between Heber Springs and Jacksonville about 15 miles south of Greers Ferry Lake. His graduating class of 56 was twice as big as the district’s other classes. He and his wife, Regina, started dating in high school and married in his last year at the University of Central Arkansas.
Prothro went to college to get an education degree and then a job, not to party. During the week, he attended class from 8 a.m. until noon and then worked at a furniture store from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. and then at Walmart until closing. Because he couldn’t take classes in the afternoon, it took him five years to graduate. Needing some filler and seeking to increase his employability, he earned a minor in French. He chose that subject because it was available during his morning hours and because Arkansas students had a new foreign language requirement, and most other education majors were taking Spanish. He still speaks a little French and has a trip to France on his bucket list. His first job was teaching English, French and other subjects. He picked up journalism and speech endorsements through an independent study.
Prothro then held a series of principal jobs. He spent one year at Humnoke High School in southeast Arkansas and then moved to Griffithville High School in the Searcy area. After one year, it was consolidated into the Riverview School District. He spent three years as the high
DR. TONY PROTHRO speaks at the Southern Region Conference in Hot Springs in July 2017.
school principal at Kensett, which was part of the district. When the new Riverview High School opened, he became principal there for three years.
From there, Prothro served as superintendent at three districts: Mt. VernonEnola for five years, Arkadelphia for four, and Benton for six. He saw himself as a “change agent” who would come into a district, address problems, and then move on to the next job. One of the assets he brought to the table was his knowledge of educational finance and facilities. Meanwhile, he earned a doctorate in higher education administration and teaching from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. While at Benton, he started doing financial presentations for the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators. He then started doing the same for educational cooperatives for ASBA. He also led trainings on board roles and governance issues.
When former ASBA Executive Director Dan Farley retired, he and some of ASBA’s executive committee members talked to Prothro about taking the position. For Prothro, the timing was good, and he was looking forward to being in charge of 20 employees instead of 400. Still, it was an adjustment.
“When I came here, the thing I missed was being around the kids,” he said. “So I made that a big part of my job in visiting schools and being out in the school districts. That still gave me a shot in the arm when I needed, being around the kids.”
Prothro said his work experiences prepared him to be ASBA’s executive director. He had been a superintendent working for small school districts where he personally had been in charge of
maintenance and custodial departments. He’d also been in charge of large districts with 5,000 students. Before that, he’d been a principal.
He enjoyed the change that came with working at ASBA.
“I love the small work environment, all the ASBA employees working together for a common goal,” he said. “Shannon will inherit one of the best school board association staffs in the nation. I have been blessed to work with educational leaders from all over the state in the form of teachers and administrators. I also love, and I’m going to miss working with servant leaders. Board members are servant leaders. They are required to do an incredibly difficult job with no monetary compensation. They do it because they care about their schools, and they care about their communities. Some of the besthearted, most forward-thinking people that I have met in my life are board members, and I’m going to miss meeting the new faces. I’ve really enjoyed people who have that sort of missionminded personality.”
One of the first things Prothro did was work to change ASBA’s mission statement after noticing that it didn’t mention students. “Student-focused leadership” was added to the wording. An early legislative success was helping pass a lifetime teaching license for retirees. In 2022, he helped shepherd the association as it became a founding member of the Consortium of State School Boards Associations.
ASBA President Randy Hutchinson of Springdale described Prothro as a “relentless advocate” for school board members and students.
“His entire career as a teacher, administrator, superintendent and ASBA executive director has been spent trying to do what is best for all kids,” he said. “He has been a valuable mentor that has helped me be a better leader and advocate for the children in Springdale where I have served on the board for the past 17-plus years. I will always value his friendship and wish him the best with his retirement.”
At 61, Prothro is retiring at a young age. While he won’t be drawing a paycheck, he’ll hardly be sitting still – a fact
that won’t surprise anyone who knows him. The first order of business is time with his family, particularly his grandchildren ages 10, 8, 6 and 2. Prothro’s wife, Regina, retired from public school in 2013 and worked part-time at an educational cooperative until June of this year. While she’s been taking care of the grandchildren, Prothro too often has been at work. Regina encouraged him to retire because he was missing too much time with them.
“I’ve seen too many people wait too late, and then they physically cannot do the things that they’ve always dreamed about, that bucket list, so they just continue working,” Prothro said. “I don’t want to be one of those.”
Prothro’s grandchildren refer to him as “Doc,” which has long been his nickname. Prothro didn’t love it at first, but he accepted it and then embraced it when his grandson started saying it.
“My wife said, ‘You’re going to be Doc,’ and I said, ‘Well, what if I want to
be (something else)?” Prothro said. “She said, ‘Everyone else calls you ‘Doc,’ so it will be easy for the grandkids to call you by your nickname.’”
He’s already been contacted about potential jobs but has declined. He knows he could get a call someday from a district that needs a short-term interim superintendent. He doesn’t plan on doing that but might fill in for a few short months until a replacement is found.
“You never say never about anything, but I don’t think it will be going back to work because I’m bored,” he said. “It will be a calling because I feel like I’m needed and there’s no one else they could find who could do it.”
Aside from the grandchildren, Prothro has other plans. He’s a deacon at Hot Springs First Baptist Church, the big church across the street from the racetrack. He’s a scuba diver, and he loves to hunt and fish. He owns a Harley Davidson and a chopper. Regina likes to ride with him. They plan to travel.
Going to France is on his bucket list. They also have some timber property where they like to ride utility vehicles and all-terrain vehicles and kayak on an adjacent river.
“I’m going to do some of the things that I haven’t been able to do since I became a principal at 25 years of age,” he said. “I’m going to be able to fish when I want, and when I wake up in the morning, the day’s going to be open to all possibilities. I’m going to be able to go hunting in November and fishing in the spring and not be constantly looking at my phone to see what’s going on. … I’m very active in my church, and I’ve really got a passion for the elderly and widows. There are over a hundred widows and widowers in our church who at times need assistance. They need everything done from leaf raking to yard mowing to little minor repairs around the house. I know that between church, family and hobbies I will have a very blessed future.”
Head of the Class
ASBA staff changes
New comms head tells schools’ stories
Jessica Prothro comes to ASBA from Beebe, where she led the district’s communications efforts
How do schools tell their story?
“Constantly,” according to Jessica Prothro.
Prothro started working Aug. 1 as ASBA’s incoming Communications and Telecommunications Director. She will become the new director when Sherri Fite retires at the end of the year.
“I think you have to push out constantly the great things happening, whether it’s students finding success in the classroom or athletics and extracurriculars, or teachers who are able to make connections with students that maybe didn’t have a place before,” Prothro said.
Prothro came to ASBA with an education background. After graduating from Southern Arkansas University, she taught English for five years in the Rose Bud School District, where Dr. Chris Nail was superintendent her last two years there. After he moved to Beebe in 2018, he invited her to be the district’s communications coordinator.
The job took Prothro out of the classroom and away from students. She missed that interaction, but it also meant she could celebrate the district’s successes. She had recently earned her master’s degree in library media, which helped prepare her for the role.
“An important thing to remember is that when you’re in a school, if you’re not telling your story, somebody else will,’” she said. “So we were really trying to push out all the positive that was going on. It wasn’t hard because there were lots of great things happening every day in the school, so just having that ability to go out and encourage people to celebrate it, I’d say that was my favorite.”
At Beebe, Prothro used a variety of tools to tell that story. The district’s website, she said, is the school district’s front porch. Families considering enrolling their children probably go there first. She also used Facebook and other
JESSICA PROTHRO is beefing up ASBA’s social media presence and is looking for districts to share their good news. Email stories and pictures to jprothro@arsba.org.speaking at the Southern Region Conference in Hot Springs in July 2017.
social media tools, and she maintained relationships with the local newspaper and radio outlets.
The job also involved responding to negative comments on social media. The key was to respond in a professional manner with facts and by directing the commenter to reach out with questions. She did not engage in pointless backand-forth debates.
Prothro praised the mentorship she received from Dr. Nail and others while at Beebe, adding that if it weren’t for
their support, she wouldn’t be where she is today. Coming to ASBA will give her an opportunity to serve districts statewide.
“Our school boards are doing great work across the state, and it’s trickling down into our administration, teachers, staff and students,” she said. “I also want to be able to serve the purposes we have here of providing quality training to board members, and be a resource to them overall. I had some experience with that at Beebe because on top of
communications I was board liaison for most of my time there. I got to know board policy and the whole dynamic of their role. I found it interesting, and when I found out this was a possible opportunity, I thought, well, why not give it a shot?”
Fite, who is retiring after more than 31 years in education, said Prothro is well prepared for the job.
“I think when you’re in a school, you get a lot more training on the latest and greatest,” she said. “She’s had some tools and apps that she’s used before that I didn’t even know about. I’m just excited to be followed by someone of her caliber.”
Rooted in Arkansas
While Prothro is not a native Arkansan, she has now lived in the state for 11 years and has no plans of leaving. A valedictorian of her class of 12 in Avinger in northeast Texas, she received an academic scholarship to Southern
Arkansas University, where she was also a member of the school’s nationally competitive rodeo team.
Horses and rodeo sports always have been a part of Prothro’s life.
“My dad was into it. He got into riding horses when he was in his 20s, and then I just fell in love with it early. I was riding horses before I could even walk,” she said.
Prothro still competes in breakaway roping, but she’s been off the circuit temporarily to give birth to her second daughter, Korlee, in May. Her oldest daughter, Kennedy, is 4.
They and Prothro’s husband, Zeb, live at Quitman on a place they bought almost a year ago. The two met while students at SAU. Zeb is the superintendent of the Mt. Vernon-Enola School District. He’s the nephew of former ASBA Executive Director Dr. Tony Prothro.
Prothro said being married to a school superintendent will help her be
a better ASBA communications and technology director.
“It keeps me on my toes with what’s happening because now that I don’t work in a district anymore, I run the risk of being disconnected from what’s actually happening there,” she said. “But coming home to him every day, I hear all of his problems, so that helps me stay in touch and think, ‘Oh, well, maybe that’s something ASBA can help with if it is related to board service or part of their role.’”
As ASBA’s communications director, Prothro will be sharing stories with all of Arkansas. Her primary audience, however, will remain school board members. ASBA will be their resource for training and support.
“We know they don’t get paid for this job,” she said. “There’s not a ton of perks to it, so they need somebody there to help be their voice and someone they can lean on. ASBA should be that organization.”
ASBA staff changes
Fite retires after 31 years in education
Former business and accounting teacher worked last five years as ASBA’s communications director
Sherri Fite said being ASBA’s communications and technology director the past five years has been “the best job I have ever had.” But she had to be persuaded to come.
Fite had been approached more than once by former Advocacy Director Dan Jordan about working for the association. At the time, she was the Benton School District’s technology director. She’d always said no.
But things had changed by late 2019. Fite’s mother had spent several years in poor health before ultimately passing away the day after Christmas.
That experience, and the neverending task of keeping up with school district technology, had Fite ready for a fresh start.
That’s when former ASBA Executive Director Dr. Tony Prothro offered her a deal: If she didn’t like the job after 30 days, she could quit.
“And so I said, ‘OK, I’ll come for 30 days.’ I prayed about it and came for 30 days. I knew the first week, it was like, ‘I’m in,’” she said.
Prothro had high praise.
“Sherri is a very humble person who does not want any recognition for her talents,” he said. “In fact, she is one of the most talented technology and communications people I know. If she doesn’t know the answer, I can promise you she will research and find the answer to any issue that surfaces. Her talents are only matched by her obvious integrity and work ethic.”
He went on to say, “Sherri came to us at a crucial time during the beginning of COVID. I would have wanted no one other than Sherri to handle the issues that surfaced during that time period. In addition, she has brought the technology and communications of ASBA to the next level and beyond in her five years with the association.”
ASBA’s new executive director, Shannon Moore, praised Fite for her work during the pandemic while speak-
SHERRI FITE is retiring as ASBA’s communications and technology director. She and her husband, state Rep. Lanny Fite, R-Benton, already have travel plans, starting with a trip to the Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon presidential libraries in California. Also on tap are trips to Fayetteville and to the Philippines to see their six grandchildren.
ing at the Region 8 Regional Meeting at Mayflower High School October 17.
“Sherri really came through for us on how we communicated and trained when COVID happened,” she said.
Fite’s retirement at the beginning of next year marks the end of more than 31 years in education. After earning an accounting degree and working in that field, she taught business classes at Benton for 13 years. Her subjects included Cisco networking, accounting, business management, computer application and keyboarding. When Dr. Prothro became Benton’s superintendent in 2006, she became the district’s technology director for another 13.5 years.
Fite has enjoyed her five years at ASBA. While technology is her specialty, she has spent most of her time in
communications, including updating the website, sending emails, and preparing for conferences. Meanwhile, she’s had to keep up with technology changes, too. When COVID hit, she organized her first Zoom meeting.
In October, she traveled to Kansas City for an artificial intelligence conference hosted by the Missouri School Boards Association.
“Really, I’ve learned so much,” she said. “I think that’s often why people go into education, right? Because we love to learn.”
Fite is not the only member of her household who is retiring. Her husband, state Rep. Lanny Fite, R-Benton, is leaving politics after 10 years in the Legislature and, before that, 16 years as Saline County judge. He owned an asphalt business prior to that. The daughter of a Baptist preacher, she was well prepared for the scrutiny that comes with being a political family.
Planning to travel
They’re already making travel plans. Their first trip will be to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California. Lanny is a history buff, while she enjoys the travel. From there, they plan to visit the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda a couple of hours away. They also plan to make trips to the beach, which she described as her “happy place.” She in particular wants to visit the Florida Keys.
Trips to see their two children and six grandchildren also are certain to happen. Their son, Adam Fite, lives in Fayetteville with his wife and three of the Fites’ grandchildren. The Fites’ daughter, Kellie Turner, is a missionary with her husband in the Philippines. Two grandchildren live there, while a third is a college student in Mississippi.
Fite will retire after the Annual Conference in December. She’s been training her replacement, Jessica Prothro, for several months.
“She’s been indispensable,” Prothro said. “She is so great. I wish that we could both just stay on and work together.”
Founders Classical Academy teacher spotlighted, awarded
Nathan Miller, a high school history teacher at Founders Classical Academy of Rogers, was spotlighted as the October
Grandy.
2024 honoree by Honored, a national non-profit organization that recognizes exceptional teachers.
Students nominate teachers. Each honoree receives a $5,000 cash award.
Miller was nominated by sophomore student Isaac Grandy, who has autism and who Miller teaches in his Western civilization class.
“Sometimes it’s just so hard, but the fact that you have people to talk to makes it a lot easier. And Mr. Miller is one of those people, who, no matter if you’re going through a lot or a little, he’s still there,” Grandy said in an article posted on HonorEd’s website.
The article said that Miller has been teaching at Founders Classical Academy two years. It’s his first teaching job, although previously he was an adjunct seminary professor.
“I try to never view any student as a problem,” Miller said. “I’m a bit tired of people calling children ‘burdens.’ They’re not. Children are blessings.”
Mount Ida votes to purchase station to teach auto repair
The Mount Ida School Board unanimously voted to purchase an automotive oil changing business Sept. 26.
High School Principal Randi Hickman told the board the building would be used to teach students automotive service technician skills. She will apply for a start-up grant to defer some of the costs. The start-up grant is a collaboration with the De Queen-Mena Cooperative and the Department of Education.
“This is an exciting program for our boys and hopefully girls who will choose this career pathway, as well as growth within our community,” she said, according to a press release.
Superintendent Ann Gardner told the board that the plan was to secure the grant in late spring, and then to begin retrofitting the building to offer classes in the fall of 2025.
Gardner told the board the purchase would allow the district to increase its educational “H2” pathways, which are considered by the Arkansas Department of Education to be “high demand and high wage” based on a 10-year forecast of employment opportunities for high school students.
High-demand jobs are those calculated to have a 10-year forecast greater than or equal to 0.4% of the current total employment in Arkansas. High-wage jobs are those that have a median annual wage greater than or equal to the estimated baseline living wage in Arkansas.
“There are more H2 pathways that we are going to seek this spring, and would like to offer these to our students in the upcoming school year,” Hickman said.
Arkadelphia board discusses plans for new high school
The Arkadelphia School Board and Superintendent Nikki Thomas discussed plans for a new high school at a work session Oct. 11.
Clayton Vaden of Lewis Architects Engineers; Dr. Charles Stein, director of the Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation; and, below, Jason Holsclaw of Stephens Inc., provided information.
Henderson State University Chancellor Trey Berry began the work session with an inspirational challenge. The seven school board members reviewed the current strategic plan by identifying the progress and potential toward reaching each goal.
NATHAN MILLER is pictured with student Isaac
Public Finance
A Q&A with Vice President Lindsey Ollar
While Stephens Public Finance advisors are out meeting with school district officials, Vice President Lindsey Ollar spends much of her time supporting the Stephens’ team internally on a wide array of mission-critical tasks, from providing in-depth analytical support and debt modeling to transaction management. This provides the bankers with important data that they use to generate actionable insights and conduct successful transactions for clients.
What is your overall role at Stephens Public Finance, and how do you help education clients in Arkansas achieve their public financing needs?
I see my role as twofold: (1) providing analytical support to our advisory team and (2) conducting financial modeling and due diligence analysis for municipal bond transactions. At Stephens, we use a data-driven approach to help districts by identifying key trends within a specific district. For example, we routinely provide our districts with financial analysis that includes information on assessments, millage revenues, revenue projections, student enrollment, and debt modeling. To support our advisory team, I monitor market conditions and look for restructuring and refinancing opportunities.
Stephens also provides school districts with pertinent information in preparation for millage elections that helps them explain to voters how their specific public financing proposals could benefit the district and the community in a costeffective and timely manner. I work with the district’s respective advisor to model cash flows and determine the appropriate financing strategy.
For instance, this work considers how total student enrollment changes over time; how much the
county’s assessments of new and pre-existing properties have increased; as well as property reappraisals and millage rollbacks.
What public financing trends has Stephens observed among Arkansas school districts this year?
In 2024, Northwest Arkansas has continued to grow its economy, population, and school district property assessments. School districts in the region have been contacting Stephens throughout the year to learn how rising property assessments could impact their revenues and millage rates, as well as to seek advice on when to return to the municipal bond markets to finance their projects.
As inflation has increased the cost of construction, some school districts have gone back to voters after a few years for approval on another round of funding. In addition, we have seen school districts use surplus debt service revenue to issue additional bonds, which generally can be done without voter approval in Arkansas.
Overall, we have not seen declines in debt service revenues for Arkansas school districts, but some of them also haven’t experienced as much of an increase as they might have wanted due to
millage rollbacks. In Arkansas, a district millage may “rollback” (subject to certain factors) if a district’s assessment grows more than 10 percent from year to year. So, we evaluate these scenarios with our clients. We are also mindful of how the LEARNS Act increasing compensation for public school teachers, giving Arkansas teacher one of the highest starting salaries in the U.S., may impact a district’s fiscal position.
While many districts were able to take advantage of the previous low interest rate environment, we have found that districts are now having to consider other financing strategies, such as “wrapping” around their existing debt service to maintain cash flows while putting moderate millage increases up for vote. Yet despite the somewhat higher rate environment, we’ve still seen 25-year bond issuances come in under 4%, which in a historical context remains quite attractive.
What factors might impact public financing in 2025 for Arkansas school districts?
Next year, the Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation, in coordination with the Arkansas Department of Education, will announce which school districts will receive financial assistance through the state’s grant program, known as Partnership Funding. In May, districts will know whether the State approved them and how much assistance they will receive, if any.
This funding source helps school districts with constructing new buildings, renovating existing buildings, acquiring equipment and technology, and other improvements. School districts must begin approved projects within 18 months of receiving Partnership Funding. As a result, those school districts may be more inclined to access the municipal bond markets in order to raise the capital needed to complete their projects. In fact, Stephens advisors are already in discussions with districts on next steps if approved.
Furthermore, if the Federal Reserve continues to cut its benchmark rates into 2025, we anticipate that districts will see a somewhat lower rate environment that may incentivize districts to secure the lower cost of capital. Although the Fed has not signaled that the U.S. is headed back to the era of rock-bottom rates, Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) participants have indicated that easier monetary policy could be appropriate in the coming months. Our team sends out weekly market commentary to our clients to keep them apprised of these movements.
Stephens also conducts debt modeling sensitivity analysis on how changes in rates may impact public financing needs for school districts, by factoring in how rates may affect county property taxes, which could be relevant for specific millage elections.
What do you find most fulfilling about working with education clients in Arkansas?
Giving back to Arkansas schools. My children attend the same Arkansas public school that I attended when I was their age, and that my parents attended. My family has lived, worked, and played in the same community – White Hall, Arkansas – for three generations. I know firsthand how important a school is to a community. Therefore, it is very fulfilling for me that Stephens Public Finance is so actively involved in helping Arkansas school districts achieve their financial goals on behalf of their students.
New ASBA programs coordinator will focus on member training, internal finance
It’s a blessing when you love what you do. Robyn Keene loves school finance.
Keene recently became ASBA’s programs coordinator after previously serving as chief financial officer for the Benton and Conway School Districts and financial services director for the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA).
Her main focus at ASBA will be school board member finance training. She’ll also have responsibilities regarding ASBA’s internal finances and its school property insurance program.
For some, school finance can be a dry or overwhelming topic. Not to her.
“It’s just one of those things that’s ever evolving,” she said. “It’s not boring. There’s always legislation involved with it. When I went to AAEA, I never thought I would be involved with legislation. I really kind of liked it – just the whole policy part of it, how the funding matrix is made up, how people spend money, how we code those expenses, making sure that we’re doing it accurately, so it’s never boring. I won’t say it’s fun, but it is for me.”
She’s excited about the opportunity to share her expertise with school board members and others associated with ASBA. She noted that Dr. Tony Prothro, ASBA’s former executive director, recently told her she’s not meant to sit behind a desk eight hours a day.
She said school board members should have a big-picture understanding of fund accounting – the lingo, the revenue sources, the budgeting. They need to trust but verify and ask questions. Revenue issues can sneak up on a board, so they should keep a close eye on the district’s enrollment.
“I think when a new school board member comes in, they’re looking at finance from their perspective, and school finance is just so different,” she said. “When I first got in school finance, I said, ‘You forget everything else that you ever knew, and you learn a whole
ROBYN KEENE is ASBA’s new programs coordinator, where she will be training board members in school finance in addition to other duties. Keene has been a chief financial officer for the Benton and Conway school districts and also worked for the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators. Behind her is the Truett Goatcher Arkansas School Business Administrator of the Year award she won in 2023. The award was presented by Arkansas School Business Officials.
different way of looking at things because you have so many different fund sources, some restricted and some unrestricted, and it’s important to know the big picture of it, and realize that there’s a lot of moving parts.”
The North Little Rock native comes to ASBA from the Conway School District, where she was chief financial officer for a little more than two years. In 2023, Arkansas School Business Officials honored her as the Truett Goatcher
Arkansas School Business Administrator of the Year. Recipients are nominated by past winners and are chosen based on service to the association and to the profession.
Keene received the award after a career spent in school finance that started with her helping manage the finances for the Benton School District’s student activities program. She started working there because her family was living outside the city limits, and she and her husband wanted their son, Ryne, to be able to attend school there. Previously, she had been an insurance underwriter.
Eventually, she became assistant business manager and interim chief financial officer. She lost the interim tag when Dr. Prothro became superintendent.
She then became the AAEA’s financial services director. In that position, she worked with school business officials and federal coordinators and also provided financial consulting for school
districts. After nine years, she moved to Conway. At both school districts, she did financial training for internal staff.
Keene graduated with a business and economics degree from Hendrix College and later returned to school to study accounting. She is now back in school earning her master’s degree in education, which she will finish in August.
The Benton resident came to ASBA in part because it cut in half the hourlong commute she was making to Conway. Then-incoming ASBA Executive Director Shannon Moore told her about the opportunity.
“This opening came up, and Shannon and I were in contact with each other, and I just think it was a blessing,” Keene said. “I really do. I think it was a God thing, and it just came at a great time. I gained five hours of my life back where I’m not sitting in a car. I haven’t quite grasped that yet, other than I’m getting home and going to the gym and cooking supper and cleaning up.”
Top teacher: Give students options
Jeanie Wilcoxon, 2025 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, wants her fourth grade math students to get the right answer. But how they do it
might depend on their learning style.
Jeanie Wilcoxon wondered why Chenal Elementary School was having a “bus assembly” in the cafeteria. Already a state semfinalist, she suspected she might be the 2025 Arkansas Teacher of the Year when she saw all the people and cameras gathered there, but she couldn’t find her husband and daughters. When a famous Arkansan appeared, all doubt evaporated.
“I knew for sure when the governor came out from the back,” she said. “That’s when it really sunk in. I was getting some weird looks from teachers, and they were kind of grinning at me, and I was like, ‘What’s going on here?’”
Wilcoxon, whose fourth grade math students score in the state’s top 3% in standardized tests, learned of the award during the surprise announcement October 4 by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva. She received $14,000 sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation to go along with the $1,000 she’d received for being a state semifinalist and another $1,000 she’d received as a regional finalist. Next July 1, she will leave the classroom for a year to promote the teaching profession and be a nonvoting State Board of Education member.
“I’m excited about traveling the state and seeing other schools and meeting other educators and principals and learning from their schools and what they offer,” she said. “I’m hoping to be able to bring some of that back to Chenal, and hopefully be able to implement some programs and maybe things that work well with other school districts. I’m excited to stand up for public education across our state. And I’m excited to work with all my new friends at the Department of Ed and just see what insights they can give me, and maybe some things that I can learn from them as well to bring back here to share.”
The Dumas High School graduate has worked for the Pulaski County Special School District since 2011. In addition to teaching math – and also science this year – she also was an assistant high school volleyball coach from 2016 to 2022. She previously taught fifth grade one year at Dumas and, before that, taught at the Iberville Parish Schools in Plaquemine, Louisiana.
Wilcoxon said it’s important to give students the flexibility to learn in the way that suits them best. If there’s more than one way to solve a math problem, she doesn’t care which way a student does it.
“I’m confident that almost a hundred percent of my kids can multiply up to two-by-two digit numbers right now, and it’s because they have options,” she said. “Looking back to when I was in
JEANIE WILCOXON, who teaches fourth grade math and science at Chenal Elementary School, says the year she’ll spend traveling the state will be a learning experience.
school, if kids would have had options, who knows what kids would have been able to do?”
Wilcoxon said it’s OK for students to make mistakes. Those can be teaching moments.
“My classroom is not quiet,” she said. “I don’t really call on hands. (If) it’s something that I really want them to think about, I’ll tell them ‘Wait time.’ But other than that, they talk constantly. And that’s just the kind of teacher I am. I like you to talk to me. I like to hear you. Because the moment I hear something wrong, I can, right then, fix the mistake.”
Among her other teaching strategies is doing “spiral reviews” of materials covered earlier in a school year. She emphasizes “fact fluency” – knowing basic math skills like multiplication tables.
Students should see how they will use those skills throughout their academic careers. Another emphasis is ensuring students fully understand math terms like “sum” and “difference.”
“The vocabulary is so important,” she said. “It’s one of the most important things I teach other than the standards themselves because without knowing the vocabulary that goes along with the things that I teach, the kids really don’t develop that deep understanding of what it means. And it’s not uncommon that you’ll walk in here and see kids all over the floor. It might look like chaos, but they’re learning. They’re playing games.”
Wilcoxon said she closely collaborates with third grade math teacher Allison Heffington. The two friends try to use the same vocabulary and the same strategies. If necessary, she’ll collaborate with the second grade math teacher. She also looks at data such as previous test scores.
Another key to success is developing relationships with students. Going to their sporting events shows them she cares and helps her get to know their families.
Wilcoxon was inspired to become a teacher by her high school algebra teacher, Henry Reding. He was patient and willing to meet with students before or after school. She also was inspired by her elementary physical education teacher, Peggy Goodgame. When she enrolled at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, she knew she wanted to be an educator but was unsure if she wanted to teach P.E. or go into the classroom. She chose P.E., but after graduating and moving to Louisiana, she couldn’t find a P.E. job and instead worked in the classroom. She earned her classroom certification at Louisiana State University.
Outside of teaching, she said her most important activity is “being a wife and a mom.” She and her husband, Bryan, met in college and have been married 25
years. They have two daughters: Sydnee, 22, and Emma, 19, and a German shepherd, Kaine. Describing herself as “not a city girl,” she and her family hunt deer, and she likes to fish. She visits her mother in Dumas as often as she can.
Many of the recent Teachers of the Year have received the award while still relatively early in their careers. Wilcoxon has been teaching 25 years. At a stage when she might be thinking about retirement, she instead is looking to learn and improve.
“I stay current, of course, with the standards that I teach,” she said. “I’m constantly looking at ways to grow and make my lessons better. I’m (big) on reflecting after I teach – like, what were some more rigorous questions that I could have asked them – and I jot those down, my lessons for the following year.
“My passion is still here. I’ve said this, and I’ll say it for the rest of my life ... I want to be the teacher that I would want my daughters to have.”
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EXECUTIVE SESSION
with Beth Ullrich
By Steve Brawner Editor
Beth Ullrich spent much of her childhood in Paris and doesn’t plan to leave. She and her husband live in a home a stone’s throw away from the house where he grew up. She raised her children in the Paris School District, her grandchildren have attended school there, and she worked for 26 years as the elementary school secretary. She’s still “Miss Beth” to many in the community.
One year after retiring, she was elected to the Paris School Board, where she’s now serving her seventh year. The district has built a new administrative building during that time. This past year the board hired a new superintendent, Brad Culver. The district maintains a relationship with Arkansas Tech University - Ozark, which has a building on campus where high school students can learn robotics and welding and can study to become certified nursing assistants.
She spoke to Report Card about these subjects and about serving as a volunteer poll worker helping both senior citizens and first-time young voters vote.
What brought you to Paris?
“We lived in Texarkana for a while, and my grandparents lived in Paris. They became sick. My mom and I moved up here so that my mother could be a caretaker for them, and then my mother was the first school nurse. They had just started the school nurse program, so she was one of the first school nurses to be hired in the state of Arkansas. I’m a third generation school employee. My grandfather was the head mechanic and a bus driver. Then my
mother was the first school nurse when they started that program, and then I worked 26 years at the elementary school.”
What was your day like?
“[Laughs.] Well, I discovered very quickly that you just get through the day. You never know in an elementary school what’s going to come up. My main objective was just to make sure that the children felt safe and that we took care of them, and the parents felt safe that we were taking care of their children.”
How do you do that?
“You just smile a lot, and you love on them as much as you can. You just let them know that it’s going to be OK because going to school is kind of scary when you’re five years old.”
You have a warmth about you.
“Thank you.”
How important is having that? Because the school secretary’s the first person a lot of people see when they walk in.
“It’s very important because as you said, first impressions, those mean a lot, and so it’s very important that you welcome that family into the family of the school. That’s what we tell them when they come into the building. You are now part of our family at Paris Elementary School. It’s very scary to turn your child over to people that you don’t know, and so we want to reassure them that we’re going to take really good care of their most precious commodity, which is their children, and we’re going to nurture them and take care of them and make sure that they’re OK. That was my job. I always wanted the kids to know I’m always right here in this office. If you need anything, you come to me, and we’ll take care of you.”
What’s special about Paris?
“Well, the scenery for one thing. We’re right here at the foot of Mt. Magazine.
“What’s so very special about it is you go to the stores, the grocery stores, you go to church, you know everybody. Some people might find that a little difficult to deal with, but I relish in the fact that everybody I see, I know, and we visit. In fact, it’s really funny because my grandkids used to hate going with me to Walmart because you’d have to stop and visit with everybody while you’re in there. I love that closeness. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in a town where you go to a
store, and you have no idea, or you go into a restaurant, and there’s no one in there that you know. I just take comfort in knowing that people around me are people that I know.”
When did you run for school board?
“I was retired a year, and then a friend of mine approached me about, would I be interested? It’s a funny story because I was getting ready to go into mass, going into church, and she called me. I said, ‘Well, while I’m in there, let me pray about this decision, and then I’ll call you when I come out.’ I called her, and I said, ‘Sure. I’d be happy to.’”
Did you have an opponent?
“Yes, I did, and he now serves on the board with me because he ran the next school election, and so we now work together.”
How did the campaign go followed by the aftermath?
“It was fine. He and I talked prior to the election, and I only beat him by 77 votes, so it was close. I was so delighted that he decided to go ahead and run again because he is a great asset to the board.”
Who is that?
“Dustin Schluterman. His dad owns Paris Ford. Basically, I think my advantage was the fact that I’d worked at the
elementary school for 26 years. Everybody knew Miss Beth. [Laughs.] We laughed about the fact that on the ballot, it needed to say ‘Miss Beth’ because I don’t think anybody really knew what my last name was. [Laughs.]”
What are the advantages of being an ex-elementary secretary for being a school board member?
“I feel I can have an input when we discuss things and say, ‘Well, this seems like this would work.’ Or if they bring up something, I have the past experience of being an employee in an elementary school and can say, ‘We might need to think about this before we do it because it may not be receptive to the staff or parents or students.’ I bring that experience with me, and so I use that.”
And you know what the public is really saying. You heard it, right?
“Oh, yeah. You do. You hear the good and the bad, and that’s OK because we want them to express how they feel about the things that we’re doing. I feel that’s very important as a board member. Those people put me in office, so I want anybody and everybody to come to me if they have an issue or if they have a question or if they just need to give me their opinion. I’m open to that because I was put there by the people, so I feel that I need to keep that communication open.”
“
I love that closeness. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in a town where you go to a store, and you have no idea, or you go into a restaurant, and there’s no one in there that you know. I just take comfort in knowing that people around me are people that I know. ”
You built this very nice administrative building. How’d that happen?
“Thank you. Well, it became a necessity. The building that our administration was in was an old building that was originally from the Jacksonville Air Force base, and they moved it in here. I remember when I was in school, it was band and choir, and I think there was another classroom in there, and then the administration office got to the point where they needed more room, so they remodeled and turned it into the administration office. … We were having some serious mold issues, mildew issues. The administration office is one of the first things that some people see, so we wanted it to be someplace nice, and we want a good environment for our people to work in.”
Was it hard to spend money on something that was not academics or not student-focused?
“It’s hard to explain that to the public. It really is. But we encouraged anybody who would question our decision: Go to the administration office and see what those people work in and ask yourself, would you want to work in that environment? Would you want this to be the first thing that people see when they come to Paris School District? And usually they understood the decision.”
You hired a superintendent this year. How did that go for you?
“It was great. We interviewed, I think, seven or eight different people, and Mr. Culver, he just fit right into what we were looking for. We were looking for someone who was young and excited about education because it’s dear to my heart. He loved elementary students, middle school and (others), but he really did like elementary, so he had my vote for that one. He seemed to fit what we
were looking for. He fit into that slot very well. We figured, all five of us, that we may not agree, but he walked out, and we all five looked at each other and were like, you know what? This might be our guy. I mean, it was pretty immediate that he fit what we were looking for.”
Why did you want somebody young?
“Because we feel that somebody young is going to bring that youth and that excitement into it. He’ll be able to relate with our staff because he’s approximately the same age as the majority of our staff, our administration and our teachers. With youth comes the desire to learn, and he’s doing a great job. He’s learning, and he has lots of people in his life that give him great advice, which is good. I’m proud to say that he is not too proud to ask for help, and he let us know that right off the bat, ‘I’m not going to be afraid to reach out to people in education and ask for help on things.’ That was very impressionable to me.”
Tell me about your relationship with Arkansas Tech UniversityOzark.
“It’s great. We work really well with them. They provide the staff and then give our students the opportunity to attend the classes there. They have their own staff. They run everything from that. It’s on our campus, and our students are able to use that facility. We have Cloyes Gear and AAM (American Axle & Manufacturing), which are both manufacturers of gears and automotive things of that nature. A lot of robotics are done in those plants, and so there’s
a robotics class that comes from ATUOzark. I believe they have welding, also, which is a thing for our area. A lot of young men that are either in agriculture or decide to go into a welding career, this gives them an opportunity. And then, there’s always a need for the medical staff, so we have those classes for the students who want to get their CNA.”
Did the college build the building on campus?
“They built the building along with Tyson. They’re the ones who built the facility. We just allowed them to be on our campus.”
And you have your own family member who did it, right?
“My grandson did. … He participated, I think, his junior and his senior year. He got his CNA and went to work at the local nursing home, and then he’s going to ATU-Ozark to get his LPN-ship.”
Being a little bit rural, how important is it for you to offer these opportunities?
“Very important. It is very important. We don’t want our kids to leave. We want them to stay and to marry and to have children. That’s one of the important things when we hire staff. We want to make sure that they have a connection to the community where they’ll make this their home, and so we want our students to do the same thing. Because we are rural and very farm-oriented, we have a lot of students that will graduate, and they’ll go to ATU-Ozark and get a welding degree, or they’ll go to Tech, and then hopefully they will come back and establish a home and start a family, and it will be a generation. My husband’s a third-generation farmer. We have a farm, and he’s third generation on our property that we live on.”
What do you grow?
“My husband is a hay producer. We had cattle for a while, and the last drought that hit, he got out thinking he was going to get back in, but he realized it’s easier to produce hay. You don’t have to worry about things in the middle of the night when it’s storming and having calves, and so he produces hay.”
Your other part-time activity right now is serving as an election poll worker.
“Yes, which I love.”
What do you love about that?
“I love seeing the people. When you have someone who’s elderly, and you can reassure them, you walk them through the process of how to vote, so they feel comfortable in voting and knowing their vote counts. I enjoy that. I especially enjoy working with the older people because they’re very apprehensive when you hand them a stylus, and they have to sign on an iPad. That’s not comfortable for them. I enjoy helping people.”
Does it help that you’re “Miss Beth”?
“Yeah, it does. [Laughs.]”
How about when the young people vote for the first time?
“It’s wonderful. We’ve had several, several young people that have come in and voted for the first time. I had two of my former students come in the other day, and I was really proud to see them coming in and voting together. They were in college, but they’d come home to vote.”
How is the atmosphere?
“When they come in to vote? They’re good. It’s good. Luckily, we’ve not had
anybody say anything inappropriate or do anything inappropriate because we have to be very careful. We have to police that, and no one has made any kind of comments about anything like that. They’re respectful. They’re respectful of the voting process.”
There’s been a lot of questions about elections. Are you encouraged by what you’re seeing?
“I feel that our process in Logan County – because that’s the only place I’ve ever worked it – I feel that our process in Logan County is very secure because we do absolutely everything we can to make sure that the person who comes in to vote, that’s who it is. It has to be a photo ID. One of the advantages of being at school for 26 years, I know the majority of the people that come in. We do everything we can to verify that voter and who that voter is. I feel very good about our security in Logan County.”
Do you still feel good about the election process as a whole?
“Yes. Oh, very much so.”
Should other people feel …?
“I wish they would because we’ve had several people who have died for that right to vote. It’s very important to me. My oldest son was in the military and gave 20 years of his life to the Air Force, and so I feel that we should show
our respect to the veterans by voting. … We have a memorial down on the square that goes back to World War I, I believe. We’ve had several people in Logan County who have given their lives for their country.”
You’re a regional director for ASBA. What direction do you hope it goes in the coming years?
“I feel we’re going in a great direction. Of course, Dr. Prothro has left, but I feel very confident that Shannon (Moore) is going to take over and do a marvelous job.
“I love working on the ASBA board. We’ve gotten to know each other, and this is just my second year. I think we’re a great group. We have great diversity. We have people from all walks of life serving on the board, and I think that’s very important. I think schools feel secure knowing that they have ASBA to support them in their endeavors, whatever it may be. I think it’s very important.
“I’ve learned so much being on the ASBA board. I really have, and you learn from each other sitting and talking to other school districts. I enjoy listening to others, and how did you handle this issue or what are y’all going to do about this? You learn from each other, and you talk. We have open sessions where we just sit and visit and input, networking. It’s a great place.”
Note: Executive Session is edited for length, style and clarity.
DESIGNING ENGAGING SPACES FOR LEARNING
Congratulations to Jacksonville North Pulaski School District on the opening of the last two elementary schools! Teaming with the new district to design all new educational campuses that are engaging, fun, and unique to each of their needs has been so rewarding. Welcome to your new home!
Bentonville’s
Freedom from phones
Bentonville West High School last school year required students to store their cell phones in calculator pouches in the back of each classroom. Teachers said students were more engaged, while behavior offenses fell. Now the district, and 111 others, are participating in a statewide pilot project led by Gov. Sanders to encourage students to put down their phones.
A total of 112 school districts have said they are participating in an $8 million state pilot project meant to address student cell phone use at schools and mental health issues. Bentonville West High School got a yearlong head start.
The high school started last year requiring students to store their cell phones in calculator pouches hung on walls in each classroom throughout the school’s four 90-minute class periods. While students still can access their phones for 30 minutes during lunch and for five minutes while switching classes, for 360 minutes a day – six hours – they are cell phone-free.
The result? According to the school’s principal, Dr. Jonathon Guthrie, a survey found that 86% of teachers believed the practice had a positive effect on student engagement, while 77% believed it had a positive effect on classroom behavior and 75% said it increased classroom interaction and socialization. Compared to 2022-23, verbal or physical aggression offenses fell 57%. Personal electronic device offenses, where students were using the phone when not allowed, fell 94%. That result was not surprising because they did not have as much access to their phone, but the number of incidents could have been higher had the students not complied. Drug-related offenses such as the use of THC vapes fell 51%. School officials suspect the new phone practice makes it harder for students to text each other to plan a meetup.
DR. SKYLER BROWN, principal of Bentonville’s Grimsley Junior High School, holds one of the Yondr pouches students are using to store their phones in their backpacks throughout the day. The pouches are magnetically locked and unlocked.
Guthrie, a former math teacher, says he’s well aware that correlation is not causality. There could have been other factors, of course, but the results have been encouraging.
He said the idea for the practice came from a simple observation: Students weren’t paying enough attention in class in a school where practices varied from teacher to teacher.
“I would love to say it got started when we did a deep dive into the data, but it started more anecdotally with us walking around our building and seeing teachers with good lessons attempting to teach, and then we saw kids hiding behind their Chromebooks, watching something on their phone, or on social media, or texting or something … during class, during instructional time,” he said. “Some teachers were dealing with it pretty well, and some were having difficulty with it.”
The school formed a committee that was instructed to create a practice guided by a simple philosophy: Students
couldn’t have phones during instructional time. Committee members considered what successful teachers were doing. They created a procedure where students placed their phones in calculator caddy pouches when they walked into a classroom, and then retrieved them when the class ended. A few already had a “phone parking lot” shelf or some other system that worked well, so they kept those methods. The school also developed a system of consequences. First there’s a warning. On the second offense, the phone is sent to “phone jail” in the Student Life Center. On the third and subsequent offenses, the parent or guardian must come pick up the phone. School discipline consequences also are applied for the third and subsequent incidents. The school talked to its parent teacher organization to get parental input.
“We kind of braced ourselves for parent pushback and student pushback, and even some staff who may want to do something else,” he said. “We received
hardly any negative response at all. Parents were overwhelmingly supportive. Teachers bought in and applied the new procedure with fidelity, and I wish we’d done it sooner.”
Parents did express a few concerns – primarily that they needed to be able to contact their child at any time. Those parents were told that whenever they needed to talk to their teenager, they could call the office, and someone would contact the classroom so the student could step out and call. There were some fears that phones would be stolen, but that has not happened. The school made an exception if the child had a medical condition with a monitor connected to their phone. Parents asked what would happen if there were a lockdown. The school responded by saying that student safety in that situation would be the number one priority. If students could get to their phones and contact their parents, they would be allowed to do so. Otherwise, the school
would communicate as soon as it had focused on security first.
The school implemented the practice in August 2023. Students largely complied. Some have tried to get around the practice by bringing old burner phones to school to put into the pouch while they kept their real ones. Sometimes a student will be caught with a smart watch or earbuds linked to a phone. But overall, students have embraced the policy.
“I think students, the ones who are being honest, will say, ‘It’s nice to have a break from the phone. We don’t have to keep up with all the stuff,’” he said. And some of them have actually said that.”
The high school decided to limit access instead of banning the phones entirely. Eventually access may be limited during the lunch period, but Guthrie said the school is “not to that point yet.” Instead, the school is focusing on instructional time. What he’d really like to do
is block social media, where the hurtful comments have a big effect on students.
“I like the way we’re doing it. … Students are going to need to learn to live their life with a phone, and so we felt like this was a good balance of keeping it away during instructional time but still letting them have it during noninstructional time,” he said.
Among the keys to the practice’s success has been having consistent support from all the teachers. Students need to know what to expect in every class. Another key is teaching bell to bell. Before the practice went into effect, some teachers were letting students use their phones in class on breaks when the teachers needed to discuss something with a particular student.
“To me it goes back to our teachers buying in,” he said. “What we said over and over again is, you can’t be the strict teacher in Room 101, and I’m going to be the cool teacher in Room 102, and
Bentonville’s phone policies
I’m going to let mine use them at the end of class. We said no. We said over and over again, it’s got to be uniformly followed across the school, and our teachers have done a really good job of that.”
Bentonville’s superintendent, Dr. Debbie Jones, agreed that one of the keys to success is having a schoolwide cell phone policy, rather than taking a classroom by classroom approach.
“When a school says that they have cell phone-free learning, and it’s left to every teacher to manage, you don’t have a cell phone-free environment because it’s not consistent, and it honestly makes it much more difficult on the teacher’s part to have to enforce class by class,” she said.
The calculator pouches serve as a roll-taking tool for ninth grade English teacher Amy Groves. Pouches are numbered to correspond with a number on each student’s desk. A phone in the pouch, or a pass if a student doesn’t have a phone, means the student is present. Groves said the policy prior to last year was that students were not allowed to have their phones during class, but there was nowhere to put them, so students were keeping them in their bags while secretly texting or connecting to earbuds.
Groves said the new practice has “improved my students’ focus immensely.” While she said today’s young people can communicate skillfully using technology, they struggle with verbal communication skills, eye contact and body language. They spend so much time looking at their phones that they don’t pick up on some of those social signals.
Now in her 13th year of teaching, she said she has never had a student push back when told to put away their phone.
“What that provides is the opportunity for students to actually talk to each other in person and listen to the teacher and look at the teacher when they’re talking,” she said. “I very rarely have any issues with them following the phone policy, and because they’re paying attention, their communicating is better, their grades are better, their understanding is better, so overall it has created a more peaceful environment for us here.”
Having the phones in calculator caddy pouches, rather than locked up, allows her to use them when appropriate. For example, in one group discussion session, she had students record their interactions with face-down phones and then email them to her so she could later review what was said by each group.
“When the technology is helpful, we use it in the appropriate way, which is rare, but it does happen sometimes,” she said.
Groves agreed with Guthrie and Jones that consistency is the key.
“Consistency of what is succeeding in schools needs to spread,” she said. “I can tell you that this works really, really well having a system that takes attendance and keeps the students accountable, and if we can keep some sort of consistency of keeping phones out of hands all throughout Arkansas, we will see improvement in student scores and student engagement and in student wellbeing. A hundred percent. No doubt.”
Bentonville West ninth grader Logan Ashberger said he didn’t previously use his phone during class but believed the new practice helps his fellow students avoid using theirs now. His classmate, Olivia Patterson, agreed. While using her phone during class hasn’t been a problem for her either, she’s noticed herself using it less often at other times.
“Like Logan, I never really had a problem being on my phone during class, but it definitely takes the temptation away, and I have seen some of my friends’ grades improve from last year
to this year just because they didn’t have their phone during class,” she said.
Governor’s pilot project
Curbing student cell phone and social media use has become a major interest for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She and Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva announced their plans July 2 for the pilot project in a letter to Arkansas school superintendents after she had met with about 20 superintendents from across Arkansas in June. The letter said the pilot program would focus on two priorities: restricting in-school phone use and mental healthcare. The $8 million pilot project will provide funding for secondary schools to purchase magnetically locked and unlocked Yondr pouches where cell phones will be individually stored and unavailable for students to use. The project also will help students, families, and school staff connect to mental and behavioral health providers, substance abuse care and social services; and will also help with insurance challenges. According to the Department of Education, 112 districts confirmed they plan to participate this year.
In May, the governor sent a copy of author Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation, to every other U.S. governor along with a letter encouraging them to limit young people’s social media and screen time. In the book, Haidt recommended four steps: no smartphones before high school; no social media before age 16; phone-free schools; and more outdoor play and childhood independence. She also sent copies of the book to Arkansas state legislators. In 2023, they along with the governor had passed the Social Media Safety Act, which requires minors to obtain parental consent before they can create new social media accounts. The law has been challenged in court by social media companies.
Sanders kicked off the program at Ardis Ann Middle School in Bentonville on Aug. 8.
“Our phone-free school program is a great first step to promoting it statewide, and it could not get here fast enough,” she said. “Because our country has been experimenting with unregulated smartphone use for more than a decade,
BENTONVILLE WEST students Olivia Patterson and Logan Ashberger say the school’s phone policy is helping their classmates stay off their phones during class.
and unfortunately, the results have been absolutely devastating for our young people.”
While there’s a lot of interest in the effect of cell phones and social media on mental health, there has been little research on the topic, said Sarah McKenzie, executive director of the University of Arkansas’ Office for Education Policy, in a story published in July on the Arkansas Advocate news site. Instead, most of the evidence has been anecdotal. She and Kristin Higgins, department head of counseling, leadership and research methods at the University of Arkansas, are developing a year-long study about the pilot project’s effects on student mental health. The study will include focus groups with students, teachers and parents; interviews with superintendents; and a depression and anxiety screener given to students in the fall and at the end of the school year.
Meanwhile, in Congress, Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, and Tim Kaine, DVirginia, introduced a bill requiring the U.S. Department of Education to study the use of mobile devices and to establish a pilot program awarding grants to create phone-free environments.
Such policies would seem to have a lot of public support. A poll commissioned earlier this year by the national school reform group ExcelinEd found that almost 65% of Arkansas parents favored restricting student cell phones in schools. The poll of 805 registered
voters with K-12 students in the home found that 42% strongly favored the idea and 22.8% somewhat did. Less than 30% opposed it, with 15.4% somewhat opposed and 14.4% strongly opposed. Meanwhile, almost 85% of respondents said they would likely support legislation prohibiting children under age 16 from accessing social media platforms without parental consent after hearing research describing social media’s harms. Respondents were told research showed that social media use by minors can “distract them from school work, disrupt sleep, expose them to online predators, lead to self-harm, and raise the risk of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.” They then were asked if knowing that information made them more likely or unlikely to support a law that would protect children from social media outlets without parental consent. The results were that 69% said they would very likely support such a law based on that research, while 14.6% were somewhat likely to support it. Less than 12% were unlikely to support such a law, with 6.6% very unlikely and 5.1% somewhat unlikely. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8%. Little Rock-based Impact Management Group conducted the poll.
Other B’ville schools involved
This year, Bentonville High and all middle and junior high schools are
participating in the pilot. Like Bentonville West High School, Bentonville High students will store their phones during class periods so that instructional hours are a cell phone-free environment. Students in grades 5-8 will store them in Yondr pouches starting at the beginning of the day. The pouches will stay in the students’ backpacks. Elementary students will not be allowed to have cell phones.
Dr. Skyler Brown, principal of Grimsley Junior High, was preparing to distribute the pouches to her students on Nov. 11, a week after Report Card visited. Previously, students could have phones during passing periods and during lunch but not during instructional time. The policy this year is simple: Cell phones can’t be out once a student is on campus.
“It’s a very nice clean line for us as far as discipline goes,” she said. “There is no cell phone. There is no access to social media, so anything that occurs, it’s outside of school hours. And so for us, it helps keep issues that are outside of school outside of school.”
Brown said parents have been supportive, and students this year have responded well. She believes students are more focused at school. It’s lessened some of the middle school drama caused by students passing around messages.
“I will say that it has been a really great thing to see kids talking at lunches,
Continued on next page
Bentonville’s phone policies
talking in between,” she said. “Usually kids adjust better than adults do, and so the kids have done fantastic. … It’s louder. Kids are up moving. We have a lot more kids going outside in the mornings or at lunchtime.”
Jones, the superintendent, said she is hearing that lunchrooms and hallways are louder. She called it “good noise” be-
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cause it means that students are socializing again. She said the Bentonville High School band instructor emailed her the first week and said the policy was the best thing the school had ever done for its culture. A teacher at Fulbright Junior High School said she no longer saw students huddled with their Please see BENTONVILE’S PHONE POLICIES on page 39
Russell Fason 501.374.5300 rfason@werarch.com werarch.com
Court cases could affect schools
Supreme Court to hear cases
tied to transgender, telecoms, and age restrictions for adult websites
The U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming term is likely to include decisions on a number of issues that may have significant implications for school districts.
The Court has agreed to hear a major Tennessee case regarding whether states may prohibit medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy if they are meant to help transgender minors transition to a gender identity that is different from their sex assigned at birth. Some 24 other states have similar laws.
The Tennessee case was filed by three transgender teenagers who must travel to other states for gender-affirming care. The students claim the Tennessee law violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The Biden administration intervened in the case in order to support the teenagers’ arguments.
A federal district court enjoined enforcement of the law, but the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed. It rejected the teenagers’ argument that transgender status was a “suspect classification.” Such a classification would entitle them to claim that any laws passed by the state that harmed them would be subject to “strict scrutiny,” a markedly higher level of constitutional scrutiny used by federal courts in the decisional process. The Sixth Circuit instead upheld the Tennessee ban on certain transgender care under a “rational basis” test and concluded that the state law was rationally related to the state’s interest in taking a cautious approach to irreversible medical treatments of minors.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear the teenagers’ appeal on the equal protection question regarding whether the Tennessee law should be decided on strict constitutional scrutiny, which would likely lead to a ruling in favor of the teenagers.
by Jay Bequette Bequette, Billingsley & Kees, PA
The Court’s resolution of this question could have an important impact –far beyond the health-care context – on school transgender issues, such as controversies over restrooms, locker rooms, and athletic participation.
The Supreme Court has also agreed to hear a Wisconsin telecom provider’s appeal in a case that could create uncertainty about the future of E-rate subsidies for schools.
This case involves a telecom provider facing a civil trial under a federal fraud statute for allegedly overcharging schools under the subsidy program. The legal question in this appeal is whether the E-rate program is sufficiently tied to
the federal government to come under the False Claims Act, a more-thancentury-old statute designed to root out fraud in federal contracting. The company argued that the False Claims Act does not apply to the private money that telecom providers contribute to the Universal Service Fund (USF). A related case involves a decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. It held that the USF’s funding mechanism was unconstitutional, which has caused substantial alarm in the school tech community and uncertainty about schools’ receipt of Erate subsidies.
Age verification for adult sites
Another case the Court will hear this term involves a Texas law requiring age verification for anyone accessing certain websites offering sexual material harmful to minors. Opponents of the law argued that it infringes on the free-speech rights of adults, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law. The Court’s decision may have an adverse impact on efforts in Texas and other states to restrict school and library books deemed sexually explicit or otherwise harmful to minors.
Nabholz leading renovations to LR Central High School
Nabholz Construction is leading the construction efforts for the first renovations of Little Rock Central High School’s campus in 50 years.
The school’s historic status means that certain aspects of the existing campus must be preserved, such as the front of the building between Daisy Bates and 16th Street. With the new construction, students will have more opportunities to prepare for their path after graduation.
The school will receive two new buildings, a science center and a fieldhouse, that are designed to match the historic style of the existing building’s front façade. The three-story science center will provide students with cutting-edge learning spaces for chemistry, biology, physics, robotics, and horticulture. It also will replace portable classrooms placed on campus almost 25 years ago. Similarly, the two-story fieldhouse will provide students with state-of-the-art cheer and wrestling rooms, a weight room, and an indoor practice field.
Central High also will receive new portable classrooms, a new baseball field, and more student parking. Construction is slated to finish in 2025.
For more information about Nabholz, visit nabholz.com
All-Clean creates disaster preparation poster for schools
All-Clean USA has developed a disaster preparedness poster that will be distributed to schools in Arkansas. This
initiative is designed to help ensure that educational institutions are well equipped to implement effective safety measures
before, during, and after a disaster. The poster outlines essential steps businesses should take to prepare for a disaster: backing up documents, creating a comprehensive contact list, and performing routine drills. Additionally, it covers details about how to stay safe during a disaster and what steps to take to ensure business continuity afterward. The posters will be distributed to schools around All-Clean USA’s office locations.
For more information about AllClean, call 870.360.3473 or go to allcleanusa.com.
French Architects designs library for Hot Springs school
French Architects designed the library for the new Langston Elementary School for the Hot Springs School District.
The library is a fun, multipurpose use space. Libraries or media centers are being designed as activity-centered rooms where kids can learn, rather than places where silence is enforced. Games, activities and fun, interactive reading nooks all welcome kids to come in, stay and learn.
For more information about French Architects, email David French at david@frencharchitects.net, or check out the firm’s Facebook page
WDD Architects designs Springdale SW Junior High
Springdale Public Schools’ new Southwest Junior High opened its doors to students this August following a multiyear design and construction effort.
Led by WDD Architects, the project included the demolition and replacement of 83,000 square feet of 1960s-era construction with more than 150,000 square feet of new space. The heart of the school is a 7,000-square-foot atrium that serves as the media center and is flanked by classrooms and labs for art, culinary, agribusiness, EAST, and robotics programs.
For more information, visit wddarchitects.com
Hight Jackson designs new Rogers Career Center
Hight Jackson designed the recently completed 14,000-square-foot addition of the Rogers Public School Career Center. The center provides classrooms
and equipment for students to develop skills in construction trades, diesel mechanics, and the medical professions. Students gain practical experience and earn industry-recognized certifications through Launch, the district’s career and technical education program.
For more information about Hight Jackson, call 479.464.4965 or go to www.hjarch.com.
Architecture Plus designing addition for Nemo Vista
Architecture Plus is designing a 10,500-square-foot addition that will connect Nemo Vista’s high school and middle school and provide a secure campus main entry.
Architecture Plus will be coordinating with Nabholz to provide a budgetconscious design and construction process. An ADA ramp and stairs will address the almost-six-foot floor elevation difference between the buildings. The addition will have four classrooms, two multi-use rooms and administration offices. Two of the classrooms will meet FEMA safe room requirements.
School superintendent Logan Williams and his board are pleased with how this addition will provide a beautiful “front door” to the public while also addressing security issues. Construction is planned to start in May 2025.
For more information about Architecture Plus, Inc.’s K-12 projects, contact Craig Boone at craig@archplusinc.net or go to archplusinc.net
Modus pros present session on student engagement,
design
Modus Studio’s Sarah Bartz, left, and Tara Bray presented a mini-session at this year’s EDspaces conference in Houston. Bartz is the research lead and an architectural designer at Modus, while Tara is an architect and the director of environmental and social impact. Their session, titled “A Vision for the Future: How Student-Centered Engagement Can Shape the Design Process,” will explore how equitable student involvement can empower students while enhancing school facility design. EDspaces is the premier event for facility planners and design professionals dedicated to transforming learning environments.
For more information about Modus Studio, go www.modusstudio.com or call 479.455.5577.
Tax-exempt bonds always subject to tax rules, Stephens says
Stephens reminds all school districts that are issuers of tax-exempt bonds that they are subject to all applicable federal tax requirements both at the time of issuance and for so long as the bonds remain outstanding.
To comply with these requirements, districts adhere to the Post Issuance Compliance Policy Manual, which designates a responsible person, typically the district’s treasurer or business manager, to oversee the district’s outstanding tax-exempt bonds. The responsible person should maintain a working knowledge of the various tax requirements and receive annual training as required by the district’s manual.
To assist with this continuing education, Stephens provides all of its clients with a free webinar training on the subject matter. This training reminds and updates clients on the important rules, regulations, and best practices regarding their outstanding bonds.
To learn more about how Stephens assists school districts, contact Michael McBryde of Stephens Public Finance at 501.377.2641 or michael.mcbryde@stephens.com, or go to www.stephenspublicfinance.com
Schools can easily utilize the TIPS Marketplace eProcurement system for their purchasing needs. Powered by EqualLevel, it electronically facilitates the ordering process between schools and TIPS Awarded Vendors, making it easy to compliantly purchase products and services needed.
For more information about TIPS’ offerings, contact Stacey McPherson at stacey.mcpherson@tips-usa.com or at 870.565.6178, or go to www.tips-usa. com
Baldwin & Shell finishes Lee County housing project
Baldwin & Shell has completed its Lee County School District teacher housing project in east Arkansas.
The project scope was four buildings totaling 12,000 square feet of living space.
To learn more information about Baldwin & Shell, go to www.baldwinshell.com.
Sandy Hook teacher speaks at Strategos national conference
Former Sandy Hook teacher Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis joined Strategos International’s National Christian Protectors Conference in Dallas in October. While there, she met with Strategos school safety and security representatives Rodney Bardwell, left, and Steve Anderson.
Roig-DeBellis is renowned for her bravery during the 2012 Sandy Hook tragedy, where she saved her 15 firstgrade students from a school shooter. She delivered a powerful keynote recounting that day and sharing lessons learned and insights on healing after trauma. An educator, author, and motivational speaker, she inspires audiences nationwide with her story, resilience, and the importance of choosing hope.
For more information, contact Steve Anderson, retired superintendent, at sanderson@strategosintl.com or at 501.617.4718, or go to strategosintl. com.
ARBuy Marketplace statewide contracts help schools save
ARBuy Marketplace’s statewide contracts platform empowers schools and education agencies with informed, efficient, and budget-friendly procurement, benefiting students and staff. ARBuy’s contracts streamline processes, save time, and enhance accountability. Collaboration promotes community and resource sharing, while negotiated prices ensure cost-effectiveness. By joining forces statewide, school districts can secure favorable terms and discounts.
To learn more about improving your district’s procurement approach, go to arbuy.info.
McPherson & Jacobson helps schools find leaders
McPherson & Jacobson helps school districts identify outstanding leaders for their superintendent and other educational leader positions. Representatives are scheduled to be at the ASBA Annual Conference in December.
To learn more, call 888.375.4814 or go to www.macnjake.com.
American Fidelity offers retirement seminars for members
American Fidelity is a service provider for retirement seminars for ASBA member school districts. Topics include HSA/FSA education, 403b/457, compliance, state health plans and retirement. Member districts can call 800.688.4221 to schedule a professional development seminar. For more information, go to go to americanfidelity.com
C.R. Crawford heads Corning High build
C.R. Crawford Construction has been selected as the construction manager for the new high school in the Corning School District. The approximately 97,000-square-foot facility will feature a 1,500-seat gymnasium, tornado shelter, cafeteria with a stage, classrooms, band room, art room, and reception and administration area. The project also includes a 1,885-square-foot greenhouse and a new building for the superintendent and administrative offices.
“There is a noticeable air of excitement in our community right now regarding the upcoming build of our new school. I am so proud to be part of a community that wants to provide our children with the best facilities for a great education,” said School Board President Kirk Scobey.
For questions about K-12 construction, contact Leigh Ann Showalter at lshowalter@crcrawford.com. For more info about C.R. Crawford, go to www.crcrawford.com.
Entegrity can help districts see benefits from LED lighting
Schools are benefiting from upgrading to LED sports lighting with help from Entegrity, a leading provider in energy savings performance contracting, solar, sustainability, building services, and lighting solutions.
LED systems enhance visibility, ensure consistent brightness and reduce flickering, boosting safety and security. They offer a longer lifespan, reducing maintenance costs and bulb replacement frequency.
The above photo of the De Queen Sports Complex demonstrates the difference between Entegrity’s lighting, left, and existing lighting.
Other advantages include instant on/ off functionality, dimming and control options, fewer hazardous materials, and reduced light pollution. Entegrity’s retrofitted smart technologies enable remote control, monitoring, and automation. Entegrity provides comprehensive assessments, turn-key installations, and staff training, with the flexibility to work around school schedules.
For more information, go to entegrity-partners.com.
National Safety Shelters installs safe rooms at schools
National Safety Shelters has installed mini safe-rooms at Quitman, Lawrence County, Danville, Pangburn, White County, Ouachita River and Concord (pictured next page) school districts. Several additional districts are planning installation projects in 2025.
Enrollment at Quitman has increased more than 45% since project completion in 2019. Superintendent Dennis Truxler
said, “The increase is largely due to parents wanting to send their children to schools that offer the best protection available from tornadoes and active shooters.”
Additional government funding resulting from the increase has more than paid for the entire project.
The mini safe-rooms are a preferable alternative to large FEMA safe rooms because, located in each classroom, they offer immediate protection from both tornadoes and active shooters at about one-third the cost. Plus, they take up less than 5% of classroom space, require no construction and can be installed over three or four weekends.
More information can be found at www.nationalsafetyshelters.com or by calling 772.672.3331.
Correction
The September issue of Report Card included an incorrect spelling of Southern Tire Mart’s website address in the Marketplace section.
The correct address is stmtires.com
Bentonville’s phone policies
hoodies and phones. Now they are running and playing. Another teacher said that during the first week of school, one student asked what she was supposed to do without the phone. The teacher asked if she had friends. Told yes, she said, “Talk to them.” A high school teacher said that during the advisory period, students are playing chess, which they didn’t do previously.
“I don’t even think that we recognized how quiet kids got,” Jones said. “I think it’s just something that we adjusted to overnight, and while it might be louder, there might be a lot more interaction, and that’s OK. I think it’s so much healthier for our kids and for our staff. You know, it’s been good for me. When I’m in meetings, if I put my phone on the table, I think, ‘Ugh. Here I am telling kids they can’t have this. I don’t need this.’ It’s a constant reminder for me as well. Adults are just as guilty as kids for constant connection.”
Less screen time, more paper
Jones said the district had been thinking about limiting students’ screen time before starting this initiative. Like many others, its students used digital devices and learned remotely during COVID. After students returned, they were still spending a lot of time on their devices. The district started limiting time on them and then started removing them. Elementary students have not taken their devices home for a couple of years,
and now middle school students don’t. Junior high and high school students do, but the district runs monthly screen time reports and sets limits for different grade levels. The district has also returned to small paper textbooks for English language arts and math, and students are taking home workbook pages so their parents can see what they are studying.
“There’s a purpose to be online at times, but it has to be deliberate, purposeful, curriculum-based,” she said. “All the browsing and scrolling and social media, that’s not healthy. Families may choose to do that at home, but we don’t have instruction time for that at school.”
Groves, the ninth grade English teacher, said cell phones have changed modern life, but not human nature. Educators simply must respond to the new realities. That’s what Bentonville is doing.
“Kids are kids, and they have been the same from when I started to now,” she said. “We as educators and as the adults in their lives have to respond differently to what is happening in their lives. If there’s a new technology in their life that is consuming, we have to respond to that. But nothing has changed. I mean, a hundred years ago it would have been something different, and now it’s just phones. We just adapt to it, and now that we’ve adapted, our learning is back together. We’re focused, and things are going great.”
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT 75 YEARS OF
building spaces that help students excel
Nabholz is proud to have served our people, clients, and communities for the past 75 years. In that time, we’ve completed projects of all types and sizes for school districts — delivering high quality work to fulfill our client’s vision and needs.
LOOKING FORWARD SINCE 1949
Arkadelphia School District, Peake Elementary School
