EXECUTIVE SESSION with
Randy Hutchinson By Steve Brawner Editor
Randy Hutchinson has spent all but five years of his life in Springdale. The 1986 Springdale High School graduate was an All-State center on the basketball team and is a member of the athletic hall of fame. When his children became students, he became involved in the PTA and then was elected to the school board 13 years ago. His Shelter insurance agency provides three scholarships each year to graduates of his alma mater. Springdale is the state’s largest district with a diverse population comprised primarily of Hispanic, white, and Marshallese students. Forty-eight languages are spoken in the homes of the district’s roughly 22,700 students, a third of whom are English language learners. Hutchinson loves the diversity of the student population and believes Springdale is a wonderful example of how children from anywhere, with diverse backgrounds, languages and cultures, can form strong bonds to create a resilient Springdale family. Report Card sat down with Hutchinson to discuss his district’s challenges, its School of Innovation, and how it has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. When you’re a school board member and your district is changing so much demographically, how do you keep the community together? “It could have been challenging, but [former longtime superintendent] Dr. [Jim] Rollins always did a great job of including people, getting the leaders to participate in the education process. 24 March 2021 Report Card
Significant effort went into blending many different cultures together to create a sense of one community. We are proud of how our community has come together and is so inclusive and caring for one another. Our student body is second to none. “Early on, when our community began to experience significant increases of students, Dr. Rollins invited many Hispanic and Marshallese leaders to partner with the school district in the educational process for children. So, we created a trusting relationship with the Hispanic and Marshallese communities early on by identifying the importance
of education and inviting everyone to participate. The first step was being present, engaged, and ready to learn. Our diverse cultures are highlighted often and are indeed a tremendous influence in our community. Our diversity enriches the Springdale experience for all.” Now is there more of a community atmosphere, and everyone accepts that this is the way we do things? “Yeah. Oh, it’s great. From a school perspective, now again, I’ll go back to my experience as a father with kids in school. We always had a Super Bowl
