March 2022

Report Card March 2022 www.arsba.org

The Journal of the Arkansas School Boards Association

Four days is fine Kirby senior Kaylee Cogburn, right, and sophomore Kylee Crump have every Friday off at Arkansas’ first school district to switch to a four-day week. Kirby made the move in 2019.

Now there are 16 districts and charter schools with four-day weeks. One of those is Atkins, whose superintendent previously brought the four-day week to Bigelow-based East End. Others are considering it. A four-day week is common in Missouri and Oklahoma.

Kirby administrators said it’s helped attract and keep teachers and improved student morale. Kaylee uses the day to help with her sister, who is deaf, and do work for an online Virtual Arkansas class. Kylee does college work.

Find your people, and don’t eat the sugar

As I write this, there is ice on the ground, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and omicron is still rampaging two years into the pandemic. But you will read this in March, and it will be spring, a time for rebirth. There will be hope, longer days, shorter nights, and a collective sigh of relief that we have survived another COVID winter.

At home, when I pick up a publication, I must check and see whether it is a medical journal or an education magazine because many of the articles have the same feel. It seems the struggles run in tandem. In these challenging and unpredictable times, physicians feel exhausted and burned out. Educators feel unappreciated, burned out and worried about their students’ possible learning loss. Local school boards are struggling to maintain district autonomy. Communities are polarized. Ever-changing COVID guidelines result in boards and administrators having to make school policy revisions. Many districts must undergo first-time zoning or rezoning.

How do we survive in these tumultuous times?

In the 1990s, the American Medical Association sponsored a campaign to encourage physicians to cooperate

by Tad Margolis ASBA President in order to maintain autonomy against insurance company intrusion into scope of practice. Their slogan, “Together we bargain, alone we beg,” has stuck with me all these years and resonates as relevant in so many areas of public education. We as board members can’t navigate these uncertain times alone.

We need to maintain contact with “our people,” those that had the confidence in us to put us here, and remind them that they can’t just vote and then sit back and say “Good job!”

Our district is fortunate to have a vibrant and active PTA, and I have been active in it for many years. Nine years ago I became the third female to serve on the school board, accomplishing

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something that had only been done twice before in the 97-year history of our district. I still attend monthly PTA meetings and publish monthly highlights, and I remind the members of the words of Plato: “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”

I keep them informed to keep them engaged, and they in turn support and encourage me, and sometimes they are considerate enough just to let me vent.

My challenge to you is this: Find your people, keep them informed and motivated, and remind them that their job didn’t end when you sat down at the table. Encourage them to fill needed positions of service to our children and communities.

There is an unverified story that is attributed to Mahatma Gandhi that fits the message I want to share. According to this story – again, it’s unverified, so it’s more of a fable – a woman brought her young son to speak to Gandhi and said, “My son won’t stop eating sugar.

Please tell him to stop.” Gandhi listened to her and then asked her to return in two weeks. Two weeks later the woman and her child returned, and Gandhi looked at the boy and said, “Stop eating sugar.” The mother was perplexed and asked him, “Why couldn’t you have told him this two weeks ago?” He replied, “Madam, two weeks ago I was still eating sugar.”

This analogy can easily be applied to board members. We must be willing to stop eating the sugar, make the tough decisions, make our needs and interests secondary to those of the best interests of all the students, and lead courageously by example. Only then will others be willing to stay the course with us.

So as spring arrives and along with it the filing period for May elections, and the groundhog predicts six more weeks of winter, I predict omicron will recede and give us a break.

I hope with the advent of the new season, you find some time to catch your breath and reach out to your constituents with relevant information, support and motivation, and maybe a chance for a little friendly venting.

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Report Card

The Journal of the Arkansas School Boards Association

News and Features 10

Board, delegates vote to split with NSBA

Arkansas school board members made history at the Annual Conference Dec. 8 as first the board of directors and then the Delegate Assembly voted to withdraw from the National School Boards Association.

22

Board members must report abuse

26

Cover / Four days is fine

Mandated reporters are immune from liability if they report suspected child maltreatment in good faith, but they’re liable if they fail to report. And that includes school board members, participants at ASBA’s School Law Seminar were told.

26 Administrators at the Kirby School

District say that a four-day week has made it easier to attract qualified teachers and helped the district increase enrollment. Teachers like having a three-day weekend. High school principal Jason Burns said student morale seems better. “You take away Friday, but we also really to me got rid of hump day, too,” he said.

“By the time you get home Tuesday, you’re halfway done.”

What started at Kirby in 2019-20 has grown to 16 school districts and charter schools in Arkansas. Now more districts are considering making the move to a four-day week.

Departments 2 6 8 8 9 25 30 36

President’s Column Letter from the Executive Director ASBA News and Notes Calendar Advertisers Index Jay Bequette’s Column Commercial Affiliates Marketplace

4 March 2022 Report Card

32

Executive Session with Vicki Hatter

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Report Card Letter from the Executive Director

by Dr. Tony Prothro

Desirable Traits

This will be an unprecedented year compared to the last decade of school board elections. The circumstances surrounding the pandemic, mask mandates, social media, and curriculum controversy coupled with school board redistricting requirements will have a definite impact on the 2022 elections.

Some school districts at the end of 2022 may still have all incumbent board members while others may see some new faces around the board table.

Board members have many responsibilities, but some have legal implications. Here are some of those most common legal duties:

• Make, enforce and obey district policies • Hire and evaluate the superintendent • Set the district’s vision, mission and direction • Oversee district finances and budget • Approve the employment of staff • Attend legally convened board meetings • Conduct hearings • Visit schools annually when students are present • Receive training and professional development • Follow state and federal laws and Arkansas Department of Education rules governing public schools, including the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act Board members have a great deal of legal responsibilities that go far beyond single issue platforms. A frequent question is “What makes a good board member?” Here is an excerpt from one of our ASBA publications concerning those qualities: Outstanding school board members share common traits. A board member has no individual authority; an effective board acts as a whole and respects the expertise of the district’s staff. Most good board members 6 March 2022 Report Card

develop and strengthen skills over time through experience and continued training.

Here are some of the traits of outstanding school board members:

• Motivated by the best interest of ALL kids • Passionate about public education • Share responsibility for fiscal accountability, facilities and student academic achievement • Willing to follow high ethical standards • Strong communicators, willing to listen • Ready to rely on facts and weigh all sides of an issue before deciding • Well informed about current issues in public education • Supports the democratic process and accepts the majority’s will • Willing to spend time and energy on board business • Committed to learning by participating in ongoing training • Collaborative and able to function as part of a team • Willing to exercise power only at legally held meetings Many of the positive traits above are coveted in other elected positions ranging from state-held offices down to locally elected officials. School board members have a unique perspective in the form of making decisions that will ultimately impact the next generation. It is a position that at times is fraught with difficult decisions and maybe even sleepless nights. However, it is also a position that yields the ability to make policy decisions to facilitate the fulfillment of dreams of individual students that will ultimately impact our communities and society as a whole.

ASBA stands ready to assist school boards as we move forward in this worthwhile endeavor.

The Journal of the Arkansas School Boards Association Vol. 15, Number 1

March 2022

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: Dr. Tad Margolis, Valley View President-elect: William Campbell, McGehee Vice President: Randy Hutchinson, Springdale Sec.-Treasurer: Jeff Lisenby, Sheridan Past President: Rosa Bowman, Ashdown Region 1: Travis Warren, Farmington Region 2: Mitchell Archer, Bergman Region 3: Dr. Julea Garner, Highland Region 4: Kyle Cannon, Mena Region 5: Clint Hull, Pottsville Region 6: Nikki King, Pangburn Region 7: D’James Rogers, West Memphis Region 8: Jereme Carter, Carlisle Region 9: Joey Astin, Forrest City Region 10: Mark Curry, Lake Hamilton Region 11: Carl “Buddy” Puckett, Poyen Region 12: Laura Clark, Blevins Region 13: Doris Parham, Bearden Region 14: Jerry Daniels, Warren

Staff

Executive Director: Dr. Tony Prothro Board Development Director: Tammie Reitenger Governmental Relations Director: Dan Jordan Finance Director: Diana Woodward Communications and Technology Director: Sherri Fite Staff Attorney: Kristen Garner Policy Director: Lucas Harder Database Administrator: Kathy Ivy Commercial Affiliates/Board Liaison Manager: Angela Ellis Bookkeeper: Kayla Orr TIPS-TAPS Project Manager: Stacey McPherson General Counsel: Jay Bequette Risk Management Program & Workers’ Comp. Program: Shannon Moore, Director Krista Glover Dwayne McAnally Misty Thompson Melody Tipton LaVerne Witherspoon Linda Collins Lisa Wigginton Kara Quinton Julianne Dobson

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 2022 by the Arkansas School Boards Association and Steve Brawner Communications. All rights reserved.

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ASBA News and notes ASBA’s upcoming training events will be hybrid

Participants in the ASBA/AAEA Joint Leadership Conference and the New Board Member Institute this year can attend in person or virtually, but the Southern Region Leadership Conference will be in person only.

The Joint Leadership Conference is scheduled for May 3 at the Wyndham Riverfront in North Little Rock, while the New Board Member Institute will be at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Hot Springs on June 30. ASBA will be offering an administrative assistant training seminar July 21 at the Wyndham Hotel. The Southern Region Leadership Conference will be July 24-26 in New Orleans.

Last year’s New Board Member Institute was the first in-person ASBA professional development event since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Since then, the association has tried to be flexible with its offerings. Its recent events, including the Annual Conference Dec. 8-10 and the School Law Seminar Feb. 8, have had virtual options. There were 125 virtual attendees at the Annual Conference and 181 at the School Law Seminar.

Dr. Tony Prothro, ASBA’s executive director, said the association wants to give school board members options for how they attain their professional development.

“School board members are unpaid servant leaders,” he said. “Many of our board members have obligations and/ or time restrictions that limit physical attendance at professional development opportunities. The advent of virtual offerings has been a welcomed opportunity for many of our board members who are able to gain valuable information and experiences at their preferred location and time frame.”

Plans for the upcoming events are still taking shape under the leadership of ASBA’s new board development director, Tammy Reitenger. ASBA’s previous board development director, Dr. 8 March 2022 Report Card

ASBA calendar May 3 ASBA/AAEA Joint Leadership Conference Wyndham Riverfront North Little Rock

The New Board Member Institute introduces newly elected school board members to their roles and duties.

The Southern Region Leadership Conference has involved Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, which host the conference on a rotating basis. This year’s event will include participants from other states.

Prothro said organizers are prepared to have several hundred more registrations than past conferences.

June 30 New Board Member Institute DoubleTree by Hilton Hot Springs July 21 Administrative Assistant Training Wyndham Hotel Little Rock July 24-26 Southern Region Leadership Conference New Orleans Dec. 7-9 ASBA Annual Conference Marriott Hotel and Statehouse Convention Center Little Rock

Anne Butcher, retired following the ASBA Annual Conference in December.

The Joint Leadership Conference brings together school board members with Reitenger the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, which serves and represents superintendents, principals and other full-time school leaders. The agenda is still being developed. It certainly will include an overview of education-related laws passed by the Legislature during this year’s budget-focused fiscal session, and a look ahead to next year’s regular session.

BEEBE SCHOOL BOARD members received their award at the ASBA Annual Conference. Pictured left to right are Clay Goff, president; Janet Hines, secretary; Dr. Kathy Pillow-Price; Jason Smith; and Dr. Chris Nail, superintendent. Not pictured is Harold Davis, vice president.

Beebe receives School Board of Excellence Award

The Beebe School Board received the School Board of Excellence in Leadership Award at the ASBA Annual Conference.

The award was created to showcase best practices in organizational leadership in support for educational performance, support for educational improvement projects, commitment to a code of ethics, maintenance of harmonious and supportive relationships among board members, functioning as a policymaking body with adherence to adopted policies, provision of financial support for their district, participation in training and other performance improvement programs, and supporting and practicing effective public relations and community awareness.

Beebe board members recognize that it is their duty to stay informed, remain fair, and make decisions in the best interest of all students and staff. The board

follows all procedures in a lawful manner and is always careful to confirm the legality of its actions and decisions before moving forward on them. Although board members do not always agree on every decision, they work together to come to solutions that are best for the district’s staff and students. When the vote on an issue is not unanimous, the board stands unified in the actions taken.

Board members make it their goal to be transparent with the school community to the greatest extent possible and also make it a priority to obtain community input in decision making.

ASBA School Law seminar available to watch online

School board members who missed ASBA’s School Law seminar can watch a recording of the event for free online,

ALL ROADS LEAD TO COMPLIANCE...

and can receive six hours of boardsmanship training credit for $155.

The seminar is available at https:// www.arsba.org/article/658180. To register to receive training credit, go to that same site.

Coverage of the event begins on page 22 of this issue of Report Card.

The following topics were covered: • New Superintendent Hiring and Employment: A Practical Guide for Legal Compliance • Lessons from Sexual Misconduct Investigations: Is your District Accidentally Making Students Vulnerable and the District Liable?

• Stay Safe: Student Searches and the 4th Amendment • Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse: Board Members, This Includes YOU Now! • Global Teacher Recruitment: What School Districts Need to Know About Immigration Law

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ASBA Annual Conference

VIRTUALLY UNANIMOUS. Almost all the members of the Delegate Assembly voted to separate from the NSBA Dec. 8 after all board members voted to do so. At the time, 17 other states had voted to separate.

Board, delegates vote to split with NSBA A letter asking for federal help against parents caught everyone by surprise, but it was only the latest misstep by the national organization.

Arkansas school board members made history at the Annual Conference Dec. 8 as first the board of directors and then the Delegate Assembly voted to withdraw from the National School Boards Association.

The vote by the Delegate Assembly was almost unanimous after ASBA Executive Director Dr. Tony Prothro explained the reasoning behind the resolution. At the time, 17 other states had already withdrawn from the association, and others were considering it.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was a letter sent by NSBA leadership to President Biden last Sept. 29 asking federal agencies including the FBI to review if violence and threats against school officials violate domestic terrorism and hate crimes laws. The letter came after contentious school board meetings have occurred regarding maskwearing.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland wrote in a memo Oct. 4 that he was directing the FBI and U.S. attorneys to 10 March 2022 Report Card

meet with local and state leaders to discuss strategies for responding to threats.

The memo said the Justice Department would later announce measures to address what it called “the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel.” Critics said the NSBA and the agency were trying to squelch parents’ free speech.

Prothro told delegates that the letter had been sent without the involvement of state school boards associations or most of the NSBA’s board of directors.

“ASBA firmly believes in local control, and it should be the local board and administration to determine what if any security measures are needed for protection of all parties involved,” Prothro said.

Prothro told delegates that the letter was the latest in a series of missteps that led ASBA to withhold its dues, which were supposed to be paid July 1.

Those included financial failures that had forced the NSBA to sell its headquarters and then lease part of it back, a move Prothro likened to being in “fiscal distress.” The failure of NSBA to communicate with its members about the letter was just the latest example of the national group’s lack of transparency. Also, NSBA dues are high relative to the services rendered, and in some

ways NSBA duplicates member states’ services and competes with them.

“I and the ASBA board feel that we have moved from being a supporter to assuming the role of an enabler for the inherent issues within NSBA,” he said.

On the plus side, Prothro said the conversations held with other states through NSBA and the perspectives gained from those interactions are valuable, and many school board members enjoy the national annual conference.

In other news, 100 percent of Arkansas’ school boards are ASBA members, all districts and some cooperatives are involved in ASBA’s workers’ compensation program, and the membership in ASBA’s risk management program has increased to 178 participants, Prothro told the Delegate Assembly.

How to let the public speak The NSBA’s letter wasn’t the only political consideration addressed during the Annual Conference. In one wellattended pre-conference workshop held Dec. 8, Bentonville School District President Eric White led a discussion about how to handle difficult community issues such as mask mandates. The session was titled, “Board Meetings Under Attack: Best Practices for Board Meetings During Good Times and Bad.”

White told board members that being a school board member has become more difficult as local officials have been dragged into national political issues. The politics this year will be unavoidable as school board elections coincide with partisan midterm elections. Parents, meanwhile, are becoming more assertive in their children’s educations. White said this year has been even harder than last year for teachers because so many people are emotional.

The most obvious example of this is the topic of mask mandates. School boards have had to respond to changing and conflicting health directives and political and court decisions. A state law passed in 2021 forbade districts from enacting mandates, but it was followed by a court decision that said they could.

Bentonville voted to enact a mandate and then was enjoined by another court from doing so.

One school board president said her district decided to let patrons speak

about the topic. It wasn’t comfortable, but board members tried to keep order with the help of a timer. Speakers would be called out of order if they mentioned a staff member or board member’s name, and there was a police presence at the meeting.

“I do feel like in the end, and over time, people appreciated the fact that they got to say what they wanted to say,” she said. “Was it very hard on us? Absolutely. Did I feel personally attacked sometimes? Sure. I do feel like it helped our community to try to come to some sort of consensus and acceptance of the decisions that were being made, though, by our school board.”

Ali Noland, a Little Rock School Board member and attorney with a background in First Amendment law, expressed concern about efforts to limit criticism of elected officials. She recalled what it felt like when her district was under state takeover and was under the control of the State Board of Educa-

tion, which she said often did not allow members of the public to comment during meetings.

“I know how that feels to feel like, well, they don’t even want to hear what we have to say,” she said. “You know, those sorts of things. I’m very much on the side of allowing the comment and even allowing them to be critical of us, even though it’s hard, just because I feel like it’s important for the process.”

White said school districts must do what is right for their community. He said the board is trying to “bring our community’s temperature level down” and make patrons feel heard. Bentonville has a small boardroom, and he has resisted moving meetings to larger venues.

“If you create a stage, people are going to stand on a stage,” he said. “I’m not saying it’s not necessary, and I will tell you we’re still in that discussion.

We’re still trying to say, can we take

Continued on next page

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ASBA Annual Conference

PRESIDENT’S AWARD. The President’s Award is earned by school board members who achieve 500 hours of boardsmanship training. Pictured from left are Bill Clements of the Conway School Board, Rosa Bowman of the Ashdown School Board, Randy Goodnight of the Greenbrier School Board, Debbie Ugbade of the Hot Springs School Board, and John Gibson of the South Conway County School Board.

PLATINUM AWARD. The Platinum Award is earned by Arkansas school board members who achieve 400 hours of boardsmanship training.

Pictured from left are Kenneth Graves of the DeWitt School Board, Randy Hutchinson of the Springdale School Board, and Carl Frank of the Glen Rose School Board. Not pictured is Napoleon Davis of the Stuttgart School Board.

some air out of the debate – not make one person or one side more right than the other, but can we take some emotion out of the debate by just listening?”

White said it can take a while for a board that has never done public comments to develop a rhythm. Bentonville’s board in the past allowed members of the public to sign up when they arrived at the meeting. With the mask issue, it created a more stringent process where speakers could sign up in advance online. In the initial meeting, both sides were given 25 minutes to speak, with each speaker offered one minute.

It’s now two minutes. Time can pass quickly, but he doesn’t give meandering speakers more time. He always gives the same speech beforehand where he thanks those who have come to speak, explains the time limit, says the board cares what they have to say and will listen but not respond, and asks them to be respectful.

12 March 2022 Report Card

El Dorado School Board member Wayne Gibson said his board also had a preregistration process and gave members of the public two minutes each to speak about masks. When several refused to stop, their mikes were cut off.

White said Bentonville voted 5-2 to enact a mask mandate for the fall semester before the court order prevented the district from enforcing it. He was one of the two. He didn’t think it was the right decision for the community at the time.

However, as board president he spoke for the decision when asked by members of the media.

He said he tries to be boring when dealing with the media. Reporters are looking for a story, and dissension among board members would be the biggest one coming out of a meeting.

That story sends a message to the community that the board is dysfunctional, and to teachers and staff members that the board is unpredictable and un-

healthy. He advised staying off social media and being careful when using it.

A school board member who talks about school-related subjects on a private Facebook page has created an open public forum and can’t delete comments.

White said boards should take seriously the decision of whether or not to place a topic on the agenda and should consider keeping it off. Including it can demonstrate to the public that the board is having a conversation about the issue, but on the other hand, “Pandora’s box is really hard to get closed up again once it’s open,” he said. He said as president he uses consistent, repetitive language as he moves through the agenda. Doing so allows the board to think about the issue rather than what he’s doing. Board members, meanwhile, should try to get topics placed on the agenda before the meeting rather than surprise the board with an unexpected topic. White said formality is important and will become more so. He predicted there will be challenges to the official ways a board takes an action, such as making a motion.

While mask mandates have been the hottest topics this year, others are sure to come up, including controversial library books and critical race theory.

The latter is challenging because it is vaguely defined and open to interpretation, White said. School board members should try to determine what lesson is making a parent uncomfortable and get the superintendent involved. School board members should understand and explain the rigorous process that leads to the creation of school curriculum. Problems often occur with additional materials assigned by teachers, but parents can be assured a review process exists for potentially inappropriate material.

By explaining those processes, a board member can educate parents and give them an outlet.

“Now, they’re going to have likes and dislikes,” he said. “They may agree or disagree with you. But you’ll become a better and more effective communicator, and you’ll understand the message.”

How do board members return to student achievement-centered governance in the midst of all this controversy? They must build back trust with the administration, constituents, teach-

ers and other board members. Building back trust with the public occurs when school board members direct patrons to the right person, who usually will be at the lowest administrative level such as a teacher. School board members should work as a team, have a district spokesperson, and know the district’s message.

They also must get comfortable with being uncomfortable, White said.

People will say things a board member disagrees with. They should control their response and listen with a slow pulse rate. They should be willing to embrace change and handle disappointment.

“The essence of genius is being able to entertain an idea without accepting it,” he said.

DR. DAN WINNER. Bearden School District Superintendent Denny Rozenberg was named the winner of the Dr. Daniel L. Pilkinton Award at the Annual Conference awards luncheon Dec. 9.

Rozenberg’s willingness to step beyond the call of duty can be measured by the success of his district’s graduating seniors over the last decade.

Working alongside higher ed officials, he has given every student in his rural district an opportunity to graduate with up to 12 college hours on their record.

Outside of school, he is a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves who has been deployed four times. He’s also a Boy Scout troop leader and has guided a number of his Scouts to attain the rank of Eagle Scout.

Governor: School return was right The conference concluded with remarks by Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who joked that since college athletes have been given an extra year of eligibility because of COVID, he should have an extra year as governor. The governor then noted good-naturedly that his remark had produced only a “smattering” of applause.

Hutchinson praised school board members for the additional responsibilities they have assumed during the pandemic. He said he knew board members might disagree with some of his decisions, and indeed some of those decisions might have been wrong. But he was confident he was right to reopen

schools for the 2020-21 school year after closing them at the end of the spring 2020 semester.

“I purposed then, I said we can’t do this next year, and I immediately said all through that summer, we’re not going to be deterred from having in-classroom instruction in the school year of 2021,” he said. “And it was a time when our cases were going up. It was a worrisome time, and schools were being closed all over the country. And we were one of the few states that said no, we’re sticking with it, our students need it, and it was also our athletes and our activities and our band members and our choir members. They needed that opportunity. And it really taught us through this pandemic how incredibly important the work that you do is.”

Hutchinson touted the results of his computer science initiative. This year, 12,500 students are taking computer science classes. When he became governor, there were 1,100. The number of certified teachers has increased from 20 to almost 600. Schools first were required by law to offer a class. Hutchinson said he traveled to more than 80 high schools encouraging students to enroll. In last year’s legislative session, Arkansas became one of three states to require computer science as a graduation requirement. He said other states have not been able to do that because they had not laid the foundation Arkansas had laid.

Continued on next page

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Dr. Marc Sherrell Des Arc School District Superintendent

schooleatsconsulting.com Report Card March 2022 13

ASBA Annual Conference Hutchinson said he is making computer science his national initiative as chair of the National Governors Association and will be holding regional conferences in Boston, Bentonville, and Washington, D.C., after already holding one in Denver. The recent national kickoff for Computer Science Week was held at the Governor’s Mansion and attracted participants from 22 states.

PINNACLE AWARD. The Pinnacle Award is earned by school board members who achieve 200 hours of boardsmanship training. Top photo, front row left to right are Sanetta Davis, Helena-West Helena; Goldie Whitaker, Watson Chapel; Lisa House, Mountain Home; and William Dixon, Mineral Springs-Saratoga. Back row are Jim Huffman, Pottsville, and Tad Margolis, Valley View and ASBA’s current president. Bottom row of photos above are Annie Cobb-Norman, Forrest City; Deborah Matthews, Fordyce; Katheryne Spivey, South Conway County; and Craig Mullins, South Conway County. Not pictured are Jay Green, Junction City, and Tracey Ritchey, Blytheville.

MASTER AWARD. The Master Award is earned by school board members who achieve 50 hours of boardsmanship training. Among this year’s winners were, front row left to right, Eleanor Davenport, Yellville-Summit; Juanita Strange, Lafayette County; and Myca Ferguson, Westside Consolidated. Back row, Justin Cox, Marvell-Elaine; Mark English, Marvell-Elaine; Brian Peters, Lake Hamilton; and Clay Goff, Beebe.

14 March 2022 Report Card

Legislators: Hire local teachers Hutchinson’s remarks were preceded by a panel discussion featuring Arkansas Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock; and Reps. Bruce Cozart, R-Hot Springs; Brian Evans, R-Cabot; and Lanny Fite, R-Benton. Cozart and Evans are ex-school board members, and Cozart chairs the House Education Committee.

One topic of discussion was how to get more teachers into high-poverty, high-need areas. Cozart noted that legislators have taken steps to increase minimum teacher salaries, but it can be difficult for smaller schools to compete with larger ones. He said developing homegrown talent is the key. Evans agreed, saying a McCrory High School classmate had accepted a salary that was $20,000 less than offered elsewhere in order to teach at home.

Legislators were asked about the expansion of voucher-like programs providing public money for students to attend non-public schools. The original Succeed scholarship provided that benefit to severely disabled students.

Opportunities later were expanded to foster children and then military children. In 2021, lawmakers created a tax credit-financed scholarship program.

Lawmakers agreed that efforts to expand voucher-like programs will continue.

Other speakers included Stacey Smith, deputy commissioner of the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, who said schools should focus on things they can control: curriculum, school environments and educators. If a student is a car, then the curriculum is the engine, the environment is having well-balanced new tires, and the educator is the driver. Some students come to school with beat up cars because of their circumstances, but a car with the right engine, tires and driver will still go far.

Schools should not focus on things they can’t change, such as a student’s zip code, parents or past hurts.

“When you blame the problem or the lack of success on something specific, you’ve given up any ownership to make change,” she said.

Smith said some changes in schools, such as those dealing with student safety, must happen quickly like the flipping of a light switch. Substantive change in instruction requires a dimmer switch where people must slowly be brought along because they have been conditioned as to what school is like.

Otherwise, the switch will be flipped off two or three years later.

Dr. David Lee, associate professor of educational administration at the University of Southern Mississippi, described the qualities of high achievers. They have energy, because boring people can’t lead, he said. High achievers have clarity in that they focus on the right things. They have routines

and structures that help them make incremental improvement. They have optimistic attitudes, they’re accountable, and they’re ready.

Lee recalled a conversation he had with a National Teacher of the Year where he asked her how she had achieved that honor. He said she told him she was driving to work one day when she realized she was in a rut and made up her mind that the day would be different, and she would walk into her classroom and teach like never before.

She parked in a different spot and taught and acted differently and started on a different path.

Lee said her parking in a different spot was the change that started her on a path to her achievements. He said he had told that story to a group of teachers and later received an email from one who said she had parked in a different spot as a result. Later that year, she emailed him again to say she was her school’s teacher of the year.

“I’ve got to ask you, where do you park?” he asked. “Where are we going to park as a board member? Are we going to park in the same place, doing the same things, getting the mediocre results? If you’re getting great results, stay at it. But sometimes you have to change where you park.”

Keynote: Give what you can The conference opened with keynote speaker Beth Chapman, Alabama’s former secretary of state, who entertained the audience with a string of jokes and encouraging remarks.

Chapman told attendees that they should give the greatest percentage of themselves that they can give on a particular day because sometimes they don’t have 100%. She said they should do things “to be 100% effective but take zero talent.”

With help from audience suggestions, those things included being on time,

Continued on next page

Report Card March 2022 15

ASBA Annual Conference EXHIBITORS. Pictured are some of the exhibitors at the ASBA Annual Conference. Top right, Rob Branscum with Johnson Controls visits with conference attendees. Second row left, Melissa Martin with All-Clean visits with a conference-goer. Second row right, Bill Birch with BXS Insurance, right, visits with Ben Higgs of Capital Business Machines while Shannon Moore, ASBA’s Workers’ Compensation Program director, looks on. Third row left, Craig Boone with Architecture Plus visits with ASBA Past President Rosa Bowman while Architecture Plus’s Michael Johnson looks on. Third row right, Chef Jonathan Koon with SchoolEats visit with Bowman. Bottom left, Tom Sledge with American Fidelity welcomes a conference-goer to his booth. Bottom right, Jeremy Lemons with Musco Lighting, left, chats with fellow exhibitor Mitchell Wayman with The Playwell Group.

16 March 2022 Report Card

STUDENT SPEAKERS. Tu Nguyen, left, a junior at Fort Smith Southside High School, won the $1,000 first place award among 19 students in the 2021 ASBA Student Essay/Speaking contest. Students were asked to write an essay and deliver a short, recorded speech on the topic, “Individual rights vs. the common good: What is the proper balance?” Katie Prejean, middle, a junior from Joe T. Robinson High School in the Pulaski County Special School District, placed second and was awarded $750.

Celia Mayfield, right, a senior at Jonesboro High School, was third and won $500.

The three spoke at the ASBA Annual Conference.

smiling, telling the truth, and having a thick skin.

Chapman told the story of Anna, who as a young student couldn’t sit still, scored poorly on tests and was considered to have below-average intelligence.

However, she worked hard and managed to get into college, where she scored a grade point average of 1.0 her first semester but then flourished, graduated with honors, and later became a self-made millionaire and a best-selling

writer. At the closing of her remarks, Chapman revealed that Anna is her first name.

“We’ve got to understand that one test does not define a person’s entire academic or educational career, that several tests may not define some people’s academic careers, and when they’re not a fish, we don’t need to ask them to swim in water. … But when they are a fish, we need to provide the water for them to swim in and become adapted to,” she said.

In a general session, Tim Brown and Dr. Regina Owens with Solution Tree, a company that provides professional development services, described the advantages of professional learning communities. That’s a process where teachers collaboratively work, continuously improve and hold themselves accountable.

“A characteristic of a professional learning community is this constant dis-

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ASBA Annual Conference MORE EXHIBITORS. Pictured are more of the exhibitors at the ASBA Annual Conference. Top right, Mike Elliott with Homeland Safety Systems, center, and Shannon Reiland and Patrick White with Homeland speak to a conference attendee, left. Second row left, Elisabeth Bates with Entegrity chats with Hoxie School Board member Jeff Worlow.

Middle right, Russell Fason, left, Kate Dimitrova and John Langham with WER Architects/Planners visit with a conference-goer. Third row left, Larry Perkin with Hight Jackson Architects speaks with Bentonville Superintendent Dr. Debbie Jones. Third row right, Baldwin & Shell’s Drew Westlake, left, and Michael Hansberry visit with conference-goers. Bottom left, Matt Poe, left, and Chris Lankford with modus studio visit with Bill Jackson, a member of the Searcy County School Board. Bottom right, Leigh Ann Showalter with C.R. Crawford visits with Valley View School Board member Richard Rogers.

18 March 2022 Report Card

MORE EXHIBITORS. Top left, Paul Hively and Jonathan Adams with Nabholz visit with a conference attendee. Top right, Jason Holsclaw with Stephens, Inc., right, visits with Farmington Superintendent Jon Laffoon. Bottom right photo, Kellye Neal with Chartwells, right, speaks to Wes Gates, left, and David Dobbs with the Hoxie School Board.

Conference Continued from page 17

quiet with the status quo, a constant search for, is there a better way?” he said.

Owens said working as part of a team requires more of a time investment because it’s easier for teachers to go into their classrooms and work with their students by themselves. The technical piece of professional learning communities is easy and involves practices such as having a meeting agenda and studying standards together. Planning lessons is more like molding clay, she said. Teachers can’t keep their best ideas to themselves. It’s not OK if their students are doing well but other students are failing.

Brown said goals are useless unless they are accompanied by action plans.

“None of what we do to accelerate the learning of a student is going to be an accident,” he said. “We can’t just hope it happens. We’ve got to plan for that. And that’s going to be a continuous journey for these teachers, and for those students, and for the school board.”

Report Card March 2022 19

AT STEPHENS PUBLIC FINANCE, COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE MEANS CONSTANT GUIDANCE From our base in Arkansas, Stephens has expanded throughout the South and Southeast over the past several years. Our practice includes negotiated and competitive underwritings, as well as municipal advisory work. The firm’s securities distribution capability with individual and institutional investors is a proven strength. As a result of our capital position, we are able to underwrite bonds quickly and efficiently for clients.

Stephens’ thorough knowledge of industry techniques and seasoned management skills enable us to provide strategic

analysis report for the district. This includes looking at the district’s assessed values, millage structure, outstanding debt,

solutions for our clients. We serve in transactions as municipal advisor, sole manager, senior manager, co-senior manager or

and financing options.

co-manager for issuers.

A Q&A with Senior Vice President Jack Truemper While Stephens Public Finance is focused on debt management, Senior Vice President Jack Truemper knows districts need to have a complete understanding of their total financial picture. This includes ongoing financial analysis, constant communication, and presenting financing opportunities to help school districts plan for the future.

What kind of work does Stephens Public Finance do for Arkansas school districts when a district is not working on a bond issue?

Whether they do a bond issue once a year or once every 10 years, our involvement with our school district clients is ongoing and thorough. We are very proactive with our school districts providing financial analysis, fulfilling reporting requirements, school board training, legislative updates, and evaluating existing debt for new project funds or refinancing

What analysis does Stephens provide to help districts understand how they relate to their peers?

We provide our district clients with a benchmark report that statistically compares the district with other school districts.

This information includes but is not limited to comparing a district’s assessed values, bonded and nonbonded debt, millage rate, demographics, base teacher pay, and student transportation funding.

The report also includes a summary of regional and statewide comparisons. We use this information to provide districts with a better understanding of how they compare, recognizing that each district is different and unique.

How does Stephens assist districts in planning for future capital improvements?

First, we meet with the district’s administration to determine their future planning goals, objectives, and timing. Based upon these discussions, we develop and present various financing options that show the district’s debt capacity based

for interest cost-saving opportunities.

upon existing circumstances and drill down to what is most

When Stephens analyzes a district’s finances, what is

reasonable for the district and its patrons’ best interest.

it evaluating?

Subsequently, we will hold a planning session with the district’s board to discuss the various available options to the district.

Throughout this process, we continually provide districts with

We are helping districts understand their borrowing power — their ability to borrow money. We start by providing a financial

weekly communications on the municipal bond market and 20 March 2022 Report Card

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interest rate movements. Our expertise in the bond market is a big part of our ongoing support for clients.

In what ways does Stephens help districts with their millage elections?

Beyond financial markets, are there other venues Stephens monitors for potential impacts on school districts?

When a district decides to conduct a millage campaign to fund certain construction projects or operations within the district, Stephens will assist in such efforts.

We continually inform our clients about federal and state

We develop effective campaign strategies, including tactics

legislative and regulatory developments that are important to

and timelines as well as engaging community leaders and coordinating with election officials. We also participate in

not only the tax-exempt municipal bond marketplace but also Arkansas school finance. This includes public school funding, election laws, and federal changes to the tax code.

Education remains a significant part of Stephens’ relationships with Arkansas school districts. Are there any other components to what Stephens offers on that front?

We can provide district clients with up to four hours per year of training on school finance, debt management, and auditing as requested. This helps school board members fulfill their training requirements.

We want to be a resource to our clients, understand what districts’ needs are, and provide any assistance that they need.

What does Stephens help school districts with from a regulatory reporting standpoint?

Under federal regulations, school districts that issue municipal bonds are required to provide certain financial disclosure annually under their agreement with investors. Stephens

community meetings, among other events, as needed.

We develop useful information that can be used in flyers, mailouts, and on social media. This includes providing examples from other successful millage campaigns. We also produce and print mailers for district use.

We evaluate information on Arkansas’s Academic Facilities Partnership Program and how it benefits a district when seeking a millage extension or increase.

We can recommend political consultants with expertise in public school election polling and campaign management.

And we will review and coordinate all legal publications and documentation.

Those are examples of the services we can provide to districts conducting millage campaigns, but we will do whatever we can to help them be successful.

provides our clients with comprehensive continuing disclosure services under our municipal advisory agreements.

Jack Truemper Senior Vice President jtruemper@stephens.com 501-377-6315

This is important as regulators require it every year. It tells the district’s story and gives investors information about their investment in Arkansas school bonds.

The annual report includes information on millage rate, assessment history, current outstanding debt, aggregate combined debt service schedule, borrowing capacity, a history of tax collections, and audited financials. Once completed and approved by the district, the annual report is filed with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s electronic database.

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Report Card March 2022 21

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ASBA School Law Seminar

Board members must report abuse Mandated reporters are immune from liability if they report suspected maltreatment in good faith, but they’re liable if they fail to report. And that includes school board members.

School board members are mandated reporters of suspected child abuse. So are teachers, childcare workers, staff members, volunteers – even the ticket taker at a football game.

“Pretty much everyone in the school system is a mandatory reporter,” said Jeannie Denniston, an attorney with the Gordon & Caruth law firm, during a session at the ASBA School Law Seminar Feb. 8 entitled, “Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse: Board Members, This Includes YOU Now!” The law states that mandated reporters “shall immediately notify the Child Abuse Hotline” if they have a reasonable cause to suspect child maltreatment – for example, if the child is dirty or has unexplained scratches or bruises.

Reporters don’t have to determine that the suspicion is true – just that maltreatment could be occurring. Once they suspect something, mandated reporters should get involved, commit to call, get information and be assertive.

Reasonable cause is “a fairly low standard,” she said.

“Reasonable cause is defined as a set of facts that would lead a man or woman of ordinary care and prudence to believe and conscientiously entertain an honest and strong suspicion that something is wrong,” she said. “If you think something is wrong, you have reasonable cause.”

Mandated reporters can call the Arkansas State Police hotline at 800.482.5964 or (844) SAVEACHILD. The hotline is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Mandated reporters must contact the hotline; calling the police is not enough. They also can fax the report to 800.618.8952 using a form available on the Crimes Against Children Division’s website at https://www.

22 March 2022 Report Card

ATTORNEY JEANNIE DENNISTON discussed mandatory child maltreatment reporting requirements at ASBA’s School Law Seminar Feb. 8. Mandated reporters must immediately notify the state’s Child Abuse Hotline if they reasonably suspect child maltreatment. “Pretty much everyone in the school system is a mandatory reporter,” she said.

dps.arkansas.gov/law-enforcement/ arkansas-state-police/divisions/crimesagainst-children/.

Any person who notifies the hotline in good faith, including nonmandated reporters, is immune from civil and criminal liability. Publicly supported school facilities or institutions that in good faith cooperate with the investigative agency are also immune.

But failure to make the call is a Class A misdemeanor, and the mandated reporter could be sued by the family for failure to report.

“Your obligation is to the child,” she said. “Not to the parents. Not to the caregivers. Your obligation first is to the child. And remember, if you report, you’re immune. Report anything that is suspicious, and report it immediately. If you report, you’re immune. If you don’t report, there are consequences both criminally and civil.”

In 2017, the state had a rate of 13.2 abused children per 1,000 children, but the number could have worsened during the lockdowns that have occurred during

the COVID-19 pandemic. Denniston said there were 56,983 calls to the hotline in 2017, and of those, 36,095 were referred to investigators. Most rejections were due to a lack of information, but schools know who the students are and where they live.

“School officials are on the front line,” she said. “Y’all know if the children are fed at home. Y’all know if they are clothed; you know if they’re bathed.

You know if they have bruises. You know if they’re attending school. You know if they have disturbing drawings.”

Denniston urged schools to train not only teachers but other school personnel in mandated reporting for an hour each year. She said mandated reporting became necessary because voluntary reporting wasn’t working. Studies have shown that people are hesitant to get involved. The hesitance comes from a belief that they have insufficient evidence, a lack of certainty that abuse has occurred, a belief that the report will cause additional harm to the child, a need to maintain a relationship with the

parent or caregiver, or an ignorance that reporting is mandatory. There’s also a fear that the parent or perpetrator will figure out who made the report.

The responsibility for reporting can’t be delegated. Everyone who suspects the maltreatment is mandated to report, which can be accomplished by everyone signing a single fax. In one case involving an Arkansas school district, a second grade female teacher discovered a handwritten letter by a student saying she had been touched inappropriately by her mother’s father and asking for help. The assistant principal was present in the classroom where the note was found. The principal was informed, and the assistant principal was told to handle it. The student was sent home with her grandmother because she had been suspended from school for fighting earlier that day. The assistant principal asked the grandmother about the letter, and she said the abuse had occurred years earlier, but the student had been

removed from the home. Later that day, the principal and assistant principal discussed the issue, and the principal told her to file the letter in the school nurse’s file. A few weeks later, the school nurse found the letter on a counter in the medicine closet. She asked if anyone had called the hotline, and when she realized no one had, she did it herself.

While the nurse complied with the law, the others did not. The school board terminated the principal’s contract. She sued the board and lost, and appealed and lost.

Reporting suspected maltreatment can change the trajectory of a child’s life. Denniston told a story of a deliveryman who heard a child crying behind a padlocked door and called the police.

The police found a four-year-old girl with a diaper and bottle. She was covered in feces because she was in there with the dog. She had been locked away and had never learned to speak. She was placed in foster care and began receiving

therapy. Despite her late start in language development, she graduated with top honors in high school and now is a college student.

Professional relationship required In another session, participants were told that teachers are required to maintain a professional relationship with students inside and outside of the classroom.

Attorney Mary Carole Young with Munson, Rowlett, Moore & Boone said the Code of Ethics for Arkansas educators approved by the State Board of Education in 2008 established that minimum standard and removed the gray areas that previously existed. Even if a teacher’s actions aren’t criminal, a violation of that standard can lead to termination.

Young estimated that her law firm has performed 200 investigations for school districts. Out of the 200, all but

Continued on next page

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ASBA School Law Seminar one of her recommendations has been followed.

A teacher doing what might seem best for the child is not necessarily following ethical standards. In one case, a female home economics teacher in a small town befriended a roughly 16-year-old male student in her class.

His mom was not in the picture, and his dad was a truck driver who was gone during the week. The teacher, whose husband was often gone for months at a time, said she had “adopted” the student.

She openly said in class that he was her favorite student. She would hang out in his house, take him on vacations, and be physically affectionate on the couch.

She made it obvious on Facebook that she was paying special attention to him.

The student’s father said he was uncomfortable with the relationship and hadn’t approved of the teacher’s actions. After Young investigated, she was terminated.

Young noted that male and female teachers and students must be treated the same way. After all, what if a male teacher was snuggling with a female student on the couch?

The teacher was angry with Young and embarked on what Young described as a “full-out Facebook offensive” in an effort to defend herself. Young warned that board members might hear such information before they learn details of a case, but they cannot interfere with their superintendent as he or she works through the issue. That’s because board members might need to hear a teacher’s appeal under the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act. “The district is not allowed to speak to you, but you can get the spin from the person who’s being accused,” she said.

“So you’ll get the preeminent Facebook spin, and that’s what she was doing, and it almost worked. … It happens oftentimes, and you guys cannot be manipulated by your teachers and employees with the Facebook. You have to in your head think, ‘I’m an indifferent third party, and I’m not going to make any decisions until this is done.’”

Young said there are many ways teachers can show concern for students – through systems and multiple people being involved – without violating ethical standards.

24 March 2022 Report Card

She said schools should discourage one-on-one contact between teachers and students, including phone communications. If the softball coach needs to send a message to players, it needs to be sent to the entire team, not to individual students. Young said many of her investigations stem from teacher-student interactions through social media and phones. She pointed out that in the past, students didn’t even realize teachers had a personal life outside of the classroom.

Now, they can see their teacher in a bikini on Facebook.

“Do what you can from the top down to get rid of teachers and students on the phone,” she said.

Young said students should not be at a teacher’s home unless it’s during a group or team meeting or event.

Students shouldn’t be hanging around classrooms that are not their assigned locations, which she said is “happening over and over and over and over and over again” and often leads to an inappropriate relationship. Likewise, students should eat lunch in their assigned places.

Young described a case where a wellknown kindergarten teacher was rumored to be having sex with a 16-yearold student. The student’s friends thought it had happened because he had half-bragged about it before changing his story, but he denied it when asked in the presence of his parents. Young told the superintendent she couldn’t prove anything had happened. The superintendent contacted her later saying a student at a different district had been hanging out in her house and had sex with her for five years starting in the sixth grade, and he had left the school to get away from her. That student, now a senior, correctly described the teacher’s tattoos, moles, the kinds of sheets she had and her makeup in the bathroom. She would hide him under the bed if visitors happened to come while he was there. DNA testing proved the student was the father of one of the teacher’s children. She’s now in prison.

Professional relationship required In another session, participants learned about student searches and the 4th Amendment to the Constitution. The

session was led by Cody Kees with Bequette, Billingsley and Kees, P.A., and Allison Bragg with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Kees and Bragg said the Supreme Court ruled in the New Jersey v. T.L.O. case in 1985 that the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures does apply to students in public schools, but it’s balanced with the school’s duty to maintain order and discipline. Students have a decreased expectation of privacy because schools stand in loco parentis – in the place of the parent.

When it comes to searches, schools are governed by a reasonable suspicion standard that is lower than probable cause. Applied to cell phones, courts have ruled that police officers generally can’t search a cell phone without a warrant, but school administrators can do so if they have reasonable suspicion that a school disciplinary code has been violated.

But there are limits for school personnel. Kees described one case where staff confiscated a student’s phone after he was caught texting in class. The teacher claimed a full search was necessary because the student had occasional suicidal thoughts and anger issues, but there was nothing to suggest the student had committed any violation other than using the phone in class. The court ruled the search was unlawful because there was no reasonable suspicion.

Kees said school personnel should contact the school resource officer if they think a crime is being committed because SROs have law enforcement authority and know best practices to be used. He said it is important for school personnel to have a relationship with their local law enforcement officers. The officers will know how to download images from a phone in a way that Bragg can use the information to prosecute a crime, he said.

Kees said metal detectors can be installed at schools but must be minimally intrusive, and they cannot discriminate against certain types of students. For example, a metal detector cannot be stationed at the bus stop entrance but not where the more affluent kids driving cars enter, he said.

How to date your next superintendent

For school boards, doing things the right way is as important as finding ‘the one’

School boards have much to consider when hiring a superintendent, just like dating partners have much to consider before saying “I do.” For school boards, it’s not just about finding the right person. It’s also about complying with the law every step of the way.

Like single people, school board members find their partners through a search process. School boards must first determine if they will look in-house (almost always a bad idea for single people) or if they will look outside.

If a school board has an in-house candidate it wants to hire, it does not have to advertise or even interview.

However, staying in-house could lead to a claim of preferential treatment or discrimination if more than one qualified candidate works for the district. Discrimination claims arise when an unsuccessful candidate believes he/she was not selected because of race, sex, etc. To prevent that from happening, the board must articulate the legitimate reasons it made its decision.

If the board looks elsewhere, it should list the position on the ASBA and Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators websites. It should consider hiring a search firm, which can recruit and vet applicants, streamline the process, and better find qualified candidates regionally and nationally.

Hiring a search firm will not ensure the initial applicant pool remains confidential. In fact, never promise confidentiality. The applicants’ entire packet could be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Boards can create a specialized rubric with the perfect applicant in mind. This streamlines the board’s deliberation process and is highly defensible in court.

The rubric must be created in open session, not in executive session, because the board is discussing the process, not a particular candidate.

Interviews with candidates can be done in executive session, but only the

by Jay Bequette ASBA General Counsel board should be present. The current superintendent legally can be there, but it’s not a good look. There should be no doubt that the board is taking full responsibility for its hire.

Boards should determine what is important to the district and prepare a set of questions prior to the interview that allow the applicant to speak freely.

Those questions cover the applicant’s education philosophy; their experience with curriculum, construction and finance; their leadership style; and their vision for the district. Background questions should cover the applicant’s education, professional organizations, government service, and military experience.

Veterans receive a preference when the board is selecting applicants to interview or to hire. For your rubric, designate a bonus score indicating preference was given to that candidate.

What not to ask Just as important as the questions asked are the questions to be avoided.

Don’t ask about children under age 18, the need for child care, or pregnancy because those questions disadvantage female applicants. Don’t ask about a credit record because this disadvantages women and racial minorities. Don’t ask about the lowest salary the applicant would accept for the same reason.

Don’t ask about criminal convictions because members of some minority groups are arrested disproportionately.

The screening process for superintendent certification probably will take care of any such concerns. Don’t ask about date of birth or when the applicant graduated because those questions could lead to age discrimination claims.

Don’t ask about their religion or where they go to church. Likewise, don’t ask if they are available to work weekends because some applicants’ religions might prohibit working on a certain day.

Instead, ask if they are available 24/7 in case of deadlines or emergencies. Don’t ask if they have a disability or if they have ever filed a worker’s compensation claim. Don’t ask if they own their home or if they are a member of a union.

Don’t ask if a relative works for the district because it might imply the board is giving preferential treatment to family members. Instead, ask if they have a conflict of interest.

Once the decision has been made, it’s time for the district to bend a knee and propose. Another set of legal considerations accompanies that process.

Unlike marriage, it’s not supposed to be a lifetime commitment. But doing the search process legally and correctly increases the chances it will be a successful, long-term one.

Educational environments that elevate the human experience.

479.455.5577 modusstudio.com contact@modusstudio.com Report Card March 2022 25

Four days is fine Cover / Four day week

What started at Kirby in 2019-20 has grown to 16 school districts and charter schools in Arkansas. Now more districts are considering making the move to four days. Here’s why.

TEACHER BAYLEE KITCHENS of the Kirby School District helps student J.T. Baxter with a lesson while Aiden Whisenhunt raises his hand behind them.

By Steve Brawner Editor

In Kirby, Arkansas, students go to school from Monday through Thursday and have Friday off. The school days have been extended by 72 minutes, but students and staff get a three-day weekend every week.

Kirby made the switch to a four-day week partly to distinguish itself from other districts. When it became the only Arkansas district with a four-day week in 2019-20, it was hovering around and below the 350-student enrollment level that could lead to forced consolidation, and it was having trouble attracting qualified teachers.

Now, it has more than 400 students, and principals say qualified teachers are sending applications and asking to be kept in mind for job openings that don’t yet exist.

One reason Kirby made the switch was to distinguish itself from other districts. Increasingly, that’s no longer the case. This year, 16 Arkansas districts and charter schools have four-day weeks, and that number will certainly grow next year.

The transition from five days to four wasn’t as difficult as it might seem.

School days start at 7:55 a.m. and end at 4:13 p.m. They previously started at 8 a.m. and ended at 3:06 p.m., so the days now are an hour and 12 minutes longer.

At the time, Arkansas law said instructional time had to be 360 minutes a day.

Kirby was averaging 383, so administrators subtracted the extra 23 minutes and then added Friday’s hours to the other four days. More time was found by reducing class transition time from five 26 March 2022 Report Card

minutes to three, but there’s also more recess time now. The district has seven class periods that have been extended by about 10 minutes each to about 63-65 minutes.

As for Fridays, two or three times a month the school hosts a Trojan Enrichment program where it offers remediation, tutoring and babysitting from 8 a.m. until noon. Students who have been quarantined because of COVID can make up work. The district runs a bus

route, and students are fed both breakfast and lunch. Elementary Principal Dolores Cowart said 30-50 of her students attend.

Kirby’s move to a four-day week was community driven, said Superintendent Pike Palmer. Interest began building in the summer of 2018. When Kirby started school that August, parents who had seen news accounts about a fourday district outside Denver were asking about the idea. Oklahoma, which is not

KIRBY SUPERINTENDENT PIKE PALMER, elementary principal Dolores Cowart, and high school principal Jason Burns talked to numerous administrators as Kirby considered making the switch. Cowart and Burns say they now have qualified teachers from other districts contacting them asking when jobs might be available. Burns said morale among students has improved. Four days is less daunting than five. Not only did Friday classes go away, but so did “hump day.”

far away, already had numerous fourday districts. Palmer brought the idea to the school board. Administrators contacted four-day districts in Oklahoma and Missouri. Kirby High School Principal Jason Burns said nobody had any complaints.

“Everybody had their different positives, but when I’d say, ‘What’s one negative you can think of?’ they would say, ‘Nothing,’” he said. “The only thing that anybody ever said was at first it was childcare. But every one of them told me that there would be people in the community upset about it or whatever when you’re talking about it, but they said once you start, you won’t hear anything else about it.”

Patrons were presented pros and cons at a couple of community meetings.

Roughly 90% were in favor. In March 2019, the school board voted 7-0 to implement the plan.

The district at the time was struggling with enrollment. After being hired in

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Cover / Four day week 2016, Palmer appeared before the State Board of Education his first three years because the district had less than 350 students.

At one point, the district was at 330.

That’s not a problem anymore. The summer after the district publicized it was making the change, its fall enrollment jumped from 350 to 390, and now it’s hovering around 400.

The district has been losing fewer students while gaining students from elsewhere. Palmer said the four-day week isn’t the only reason for the gains, but it’s definitely had an effect.

Meanwhile, the district has kept its current teachers while attracting new ones. Palmer said the district’s salaries are similar to nearby ones, but only Kirby has been able to offer a three-day weekend. Burns said he has a file with 30 inquiries, about 20 of them teachers. When he first arrived, his first two hires weren’t certified, but they were the only ones who applied for the jobs.

Palmer said his teachers would “have a riot” if the district tried to return to a five-day school week. Educators told Report Card they like the new schedule. Kay Kinard, a third grade math and science teacher and Kirby graduate who taught 10 years at another school, had worried she would not be able to fit five days into four. Instead, she likes the longer class periods, which she said let her slow down and teach the standards until students understand them. She said she and her students have become more efficient and work until it’s time to go to the next class. High school math teacher Laura Mack is devoting more class time to homework assignments, allowing her to help them understand the work.

“I feel like they are learning as much if not a little bit more just because I have an additional time with them every day,” she said.

The change has given staff and students a day to do personal things that previously had to be crammed into the five-day week, like medical appointments. Kinard said her own child was getting tubes in his ears that upcoming Friday, which meant she didn’t have to take off work. She said she can come to the school and plan on Fridays, which previously would have been done on Saturdays or Sundays. Dyslexia therapist Shelly Greene cleans her house on Fridays now so she can have Saturdays for other activities. Quin Johnson, a biology and environmental science teacher, said students are talking up the four-day week to their friends from other districts.

Arkansas was the last state west of the Mississippi River where schools began adopting the four-day week, said Dr. Jon Turner, an associate professor at the Missouri State University Department of Counseling, Leadership and Special Education. The schedule is common in some states with large rural districts and those in the Mountain West. The majority of Colorado schools are on a four-day week, and it’s been available there for many decades. It’s also common in neighboring Oklahoma and Missouri. In contrast, it’s somewhat rare east of the Mississippi River.

Of the 518 public non-charter schools in Missouri, 119 are on the four-day week. It’s been available there for 11 years and became popular when a financial downturn reduced state funding to schools. In that 11 years, 120 districts have tried the idea, and only one has gone back. The growth is driven by 28 March 2022 Report Card

QUIN JOHNSON, a biology and environmental science teacher at Kirby, helps student Cayden Brewer with a classroom assignment where students studied satellite photos to determine how land is being used around their homes.

small, rural school districts who were losing teachers to larger districts in cities that could offer more money. The largest district with a four-day week, Warren County Schools, a St. Louis suburb, has 3,800 students.

Turner said districts made the move thinking they would attract new graduates to teaching but have found they are attracting experienced teachers. It hasn’t made a difference in student growth because Missouri doesn’t have school choice.

Nationwide, studies have shown that moving to a four-day week does not have a significant effect on academic performance, Turner said. When a district maintains the same number of hours, there is no definitive evidence that it decreases performance. In Oregon, many districts lost 40-60 hours of instructional time when they switched, which could affect scores. Research out of Colorado seems to show a temporary bump in English and math scores, but that could be because those schools were doubling the amount of professional development and collaboration time among teachers. One superintendent in Missouri said state testing takes longer because students have been told that if test scores fall, the district will return to a five-day week, so they take it more seriously.

Teachers are more focused, too.

Kirby teachers and administrators cannot say definitively how the change has affected students’ academic performance.

Scores have come up, fallen down, and stayed about the same.

The disruptions and lack of testing caused by COVID have made it even harder to gauge the transition’s impact.

But high school principal Jason Burns said the students’ demeanor seems better in the hallway. On Monday mornings, the end of the school week does not seem so far away.

“You take away Friday, but we also really to me got rid of hump day, too,” he said. “By the time you get home Tuesday, you’re halfway done.”

Burns said the new schedule also helps his students have time for their jobs – some of which contribute to paying their families’ bills.

ATKINS SUPERINTENDENT DR. LORI EDGIN and school board member Bryan Sims brought the four-day week to that district this school year. Edgin had previously led the East End School District in Bigelow as it transitioned to a four-day week.

“They’re able to work a full [day],” he said. “I’ve got kids that work 12-, 16-hour shifts on Friday. I had a kid last year that worked, between Friday and Sunday, worked 36 hours at a job. And, I mean, their families were dependent upon them helping.”

For senior Kaylee Cogburn, the fourday week has provided extra time for important priorities, academic and otherwise. She takes a Virtual Arkansas class online. Many assignments are made on

Thursday and are due on Monday. The extra day helps. The longer class period means her pre-calculus teacher can lecture 45 minutes and then give students time to do their homework in class, where they can get help. Most students are done before leaving, and then if they need more help, the teacher is at school on Fridays. Cogburn also works at the Sonic restaurant in Murfreesboro and helps her younger sister, who is deaf.

She’s planning on studying accounting

at the University of Central Arkansas, so she’s focusing on making money for college and submitting scholarship applications. She said the four-day week has made her more efficient. Fridays are a chance to finish assignments, relax, and prepare for the weekend. On Sunday nights, she plans her week. Her ACT scores have improved, and students have higher morale.

“I’m really trying to be serious about this year, and I have been for the last few years because I mean, this is it,” she said. “This is over for me, and then it’s just college after this. Yeah, it’s adult life after this, so I’ve really taken my grades seriously, and this extra day has helped a lot with it.”

Turner, the Missouri professor, said the idea won’t work as well in some districts. Larger districts that can pay a more competitive salary have less of a reason to make the switch. Districts can save money because buses run four days rather than five, but most districts’ budgets are 80-85% personnel, and they don’t want to cut days for paraeducators, food service personnel, or custodians. Palmer estimates Kirby is saving between $40,000 and $50,000 a year through reduced costs for utilities, fuel and substitute teachers.

Since Kirby was first out of the blocks in 2019-20, another 15 school districts and charter schools have moved to a four-day week. Those include

Continued on next page

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Cover / Four day week Atkins, Buffalo Island Central, Cossatot River, East End-Bigelow, England, Graduate Arkansas Charter, Mineral Springs, Nevada, Norfolk, Ouachita, Ozark Mountain, Viola, Western Yell County, and Westside-Johnson County.

Four-day schools also include The Excel Center, an adult education charter school. Other districts are considering making the move.

New four-day districts will be operating under a different legal environment

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than Kirby was operating under when it made the switch. Under legislation passed by the Arkansas Legislature last year, school districts can create alternate calendars consisting not of 178 days but of 1,068 hours of instruction in a

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30 March 2022 Report Card

ATKINS THIRD GRADE teacher Jennifer Hudson works with students Addalyn Gray and Kinley Rains. While Kirby takes Fridays off, Atkins is off on Monday – football being one of the reasons. The school offers academic enrichment programs on its off-day.

particular subject. That change is giving school districts even more scheduling options.

Atkins this year moved to a four-day week. The number of student contact days fell from 178 to 143, while school days Tuesdays through Fridays were lengthened by 63 minutes, with students given a free snack each afternoon.

Unlike Kirby, Atkins plays football, so it chose to take Mondays off. Another advantage was that many holidays are on Mondays. Having the off day on the same day as a holiday is another way to save time.

Superintendent Dr. Lori Edgin said the longer day hasn’t been a problem.

“After you get used to that first week, our teachers didn’t notice a difference; our students are good with it. It’s just normal now,” she said.

The district is precise in its scheduling. Every minute is calculated, and they don’t worry about round numbers.

Previously, school started at 7:45 a.m. and ended at 3:05 p.m. Now it lasts from 7:40 a.m. to 4:03 p.m. The district’s eight class periods are 58 minutes long.

The district restructured its recesses so students have a long one in the morning and a short one in the afternoon. Waste was cut out. An advisory time where students would do club meetings and complete scholarship forms was con-

verted to instructional time. Transition times between classes in high school was cut from five minutes to four. This year, the district had one pep rally during the school day for football and one for basketball during the entire season.

School board member Bryan Sims said the change hasn’t affected morale.

“The pep rally that we had after school was just as good as the one we had during school,” he said. “So I think that it was imperative that we use that time that we’re here at school as instructional minutes, and I think that’s imperative in general, that we have our teachers that are instructing the entire time they’re in the classroom. We’re on schedule. We’re on task.”

On Mondays, the district offers a voluntary “Red Devil Day” enrichment day for students in grades K-6 with rotating certified teachers. Students who want to come are asked to commit to three of the four Mondays each month. About 25 come on a typical Monday. Classified staff facilitate, but there is no support staff there, including nurses, counselors and administrators. The district does not offer transportation or food, but local churches and community members have been buying lunches.

The four-day week means students will be home an entire day each week, potentially without their parents there.

On the other hand, four days a week they are arriving home about the same

See FOUR on page 38

Report Card March 2022 31

EXECUTIVE SESSION with

Vicki Hatter

By Steve Brawner Editor

On the Little Rock School District website, Vicki Hatter calls herself a “daughter of the West and South.” Originally from the Los Angeles area, she had family in Louisiana and Arkansas and moved here in 2008. The mother of two became involved in the Little Rock School District as a parent and advocate because her son needed additional resources. When the district was taken over by the state, she became an activist.

In late 2020, she was elected to the newly formed school board. Her fellow board members elected her president.

The year 2021 was a historic year. The district fully emerged from state takeover, navigated its way amidst the pandemic, won a lawsuit against a state law forbidding school districts from having mask mandates, and passed a 19-year millage extension to raise $300 million.

That money will fund a new Little Rock West High School, a new K-8 school at the site of the recently closed McClellan High, and other improvements.

Report Card sat down with her to talk about leading a historic district during a historic year.

Why did you come to Little Rock?

“Family moved here. I was actually headed over to live in Texas, and this was a stop for me … but Arkansas just kind of, it became home. It’s a great place. It settles you.”

Little Rock spent six years in state takeover. Was that justified?

“I’m glad you asked that question because I was here in the beginning of 32 March 2022 Report Card

the takeover and was an advocate on the ground with other parents and community leaders. In my mind, no, it wasn’t justified because at the time we only had less than about 13% of our district that was labeled as academically failing, and two of those schools were actually about to come off the list. So, no, in many of our minds it wasn’t a justified takeover.”

What was lost during those years?

“We lost a level of trust. We had community engagement because everybody remembered those direct actions, remembered going to the State Board of Education, remembered going to the Legislature and talking with the governor, remembered working with legislators. We remember all of those things, so

people would say, well, then there was great community input and engagement. In 2019 we did the rally at Central, and over 2,000 people came. I was a part of that as well as another one of my colleagues, and I was honored to be that voice for what was going on on the ground in Arkansas.

“We lost a level of connection. We rarely talk about the emotional trauma that happened, not only from a parental standpoint, but also, I think, from just the industry of education, that trauma that happened, watching educators and families try and figure it out, searching to have that voice.”

What did you gain during those six years?

“We gained community connection while at the same time losing it. Since 2019, people have become more engaged that weren’t necessarily engaged from across I-630, that line, even the second line of Markham Street. I think that is what we gained. I think we gained a level of community coming together very strongly. I remember an elder was at Central on the Central line, and he had a sign, and he said, ‘I was here in ’57. I can’t believe we’re still doing this.’ And that, I think, touched me in a very different way, but it also showed a level of unity, particularly from 2019 forward. And then of course there are faith groups like Rabbi Barry Block and Pastor [Preston] Clegg, and how all these different interfaith groups came together. I think that that was very powerful.”

You own a part-time conflict resolution consulting firm.

Why do you think the United States is so conflicted right now?

“Oh, my gosh. That conflict is multi-tiered. It’s coming from people’s personal beliefs and possibly limiting beliefs.

I’m also a life coach, and we talk about limiting beliefs and how people’s personal experiences make up that. The overall divisiveness is coming from a place of fear, and some of that fear is manufactured. It’s not even real. And we have people in a general sense that play into those fears to push agendas, whether it’s for a level of control or to create a centralized thinking. I think that level of fear and what we’re seeing in general is just compounded with COVID and people believing that they are losing something that is not being lost. We have a level of trauma that has happened over the last few years that we haven’t even decided or haven’t even touched on. We haven’t even seen how that will affect us later. We look at school boards across the nation. Whether I’m talking to school board colleagues in different states or different areas of Arkansas, and what they’re dealing with, it’s not OK. [Critical race theory] is not being taught in the K-12 system, but yet there’s this whole orchestrated, manufactured fear around something that’s not taught. We teach U.S. history up to 1877 and after 1877, and a lot of history has happened, and a lot of experiences have happened. And then, too, the divisiveness around COVID and how somehow it has landed on the shoulders of public school systems across the nation to solve, when it’s going to take all of us doing our part.”

What made you decide to run for school board?

“For the last, I guess, seven years now, I’ve been involved.

When our superintendent Mike Poore came in, that’s how we met. I’ve been involved the entire time. He’s been here six years, and we’ve worked together. We’ve disagreed, we went neutral, and then we have agreed. He used to get calls and emails about the schoolbook policy from me, and then of course about what’s happening in our community, and right when our duly elected school board was taken from us, that was a sore spot for us. … I was asked multiple, multiple, multiple times to run, so I got in the race and I ran.”

What are the biggest areas of conflict in the district, and how can they be resolved?

“You know, we always talk about communication. … Communication is just a source of conflict because we are communicating with a minimum of 22,000 students’ families. … No matter the means of communication, somebody is going to be missed, and so just constantly figuring out how to better communicate and how to better tell the story … because we are a very dynamic district.

“We’re a very forward district in many ways. For instance, our board passed the most attractive COVID leave plan and pay in the state. And being ahead of issues, particularly on the mask mandate, which also lent our force and pressure that we bring to a parental suit as well as having smaller districts come on board. We led that way as far as on masks, and I just think that that’s just the spirit of the district and the spirit of the city – not being afraid to tackle hard things.”

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Executive Session that look like. That is something that the board will work through because this is our first time going through this process, and this process, it is not for the faint.

We’re all committed.”

“

This is a new board, right? All of us, we have to learn at the same time, but then we came into a system, an engine, that was full speed ahead. Each of us had to learn how to be a board member, and we had the opportunity to learn in the public eye under scrutiny. I’m very proud of my colleagues as well as myself for not breaking under the level of pressure that we get that’s warranted and unwarranted.

”

How big was the millage election?

“Yes! I’m so happy you asked that question being someone who helped organize against the last one, and that was defeated. This one was major. This was historical because the voters … came together and roared so loud about their commitment and investment and the commitment with their dollars.

Even though it did raise their taxes, they committed to lean in, pay a little bit extra a little bit longer so we could do the needed improvements within our district. That was a historic moment, not only for our district, Little Rock School District, but also for our voters and then our families and our students to where we’re able to do very much, much, much needed capital improvements to our district. … When we sold our bond, it’s Class A bonds. I mean, Stephens, I’m sure, is happy.”

Why do you think it passed?

“Because we have a duly elected school board. We have members on our board that were on the ground with the community, organizing, speaking to legislators, writing articles. I think about my colleague Ali Noland on the ground right at the takeover, and we were saying, ‘Hey, you’ve had us. You can only have us for five years. Whacha gonna do? You can only do a few things, and we are Little Rock, so … your options are few in what you can do with us.’ …

“And so, that is why that millage passed. It is because they saw that we have nine very capable and smart members on the Little Rock Board of Education that are committed to accountability, committed to student achievement, committed to social, emotional or trauma-informed learning, committed to 34 March 2022 Report Card

teachers’ salaries. And so each member, they have their commitment, but added together we are a beautiful drum line.”

How important was getting the high school into west Little Rock?

“West Little Rock is expanding. People are moving out west, so that is a big win for west Little Rock. My colleague, Jeff Wood, that was something that he really had been fighting for back when he was on the [Community Advisory Board]. So that is a good win.”

Otherwise, you have two cities: This part of Little Rock served by the public schools, and that part of Little Rock served by private schools.

“Well, you know, Little Rock, we do have a tale of two cities if we’re being most authentic. We do have that. I do think that we have families making their choice regardless of where they live right in the city. At the end of the day, Little Rock School District, we still service a lot of those families who are in a non-Little Rock School District school, but if their school doesn’t have AP classes, they come to us while still enrolled at their other school.”

Just as you have this great accomplishment, you find out Mike Poore is leaving. What are you looking to replace him with?

“We just came off the block of finding a search firm. We are working to put together … the profile and what does

What do you hope happens in the district in the next five years?

“I think every day, every month, leading up to five years from now, 2027, is going to be pivotal. I think that we will have a leaner or hopefully stronger district serving our city. We will have that as we have hopefully in 2027 a very strong board that understands governance, that understands what it means to be a school board member. Because being on a school board is not like being on a nonpolitical board. It is literally the legislative body of the district.

Understanding the pillars of curriculum and instruction and facilities, and then understanding our fiscal responsibility, understanding governance and policy writing, and utilizing our Arkansas School Boards Association and making sure that trainings are being done and collaborations to strengthen each member.

“Not only doing the professional development but also the needed personal development to where you’re able to marry the two more evenly is going to be really, really important. I know I’ve done a lot of self-development. When I was president of the school board, I would go back and watch our meetings the exact same way that an athlete would watch their performance because it was just that serious to me. …

“When we were all elected onto the school board and we had to choose officers, it was a proud moment that my colleagues chose me to lead basically an inaugural board because we’re nine members and not the seven members, and to be that first president to set the tone and to lead us the first year through a pandemic, through getting out of state takeover July 8, 2021, through the millage, through everything that was seen above ground and all of the stuff that happens with governance below the ground while learning what is it to be a board member, while going through my own mindset shifts and getting through the forest.

“Because, remember, [I was a] parent, advocate, organizer [and then] politician. Those are very different mindsets.

Very different. And I even struggled with that in the beginning because typically you look at what is wrong. Like in the business world – well, what’s wrong? How do we need to fix it? And politics is more, OK, this is what it is.

This is what the policy says. How do we fix it? Or what is that win-win? Mike Poore talks about the win-win strategy, and he had to sell me on the win-win strategy.”

How much does what happened at Central High in 1957 affect what happens now?

“You know, 1957, if we look at our logo, the book with this torch, those nine stars represent the Little Rock Nine. And being a member of the board that was endorsed by members of the Little Rock Nine, Dr. Terrence Roberts, to be exact, and having the support of others, that means a lot to have him say, ‘passing of a torch.’ ...

“They went through a lot, and sometimes we see it sanitized. Sometimes we hear the history, and it’s sanitized.

Sometimes we get the real history of what happened. But talking to them, it doesn’t even compare with what they had to go through and the tenacity they had. And so in that spirit, I carry part of that because just like myself and my colleagues, we stand on those shoulders.”

When it comes to your district, everything that’s reported is typically either bad or big, whereas other school districts, it’s more about who’s winning on Friday night and the things that happen in the classroom.

How do you get the message out about your district?

“You know, it goes back to mindset.

It goes back to those that report, the media. It’s like the ‘theys’ – you know, where ‘They did it.’ Who did it? They did it. They have to be committed to reporting all the things that happen in our district.

“Our school board, we have not been in the news for anything negative. Our school board, we run effective meetings.

They can say they’re long, but you know what? They’re effective. We are getting things done. People referenced the longer meetings in the beginning, but they don’t reference the several monthly business meetings we’ve had that have not been anywhere near those lengths of time.

“And then as far as the ‘bad,’ just to use that word, the minuses, if you will, of the district, they need to balance that. We think about McClellan [High], and McClellan was always in the news for the bad things, right? … But they never talked about the tenacity of those students, the tenacity of the community, the tenacity of those educators, or else how many Bill Gates scholars came out of that school. They’ve rarely talked

about the social-emotional barriers that children had to get over. …

“This is a new board, right? All of us, we have to learn at the same time, but then we came into a system, an engine, that was full speed ahead. Each of us had to learn how to be a board member, and we had the opportunity to learn in the public eye under scrutiny. I’m very proud of my colleagues as well as myself for not breaking under the level of pressure that we get that’s warranted and unwarranted. Because we don’t have the autonomy to talk one on one with each other. Everything has to be played out in public. I don’t know if people really understand what it’s like to be a new body in a 150-plus-year system. We have to start over, and especially when our policies were cut to the bare bones where we’ve got to build all those things up, and we’re still in the process of strengthening ourselves to be amazing public servants the way that our community sees us and trusts us to be as they all voted for us. …

“I don’t think there’s any other district in the state that has to deal with the many entry points that we have to deal with, but then we do it with honor, grace and dignity because we understand that we took an oath to do that. And we get paid the highest amount possible to do that.”

Note: Executive Session is edited for length, style and clarity.

LET’S BUILD THE FUTURE - TOGETHER

You need a construction partner experienced with the challenges of leading a school district today.

LET’S BUILD THE FUTURE - TOGETHER Contact us for all your construction needs.

Leigh Ann Showalter - lshowalter@crcrawford.com | Jordan Ligon - jligon@crcrawford.com

Report Card March 2022 35

Marketplace

The latest news from Report Card’s advertisers

Click on the links below and anywhere on the ads throughout this magazine to go to advertisers’ websites.

Visit HomelandSafetySystems.com or call 888.909.2261 for more informa-

With Chartwells, fund balance rising at Pulaski County

Pulaski County Special School District has been with Chartwells K12 for six months, but the students and staff are already seeing big changes. Student participation has increased, and the district is seeing a rising fund balance.

Chartwells offers a variety of tasty food offerings along with programs such as Student Choice, which allows students to sample different types of food and then vote on their favorite to be added as a menu option the next month, and Discovery Kitchen, where students can participate in fun activities that introduce them to new foods, flavors and nutrition.

Chartwells’ philosophy is “Happy and Healthy.” For more information, contact Kellye Neal at 501.615.3660 or at kellye.neal@compass-usa.com.

Homeland Safety offers technology for COVID needs

Technology is transforming K–12 education by enabling richer, more personalized, and more student-centered learning environments. Students are collaborating with their peers and with subject matter experts around the world, creating and sharing original ideas.

Homeland Safety Systems’ technology has allowed schools to maintain safe environments with the use of air sampling detectors, along with increased accountability for the policies and procedures necessary during the COVID pandemic.

Homeland is looking forward to working with Arkansas state educators on ideas to better enhance the safety of their facilities through the use of technology.

36 March 2022 Report Card

Stephens offers financial training toAsboard members a reminder, Stephens can assist

board members with obtaining their required professional development hours.

Arkansas law generally requires that school board members obtain up to six hours of certified professional development on topics related to school operations.

ASBA has deemed Stephens’ financial advisors as certified ASBA trainers who are able to provide up to three hours of school finance training annually toward ASBA’s Boardsmanship Awards Program. Normally held in the evening or on a weekend, this free training workshop addresses topics ranging from state and local funding revenue sources to debt financing of capital projects. Stephens believes that this type of workshop can be particularly useful if boards are considering how to finance future capital projects.

To learn more about how Stephens can assist your district, contact Michael McBryde of Stephens Public Finance at 501.377.2641.

help fill this gap, construction companies are partnering with high schools or creating their own training programs.

One way to allow students to learn and remove safety risks is by utilizing simulators. Nabholz has invested in a mobile simulation trailer that enables users to operate excavators virtually.

The setup inside the trailer is the exact same as the real thing. The seat shakes and moves, and screens project a job site scene. Students gain “seat time” and learn how to work the controls without the pressures of an active construction site.

Utilizing new technology to attract students to the industry may help solve labor shortage problems and unlock lucrative opportunities for high schoolers.

For more information, go to nabholz. com or call 877.NABHOLZ.

TIPS seeking Arkansas-based vendors to join

TIPS is seeking quality Arkansas companies to join its cooperative as a TIPS-awarded vendor. Interested companies can register to be notified of upcoming bid opportunities at https:// tips.ionwave.net.

For more information, contact TIPS at 866.839.8477.

American Fidelity serving Springdale, 108 other districts Nabholz brings excavator simulator to school districts

Skilled labor shortages have plagued the construction industry for years, while skilled workers’ wages will continue to rise. Students who seek out educational opportunities in the trades can capitalize on this demand.

However, many students do not have the opportunity to learn these skills. To

With the addition of the Springdale School District, American Fidelity is helping 109 Arkansas school districts with employee benefit packages. In Arkansas, American Fidelity only works with public schools; it does not work with private schools. American Fidelity empowers employees so they see value in the district’s benefit offering and open enrollment process. If used properly, benefits are a great retention and recruitment tool.

For more information, contact Lisa Boone at lisa.boone@americanfidelity. com, or call 800.688.4421.

Des Arc partners with SchoolEats for food service

Des Arc School District last July partnered with SchoolEats, Chartwells’ new sister food service provider. According to Superintendent Dr. Marc Sherrell, with the assistance of SchoolEats consultants, participation has increased, menu options have been expanded, and school personnel are hearing only positive responses concerning the variety and taste of the food being served.

To learn more about SchoolEats and what it can do for your school district, contact Kellye Neal at 501.615.3660, or at kellye.neal@compass-usa.com.

contact Leigh Ann Showalter at lshowalter@crcrawford.com or Jordan Ligon at jligon@crcrawford.com.

Hight Jackson designs Ozark High, K additions

Hight Jackson Associates designed an addition to Ozark High School and a new P.E. center for the kindergarten.

The 6,570-square-foot addition to the high school was designed to provide four classrooms, a student lounge area that can be used as collaborative space, and restrooms. A new 3,300-square-foot kindergarten P.E. center will provide much-needed physical education space.

The projects will be completed before school begins in August 2022.

Call 479.464.4965 or go to www. hjarch.com for more information.

Work begins on Jasper safe room; modus designed it

Construction has begun on the new Jasper School District FEMA shelter designed by architects at modus studio.

The 4,000-square-foot building will provide a safe area for the school and community during extreme wind events, and it also will serve as a multipurpose P.E. space with an office. The precast concrete structure will feature a FEMArated window system and custom-illuminated steel and polycarbonate awnings that create an appealing entrance and a focal point on campus. Construction is scheduled to be completed this year.

For more information, go to modusstudio.com or call 479.455.5577.

C.R. Crawford shares career insights at West Fork High

WER Architects helps Jacksonville plan two schools

WER Architects has worked with Jacksonville North Pulaski School District since 2015 to create a districtwide plan for new facilities for all Jacksonville students. Each new facility follows a districtwide standard that the WER team worked with JNPSD leadership to create. The latest campus to open is the new Jacksonville Middle School and Jacksonville Elementary School. The middle school will serve all district middle school students. The new elementary school is the second of the four new elementary facilities that the district has planned.

For more information about WER Architects, go to werarch.com.

C.R. Crawford employees visited with West Fork High School students about career opportunities in construction. They emphasized that construction careers are in high demand, have good salaries and offer significant satisfaction.

Justin Clark, the high school’s career and technology education teacher, said, “Partnering with C.R. Crawford has given us the ability to take their employees’ knowledge and put it into a handson package inside the classroom for students to further their abilities prior to entering the real world.”

Schools who would like C.R. Crawford employees to share their insight can

French Architects designs safe rooms for school districts

French Architects has designed several safe rooms, including the one pictured above for the Fountain Lake School District, that provide security during the storms as well as additional academic and support spaces. Most districts take advantage of the large open area by creating a new P.E. or gym space. Others have used it for a new self-contained

Continued on next page

Report Card March 2022 37

Marketplace classroom where a restroom and shower are beneficial. Safe rooms can double as dining facilities that can be used for gatherings and announcements.

For more information about French Architects, email David French at david@frencharchitects.net, or check out the firm’s Facebook page.

Pictured is a solar farm at Arkansas State University - Newport installed with the help of Johnson Controls.

Johnson Controls, Greenbrier create solar CTE program

The Greenbrier School District has executed a performance contract with Johnson Controls that will make the

Four Continued from page 31

time as their parents, rather than earlier.

If parents need it, their children can participate in the Red Devil Days. Extra food is sent home for students served by the school’s backpack program for that fifth day.

“Anything that was a negative, we tried to find a solution for,” Edgin said.

Atkins’ previous superintendent, Jody Jenkins, had floated the idea of moving to a four-day week in 2020, but COVID and Jenkins’ untimely passing from the disease placed it on the back burner.

Board members hired Edgin knowing she had brought the schedule to the East End School District in Bigelow. The East End district adopted the four-day week the year after Kirby did after administrators and board members visited Palmer and other administrators. Atkins board members asked Edgin to research the transition to a four-day week, which she did even before she started working 38 March 2022 Report Card

Gosser now leads Baldwin & Shell

district 100% solar powered while also creating a solar installer/operator CTE and job certificate program for seniors.

Greenbrier and Johnson Controls worked with Project Lead the Way to develop the completer curriculum and utilize the solar living laboratories to develop the job-ready certificate.

Johnson Controls executed a guaranteed self-funded performance contract in fall 2021 to replace 113 pieces of HVAC equipment, install districtwide energy management controls, construct more than 3.1 megawatts of solar photovoltaic, and replace football field lighting with LED lights. The project is utilizing federal ESSER III funds across the HVAC scope.

The project will allow Greenbrier to be 100% solar powered using equipment the district owns across three installations. Greenbrier will become the state’s largest K-12 customer that will be powered by solar energy equipment that it owns.

For more information about Johnson Controls, contact Alex Ray at 501.351.0926 or alexander.ray@jci.com.

Baldwin & Shell Construction has named Bobby Gosser president and CEO, effective Jan. 1.

Gosser has been with the company Gosser 35 years. In 2014, he was promoted to president of the Central Arkansas Division. It quickly became the company’s largest division.

Jim Minor, board vice president and company chief operating officer, said, “Bobby’s leadership is the right style at the right time. He is a motivating multiplier of talent who inspires team members to deliver their best. He gives room for the ideas of others. He encourages well-thought-out implementation, all while capturing the highest standards of construction value for our customers that Baldwin & Shell has been known for over the past 75 years.”

For more information about Baldwin & Shell, go to baldwinshell.com.

for Atkins. The district held community meetings and surveys. Sims, who is the commissioner of the Pee Wee football league, said he talked to many parents.

He said the “vast majority” of community members supported the idea, although some were concerned about what students would do on Mondays.

The district started doing surveys in December and voted on the change in April. Board member Mark Coffman said during a breakout session at the ASBA Annual Conference that a small group was opposed. Some patrons said they were leaving the district, but all of their children are still enrolled.

“You would think that that 10 was 10,000, but it was only … about 10 people that were very vocal against it,” he said. “So when we made the decision and finally pushed forward with the idea and said we were going to do this, that all hushed and it went away. But from a board member’s perspective, that was the biggest hurdle because you’re getting social media negativity constantly, but when you analyze it, it’s from about

10 people, and they are the ones stirring that pot.”

Edgin said Atkins was having problems with teacher turnover prior to the four-day week. Now it doesn’t have much turnover. Administrators can choose from a list of qualified applicants rather than having to search for teachers.

Edgin and Atkins Elementary Principal Stacey Webb said interns from nearby Arkansas Tech University want to teach there. One problem for them: Atkins Elementary hasn’t had any openings because teachers aren’t leaving.

“We wanted something to set us apart,” Edgin said at the ASBA Annual Conference. “We wanted to be innovative. … You never can say you took something off our teachers’ plates. We can say it. We took something off their plate, gave them more time.”

One issue for administrators is what to do about classified staff members.

Teachers have the same number of instructional minutes, so they don’t lose any pay or retirement days, and the district doesn’t need a waiver from the

Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. But other staff members can lose a day. To address that issue, bus drivers can take a pay cut, or they can make up the day some way – for example, by delivering digital devices to students. Because the district offers snacks in the afternoon, cafeteria workers can stay later and not lose hours.

Edgin said students have fewer discipline issues, and the dropout rate has fallen. Families can take vacations or have long weekends together, or they can make appointments. Sims said his own two children seem to enjoy school more. They have Monday to relax, catch up on homework or study for a test.

Tuesday through Friday goes by fast, and then it’s Saturday morning.

“I feel like my kids are doing better personally,” he said. “I just feel like they have that mental health day, that one day that they can just not do the rigors of everything that goes on in life. Just kind of take that day to relax or to finish up what they need to do. Tuesday morning, I don’t ever hear them say I’m not ready to go to school. They’re ready to go.”

Board member Coffman said at the Annual Conference that he was skeptical of the four-day week at first. Now he’s completely sold. His own high school and middle school children wouldn’t want to go back.

“They both told me that if we go back to a five-day week, they’re going to move to Kirby or Bigelow to continue

their education, because they love it,” he said. “It’s just, the entire school is that way. All of the students just absolutely love the four-day week.”

One other advantage is that the fourday week works better with COVID. It’s one less day to worry about keeping students safe. Because students now get a three-day break, if a quarantine starts on the right day, they might miss only two days.

Atkins High School principal Chris Taylor said that with a five-day week, it didn’t feel like there was a weekend.

Teachers were coming to the school on Sundays. Now they can do their planning on Mondays. He likes to hunt and play disc golf. He said the threat of losing the four-day week makes students work harder.

“I think morale would take a big hit if that happened – student morale, teacher morale, my morale,” he said.

Tyler Akers, a seventh grade math teacher who is in her fifth year of teaching, likes the longer class periods. Students seem more engaged and attentive.

She can do grading and lesson plans on Mondays, giving her more time on the weekends with her family.

“I really enjoy it,” she said. “I think it’s been great this year. … Since I teach math, I have longer class periods, and so I really enjoy having the longer time to teach my students each day. I feel like I can go deeper into concepts and into different skills, to be able to teach them

just better and [have] better depth of concept and lessons. I think there’s better morale. It’s more enjoyable. I think the kids really enjoy it. There’s better behavior. They seem to honestly just be happier. So it’s been really pleasant and a really great first year.”

With lower fuel and utility savings, Edgin estimates the district saved about $50,000 its first semester. There have been no issues with alternative learning environments, Arkansas Better Chance preschool programs, or career centers.

As for sports, Atkins has no home games on Monday this year, and next year it won’t have any games at all. Austin Dobbs, the head junior high football coach who also teaches middle school health, said coaches have more time to game plan on Mondays. The team still has five practices a week, and attendance has been good.

“That was a huge question mark for us as coaches: With practice on Monday, are the kids going to show up? And they have,” he said.

Student Arionna Lackey said she feels like she is learning better and is more focused. Monday now is a relaxed day. She cleans the house, does her chores, and reviews her assignments.

“You have four days a week to get all of your work done, and that Monday is like a mental health day,” she said.

It’s just your recovery day from the weekend, and it just prepares you for the week ahead.”

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Report Card March 2022 39

CO N ST RU C T ION

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SPACES THAT HELP STUDENTS GROW When Berryville decided it was time for a new high school, they called on Nabholz once again. This two-story, 82,808-square-foot school includes a full-sized cafeteria, science labs, classrooms, offices, performing arts center, library, and media center. The result was a stunning facility completed on time and within the set millage budget.

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