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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.

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.

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.

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We’re here to help!

Since we have employed SchoolEats, our lunch participation from our students has increased and we hear nothing but positive responses on the variety and taste of the food that is being served. I would recommend without hesitation the services of SchoolEats for your school.

Dr. Marc Sherrell Des Arc School District Superintendent

If you’re hungry to learn more, contact: Kellye Neal | Regional Consultant Kellye.Neal@compass-usa.com | 501.615.3660

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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

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.

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.