C.R. Crawford

“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

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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.

Stephens offers financial training to board members

As 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.

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.

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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

Gosser now leads Baldwin & Shell

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.

Four

Continued from page 31 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