The Administrator - October 2021 Edition

October 2021 Vol. 47, No. 4

The

Administrator Newsletter

The monthly publication of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators

High Reliability Schools

The Value of Community Schools

Executive Viewpoint: Page 1

President’s Perspective: Page 2

Spotlight

In

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Issue

Executive Viewpoint - Dr. Mike Hernande President’s Perspective - Dr. Stephanie Nehu Award Compliance Connectio Administrator Spotlight - Cristy Dunnaho Asked and Answere CoSN Updat

Cristy Dunnahoe

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Business Manager Star City School District

Administrator Job Opening

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2021-2022 AAEA Board of Directors Dr. Stephanie Nehus, AAEA Brian Kirkendoll, AAEA Presiden President-Elec Superintendent, Hot Springs Principal, Alma

Dr. Karla Neathery, AAEA Board Secretary/Treasure Superintendent, Arkadelphia

Debbie Atkinson, AAEA Past Presiden Principal, Bergman

Jon Collins, AASA Presiden Superintendent, West Memphis

Skipper Ward, AASA President-Elec Superintendent, Magnolia

Dr. Andrea Martin, AASA Secretar Superintendent, Greenland

Mark Lewis, AAESP Presiden Principal, Conway

Carol Skiba, AAESP President-Elec Principal, Cabo

Stacy DeFoor, AAESP Past Presiden Principal, Conway

Scott Smith, AASSP Presiden Principal, Western Yell County

Matt Ziegler, AASSP President-Elec Principal, Riverside

David Maxwell, AASSP Past Brandie Williams, ArkASPA Dr. Lee Smith, AACTEA Presiden Presiden President Principal, Mena Superintendent, Trumann Superintendent, Mena

Susan Gilley, AAFC Presiden Executive Dir Fed Prog & Instructional Tech, Harrison

Kevin Luck, AASBO Presiden Business Manager, Vilonia

Kim Fowler, AACIA Presiden Assistant Director/ Teacher Center Coordinator, Ozark Unlimited Resource ESC

Cristy Dunnahoe, AASBO Past Presiden Business Manager, Star City

Monica Spring eld, AAGEA Eric Hipp, AAMLA Presiden Presiden Ozark Unlimited Resource Principal, Bentonville ESC

Carla Curtis, AASEA Presiden Director of Special Services, Fayetteville

Bill Tietz, ASPMA President Aliza Jones, ASPMA (until October) President (begin October) Principal, White Hall Facilities Consortium Coordinator, Lavaca

Dr. Mike Hernandez, AAEA Executive Director

AAEA Sta Dr. Mike Hernandez Executive Director m.hernandez@theaaea.org

Mike Mertens Assistant Executive Director m.mertens@theaaea.org

Lenett Thrasher Director of Learning Services & Operations l.thrasher@theaaea.org

Robyn Keene Director of Financial Services r.keene@theaaea.org

Kelli Golden Chief Financial Officer k.golden@theaaea.org

Marty Smith Member Relations Manager m.smith@theaaea.org

Karen Dean Certification Program Manager k.dean@theaaea.org

Alyse Mattox Communications & Technology Specialist a.mattox@theaaea.org

Melanie Thrasher Business Analyst m.thrasher@theaaea.org

Please contact us if we may provide assistance to you in any way!

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The AAEA Administrator is a monthly publication of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA) for members of the AAEA.

2021-2022 AAEA Corporate Sponsors Prestigious

American Fidelity Assurance Co. Coryell Roofing and Construction, Inc. Curriculum Associates Educational Benefits, Inc. Imagine Learning Lifetouch National School Studios, Inc. NIET - National Institute for Excellence in Teaching Pearson Online and Blended Learning Pro Benefits Group, Inc. Renaissance Learning, Inc. Scholastic Education Solution Tree, Inc.

Distinguished Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Diamond

Diamond (Continued) Stephens, Inc. Strategos International, LLC Tanium Winsor Learning - Sonday Systems

Platinum AAMSCO C.R. Crawford Construction, LLC Entegrity Energy Partners, LLC Legacy Construction Management Lexia Learning Nabholz Construction Corp.

Northwest Evaluation Association - NWEA Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects Schneider Electric TRANE US, Inc.

Gold

Apptegy ClassWallet Edgenuity Edmentum Energy Systems Group ESS First Security Beardsley Forecast5 Analytics Middleton, Inc. PowerSchool Rave Mobile Safety Smart Data Dashboard

Crow Group, Inc. Cynergy Rehab Group FIS Kinco Constructors, LLC Red Comet TIPS - The Interlocal Purchasing System

Silver Architecture Plus, Inc. Correll, Inc. French Architects, PA Hight-Jackson Associates, PA SEAS

Cheat Sheet: Know the COVID Provisions That are Ending Compliance Connection: Page 4

Mental Health Issues Affect Businesses and Their Employees Benefits Corner: Page 8

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Executive

Viewpoint

Your school is valuable to your community

I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to attend various conferences, meetings, and site visits across the state, both in-person and virtually. I even had the opportunity to be at Portland Elementary when they announced winning a National Blue Ribbon. The excitement of the staff and students was evident by the sounds of squawking party noisemakers and the enjoyment of blue cupcakes. I learned from each interaction with our members that every community's education team has joyously opened their school for students with energy, enthusiasm, and understandable trepidation. The trepidation stems from keeping students and staff safe, but educators have been more than willing to take these risks to help ensure that kids are learning Dr. Mike Hernandez AAEA Executive Director

It is also obvious that every school community's goal is to remain open and work tirelessly to serve our children's educational, social-emotional, and physical health needs during this pandemic. COVID-19 and its long, drawn-out damage have all community members feeling exhausted, confused, and frustrated because of the impact the virus has had on our lives and the lives of our loved ones, friends, and neighbors. In the past several months, the anger has been directed toward the leadership of our schools. All levels of school staff and anyone supporting schools or serving to meet the needs of children have experienced some form of negative feedback. In many communities, these feelings have been expressed in public settings leading to tense situations that our children are observing. There have even been threats of violence toward those who have committed their life and career to being educators. This is not the way we do education in Arkansas I know that the personal ideology that has been feeding the anger in our country, primarily focused on COVID-19, has made it extra dif cult to perform your duties. Some travel from district to district, spreading propaganda and divisiveness in person and through social media. These actions served no purpose other than to provoke already tired and angry community members to vent that anger on their community school.

Behavior and actions such as these have contributed to an unsafe feeling in some of our schools. We must set a better example for our children and ensure that feelings of anxiety are removed from the learning environment for all students and staff Some believe the angry approach seems to be the rule of successful debate these days. This mindset needs to stop so that we do not further harm our children and their ability to receive the education they deserve. If our communities act in anger, we will have lost sight of the value of each other's contribution to the educational process. Community schools are a safe place for educational opportunities to happen for our children. The school district is typically the largest employer in many communities across the state, and we must do what we can to keep our schools open. Closed schools will harm our society due to further limiting an already struggling workforce pipeline My appeal to our members is to continue to stand up for your school by ensuring that every effort is made to keep schools emotionally and physically safe for staff and students. We must do this with the civility and patience good administrators are known for. Re ect on and promote the value of your school in your community for students and for the health, economic viability, and sense of pride we have when rallying around our kids and their accomplishments. Arkansas cannot afford to lose educational leaders, educators, and community supporters who serve to meet our children's needs because they can no longer endure working in a toxic environment.

School leaders like you were built for this, and we are all blessed because of that fact. As always, we are here for you.

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President’s

Perspective

High Reliability Schools

October signi es the end of the rst quarter for schools across our state. I never cease to be amazed at how fast time ies, especially each school year. As we head into the second quarter and the last half of the rst semester, we must check our progress on doing the right work. How are you spending your time?

When did you last do a time audit? Are you allowing little things or managerial tasks to take up the bulk of your time or are you remaining intentional about visiting classrooms and providing feedback and coaching to your staff

Dr. Stephanie Nehus AAEA Board President

Last month I shared about Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). This month, my focus will be on High Reliability Schools (HRS). You might think, “well here is one more thing.” I would stress that HRS and PLCs go hand in hand. In fact, the PLC process is the cornerstone of the HRS model. Thankfully, our state blessed us a few years ago with the two books pictured here. Last year, our district charge to our schools was for every campus to receive HRS Level 1 Certi cation. Level 1 Certi cation signi es that our schools have a safe, supportive, and collaborative culture.

I proudly share that we accomplished the charge, and the district received the designation as well. It was hard work to collect the evidence necessary to submit for certi cation.

What was invaluable was realizing and reinforcing all of the right work that is being done across our campuses This summer we met with each of our building administrative teams and hosted conversations. We, as district leaders, understood the demands that we made when setting very tight deadlines to accomplish the certi cation charge. Going into the 2021-2022 school year, we shared our desire for our schools to continue the work and receive HRS Level 2 Certi cation...but we were not going to require it at this time. Amazingly all six campuses expressed their desire to continue and shared how they were already working to collect the evidence.

Level 2 - Effective Teaching in Every Classroom (every day) - is so critical for our students and isn’t student achievement by far the main purpose of our schools I hope you will all join us in this journey. Our schools - administrators, teachers, staff, students, families, and community - deserve leaders that are intentional and transparent. Let’s all continue until we reach certi cation in all ve levels and are designated as High Reliability Schools

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2021-2022 Calendar

Professional Development Events

October ASPMA Conference & Certification Classes – October 4-6, 2021, Hot Springs Convention Center New GT Coordinator Training – October 7, 2021, Benton Event Center AAGEA Conference – October 8, 2021, Benton Event Center & Virtual AACTEA Fall CTC Tour – October 19, 2021, Multiple Locations AAEA Fall Conference – October 20, 2021, Hot Springs Convention Center & Virtual Aspiring Superintendents – October 26, 2021

November CASBO Classes – November 11-12, 2021, Benton Event Center

January Aspiring Superintendents – January 11, 2022 Superintendent Symposium – January 12-13, 2022, DoubleTree Little Rock AACIA Conference – January 25, 2022, Benton Event Center Arkansas Privacy & Security Forum – January 27-28, 2022, Four Points by Sheraton, Little Rock

February ArkASPA Spring Drive-In Conference – February 24, 2022, Wyndham Riverfront, Little Rock

March CASBO Classes – March 2-3, 2022, Benton Event Center AACTEA Spring Drive-In Conference – March 31, 2022, Arkansas River ESC, Pine Bluff

April AASBO/SASBO Joint Conference – April 5-7, 2022 ASPMA CFD Classes – April, 2022

May ASBA/AAEA Joint Leadership Conference – May 3, 2022, Wyndham Riverfront, Little Rock AAFC Spring Conference – May 4-6, 2022, Hot Springs Convention Center

June AASEA Special Ed Conference – June 6-7, 2022, DoubleTree Little Rock

For more information, visit theaaea.org/events

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Awards John "Skipper" Ward Named Superintendent Of The Year Mr. John "Skipper" Ward, Superintendent of Magnolia School District, was presented with the 2022 Arkansas Superintendent of the Year Award.

Dr. Mike Hernandez, Executive Director, for the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA), along with former Superintendents of the Year, surprised Mr. Ward, presenting him with the award at a board meeting in the Magnolia School District on September 13. The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) National Superintendent of the Year program, sponsored by First Student, AIG Retirement Services, and AASA, pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead the nation's public schools. Congratulations, Mr. Ward!

Compliance Connection

Cheat Sheet: Know the COVID Provisions That are Ending

The impact of COVID has brought many changes to your life; it can feel all-encompassing. As you’ve adjusted and readjusted to pandemic-related happenings, it’s now important to prepare for yet another shift that impacts your benefits administration. Certain pandemic-related rules are beginning to phase out as we start moving back to pre-COVID norms.

Here’s a quick review of what you need to know Mid-year Election Changes Reverting to Pre-COVID Guideline Under normal circumstances, participants are permitted to make mid-year election changes when the participant experiences a change in status such as getting married, getting divorced, or having a child. While COVID relief regulations had relaxed the rules for mid-year changes for plan years ending in 2020 and 2021, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and major medical plans will now be returning to follow the pre-COVID rules For plan years ending in 2020 or 2021, no status changing event was required. As mid-year rules revert to normal guidelines, you will once again be restricted to “change in status” life events Health FSA Grace Periods No Longer Extende Healthcare FSA grace periods will also revert to pre-pandemic rules. This means there will no longer be an extended grace period of 12 months. It is important that you remind your employees that these grace periods will return to normal for the 2022 plan year, meaning a grace period of no longer than two and a half months Healthcare FSA Carryovers No Longer Unlimite For the 2020 and 2021 plan years, unlimited Healthcare FSA carryovers were permitted from the 2020 plan year to 2021 and from the 2021 plan year to 2022. Beginning with the 2022 plan year, employers’ options to offer a carryover will once again be limited to a maximum of $550 (adjusted yearly for inflation). But keep in mind that employers can choose to include a grace period, a carry over, or neither. An employer cannot have both a grace period and a carry over.

Changes to Dependent Care Account Pandemic-influenced Dependent Care Accounts (DCAs) adjustments will also revert to normal. Beginning in the 2022 plan year, carryover provisions will no longer be available for these programs. Keep in mind that the rise of maximum amounts an individual or married couple filing jointly could contribute will also be lowered. Instead of the maximum amount of $10,500 joint or $5,250 (for married individuals filing separate tax returns), limits will revert to the pre-COVID contribution limits of $5,000 and $2,500. Also note that for plan year 2022, only claims for children up to the age of 13 can be reimbursed going forward. COVID relief temporarily changed the maximum age participants could submit claims for children from age 13 to 14 for the 2020 plan year and for carryover amounts into the 2021 plan year.

Column Provided by: Tom Sledge, Arkansas State Manager American Fidelity Assurance Co.

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Spotlight

Cristy Dunnahoe, Business Manager for the Star City School District, says she found her career through luck.

Cristy Dunnahoe, Business Manager for the Star City School District, actually started her career in education as a substitute teacher. However, when the secretary in the administrative office left unexpectedly, she was asked to sub for her until they could find a full-time person. “I ended up being that full-time person at Gould School District,” she says. She worked as the secretary for the Superintendent and Business Manager for 4 years, saying, “I didn’t realize I could be an accountant in a school. I just got lucky. I worked with a wonderful business manager, Jennie Lou Butcher who taught me everything.”

While working as a secretary during the day, she began going to school at night to finish her accounting degree. She then became the Business Manager at Gould. She was later offered a job at Drew Central in Monticello, where she worked for 14 years. When Star City’s business manager position came open, she applied and has held that position for 10 years. Ms. Dunnahoe also worked for H&R Block and a local farm equipment dealership.

In 2018, she received the A A S B O Tr u e t t G o a t c h e r S c h o o l B u s i n e s s Administrator of the Year. After 36 years as a Business Manager, she can’t imagine doing anything else.

Cristy says her favorite thing about her job is “doing so many different things….it is never boring.”

However, she also finds that doing so many different things is the most challenging aspect of her job, saying “Sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming.” To those considering a similar career, she advises “Be ready to never stop learning. It is a great career choice. You will feel you are making a difference, not just earning a paycheck.” She also quotes Leeman Ngar as giving her the best advice she’s ever received, quoting “Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.” Like many, the biggest change she’s seen in education over the course of her career is how new technology has changed the work. “I didn’t have a computer when I started working…I typed every check and then wrote all the info down by hand in BIG ledgers.”

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“Be ready to never stop learning. It is a great career choice. You will feel you are making a difference, not just earning a paycheck.”

Cristy Dunnahoe Cristy thinks her co-workers might describe her as “calm and collected with a little crazy on the side and always willing to help,” and she hopes that others will remember her as “a caring person who loved her family and friends and did her best to make a difference.” She is most proud of raising her two children who she says always make her smile. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, working in the yard, playing Bunko, visiting her grandkids, and hanging out with friends and family. Others might be surprised to know that she collects snowmen, with a collection in the hundreds.

She also says she’s a pretty good plumber! “I’ve replaced toilets and faucets. Sorry, I don’t hire out!” When asked about her goals for the future, Cristy stated, “Getting through December. I plan to retire then.”

What’s something that amazes you?

“Pretty much everything. Life is an amazing journey.”

What is the most daring thing you’ve done?

“Moving my 88 year old aunt in with me! It was definitely an experience.”

What is one of the things on your “Bucket List?”

“I want to travel. I have a long list of places I want to visit.”

Where do you see yourself in five years?

“Retired, reading, and traveling.”

What do you see as the biggest benefit of AAEA membership?

“Networking. Getting to know other people who do what I do.”

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Asked

& Answered

The call goes something like this, "I have some old classroom furniture and other obsolete equipment that I need to get rid of. What are my options?" My rst suggestion is always to review the districts' school board policies. While the speci cs may vary, there is typically a section on the management and disposal of district property.

However, in general, board policies will give the superintendent or his/ her designee the authority to determine the objective fair market value of surplus commodities and to periodically sell or dispose of these items by the most ef cient, cost effective means. This may include using an online auction service such as Gov Deals, establishing a minimum/reserve price on items and advertising for bids, donating to appropriate charitable or education related entities, or disposing of it as scrap or junk if the items are not sellable. In general, the disposal of school property must be for the bene t of the school district and consistent with good business principles.

Mike Mertens AAEA Assistant Executive Director If you have questions for Mike, email them to m.mertens@theaaea.org

And always remember that items obtained with federal funds shall be handled in accordance with applicable federal regulation and guidelines!

CoSN: Support for Technology Administrators CoSN is a great resource for school technology administrators.

Check this page monthly for links to articles to assist technology leaders as they navigate through digital learning transformations.

Click here to read this month’s topic, Cybersecurity: • The EmpowerED Superintendent edWebinar Series: Cybersecurity: School Leadership Strategies for Preventing and Responding to Cyberattacks • CoSN Resources: - Critical Focus Areas: Issue One-Pager on Cybersecurity - Additional CoSN Resources on Cybersecurity • CoSN Membership

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Corner Mental Health Issues Affect Businesses and Their Employees According to the CDC, employees are continually faced with mental health issues during this unforeseen time. It is important as employers to help negate this as much as possible. The CDC states the following: Poor mental health and stress can negatively affect employee: • Job performance and productivity • Engagement with one’s work • Communication with coworkers • Physical capability and daily functioning.

Mental illnesses such as depression are associated with higher rates of disability and unemployment.

• Depression interferes with a person’s ability to complete physical job tasks about 20% of the time and reduces cognitive performance about 35% of the time • Only 57% of employees who report moderate depression and 40% of those who report severe depression receive treatment to control depression symptoms Even after taking other health risks—like smoking and obesity—into account, employees at high risk of depression had the highest health care costs during the 3 years after an initial health risk assessment.

Solutio Employers Can PROMOTE Awareness About the Importance of Mental Health and Stress Management. Workplace health promotion programs have proven to be successful, especially when they combine mental and physical health interventions.

Action steps employers can take include: • Make mental health self-assessment tools available to all employees • Distribute materials, such as brochures, fliers, and videos, to all employees about the signs and symptoms of poor mental health and opportunities for treatment • Host seminars or workshops that address depression and stress management techniques, like mindfulness, breathing exercises, and meditation, to help employees reduce anxiety and stress and improve focus and motivation • Create and maintain dedicated, quiet spaces for relaxation activities • Provide managers with training to help them recognize the signs and symptoms of stress and depression in team members and encourage them to seek help from qualified mental health professionals • Provide tool kits and materials for organizations and employers delivering mental health and stress management education • Provide courses, guidance, and decision-making tools to help people manage their mental health and well-being.

To read full article click here: https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/tools-resources/workplace-health/mental-health/index.html Column Provided by: Shane Pennington, Regional Sales Executive, Educational Benefits, Inc.

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AAEA Team We are here to assist you! .

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The 2021 ASPMA Conference will be held October 4-6 at the Hot Springs Embassy Suites and Hot Spring Convention Center. CFD Classes will be held on October 4th. Guest Speaker, Merlyna Valentine will present “Mission Possible - Your Work Matters.” Online registration has closed, but on-site registration will be available!

2021/2022 Tier 1 Update Virtual Session October 7, 2021 Virtual AAEA is offering a virtual Tier 1 session on October 7, 10:00am - 12:00pm. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Dean or Robyn Keene at 501-372-1691.

Click here to register!

2021 AAGEA Conference October 7-8, 2021 Benton, AR & Virtual New GT Coordinator Training will be held the afternoon of October 7 with the full AAGEA Conference on October 8. These events will be held at the Benton Event Center. The AAGEA Conference on October 8 will be available onsite as well as virtually. Click here to register!

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Upcoming Events

2021 ASPMA Conference October 4-6, 2021 Hot Springs, AR

2021 AACTEA Fall CTC Tour October 19, 2021 Pine Bluff & Sheridan, AR Join us for a tour of the Jefferson Area Technical Career Center in Pine Bluff and the Kohler Academy in Sheridan. Register here for this no cost event!

Upcoming Events

2021 AAEA Fall Conference October 20, 2021 Hot Springs, AR & Virtual The 2021 AAEA Fall Conference will be held October 20 at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Dr. Chris Weber will guide participants through the process of creating an RTI system to support behavior. Attendees may choose to participate onsite or virtually. Click here to register!

2022 Arkansas Privacy & Security Forum January 27-28, 2022 Little Rock, AR & Virtual AAEA is excited to partner with the Arkansas Department of Education this year to offer our first Arkansas Privacy & Security Forum, January 27-28, 2022 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Little Rock. Registration will open soon!

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Job Site Subscription Service

Tools to Help You Hire the Best!

The AAEA Job Board is a calendar-year subscription that assists districts with the ever-increasing challenge of recruiting quality staff. It is a significant resource for educators, both in-state and out-of-state, seeking employment in Arkansas schools.

Over 165 school districts are participating in the program, which has been extremely helpful to schools and educators over the years. The site is used year-round and is accessed extensively during the second semester. It is not unusual to see over 400 jobs posted on the Job Board at one time. With an account, school districts may post unlimited job vacancies throughout the year. Subscription renewals will be sent to superintendents this fall regarding 2021 renewal.

To subscribe (by district) or to post job openings, contact Marty Smith, Member Relations Manager, at m.smith@theaaea.org or at 501-372-1691.

Openings District Name

Posi on

Osceola School District

Mid-level Dean of Students

Russellville School District

Superintendent

North Little Rock School District Dardanelle School District

Director of School Safety, Security, & Emergency Medical Services Superintendent

Des Arc School District

Superintendent

Visit Our Job Site For Mor

https://arkansas.schoolspring.com/

Click here to take a tour of the AAEA App! Available on Google Play and the Apple App Store!

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