June 9, 2022 at 10:00 AM - State Board of Education

Description:  The applicant data from this information is used to compile the Applicant Flow Chart forms for the Affirmative Action Report, which demonstrates the composition of applicants through the selecting, hiring, promoting and terminating process.  The information is needed to measure the effectiveness of the agency's recruitment, hiring and promotion efforts and is in conformity with federal government guidelines, which require the agency to compile statistical information about applicants for employment. 

Description:  The members of the Arkansas State Board of Education are requested to review the following:
Commercial Bond Applications - 2 Second Lien and 6 Voted
With the recommendation to approve all applications from the Loan Committee and additional information provided by the school district in its application package and:

• Pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated § 6-20-1205 concerning school district bonds, a school district shall not sell bonds until the issue is approved by the State Board of Education.  Therefore, the State Board of Education, in its discretion and after considering the merits of each application with the loan committee recommendation, may approve a school district bond application for the full amount of the proposed bond issue, approve the application for a lesser amount than requested, or disapprove the application.

Description:  Arkansas Code Annotated §6-17-309 requires local school districts to secure a waiver when classrooms are staffed with unlicensed teachers for longer than 30 days. Requests were received from school 4 districts for a total of 4 waivers. There were also requests for long-term substitutes from 14 school districts requesting a total of 25 waivers for long-term substitutes. These requests have been reviewed, were either approved or denied by Department staff, and are consistent with program guidelines.

Description:  Under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-422 members of the PLSB serve rotating terms and are appointed by the State Board from nominations made by professional education associations. The Arkansas Association of Colleges for Teacher Education voted to nominate for reappointment Dr. Donny Lee from Harding University and Dr. Victoria Groves-Scott from the University of Central Arkansas. On behalf of the Arkansas Association of School Personnel Administrators, ArkASPA President Brandie Williams nominates for reappointment Dr. Karen Lasker. Luanne Baroni is being nominated for reappointment by the Arkansas Public School Resource Center. The term of these members is to begin immediately upon appointment and end on June 30, 2025.
 

Description:  The Arkansas Department of Education received information that educator has a disqualifying offense.  This offense is a disqualifying pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-410. The educator is requesting a waiver.
 

Description:  The El Dorado School District requests a waiver of teacher licensure for its Yokum Elementary School (K-4), Hugh Goodwin Elementary School (K-4), Northwest Elementary School (K-4), Washington Middle School (5-6), Barton Junior High School (7-8), and El Dorado High School (9-12).  

Description:  The Charter is requesting to: 

• Merge Friendship Aspire Pine Bluff, Friendship Aspire Little Rock, and Friendship Aspire Southeast Pine Bluff. 
• Change grade levels served from grade ten - to grade twelve to grade five to grade twelve.
• Increase the enrollment cap for Southeast Pine Bluff from twenty-five (25) student to seventy-five (75) students. 

Description:   The recommended 2021-2022 Final Standards for Accreditation Status for Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts is included in the attached report for State Board review and final status determination.  All districts and schools are Accredited (Pending). 

Description:  DESE seeks State Board approval to release these rules for public comment pending Governor's Office approval. 

Description: 

The Booneville School District has submitted a Digital Learning Program for students in grades K-12.  The program will offer synchronous and asynchronous learning through a virtual approach using curriculum provided by the Guy Fenter Consortium and Virtual Arkansas.  Teachers are Arkansas State Certified and provided by the consortium and Virtual Arkansas.  Class size,  teaching load, and recess  waivers are not requested.  The waiver is being requested through the end of the 2024-2025 school year.  This application has been reviewed by the DESE team.  

The district had a 1 year approved plan for the 2021-2022 school year.  The only revision made to that plan was to request for 3 additional years.

Description: 

The Greene County Tech School District has submitted a Digital Learning Program for students in grades 3-12.  The program will offer synchronous and asynchronous learning through a virtual approach using curriculum provided by the TRVP Consortium and Virtual Arkansas.  Teachers are Arkansas State Certified and provided by the consortium and Virtual Arkansas.  Teaching load waiver is not requested.  The waiver is being requested through the end of the 2024-2025 school year.  This application has been reviewed by the DESE team.  

The district had a 3 year approved plan that would have expired in the 2023-2024 school year.  The district made revisions to change from Edgenuity to TRVP for 3-6 and to add an additional year to the approved plan.

Description: 

The Cave City School District has submitted a Digital Learning Program for students in grades K-8.  The program will offer synchronous and asynchronous learning through a virtual approach using curriculum provided by the TRVP Consortium.  Teachers are Arkansas State Certified and provided by the consortium.  Teaching load waiver is not requested.  The waiver is being requested through the end of the 2024-2025 school year.  This application has been reviewed by the DESE team.  

The district had a 3 year approved plan that would have expired in the 2023-2024 school year.  The district made revisions to add 7-8th grades to TRVP and to add an additional year to the approved plan.

Description: 

The Jacksonville  School District has submitted a Digital Learning Program for students in grades K-12.  The program will offer synchronous and asynchronous learning through a virtual approach using curriculum provided by the district for K-6 and Virtual Arkansas for 7-12.  Teachers are Arkansas State Certified and provided by the district and Virtual Arkansas.  Teaching load and class size waivers are not requested.  The waiver is being requested through the end of the 2022-2023 school year.  This application has been reviewed by the DESE team.  

The district had a1 year approved plan that expired in the 2021-2022 school year.  The district made revisions to change 7-12th from district provided to Virtual Arkansas.