October 9, 2025 at 9:00 AM - State Board of Education
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I. Call to Order
Presenter:
Adrienne Woods
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II. Moment of Silence
Presenter:
Adrienne Woods
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III. Pledge of Allegiance
Presenter:
Adrienne Woods
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IV. National Anthem
Presenter:
Adrienne Woods
Description:
Eight students from the Bryant School District will sing the National Anthem.
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V. Recognition
Presenter:
Stacy Smith, Deputy Commissioner
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V.1. Two Bryant Students Receive Air Force Flight Academy Scholarships and Earn Private Pilot Licenses
Presenter:
Adrienne Woods
Description:
Two Bryant School District students, Marian Budu and Kennedy Torres were selected from 1,200 applicants to receive Air Force Flight Academy Scholarships, each worth about $27,000. Over the summer, Marian Budu took his flight training at Purdue University while Kennedy Torres received her training at East Carolina University. These two young adults were the first in Bryant School District to be awarded Air Force Flight Academy Scholarships, and each earned a private pilot license.
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VI. Changes to Agenda
Presenter:
Adrienne Woods
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VII. Action Agenda
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VII.1. Poyen School District Waiver Request – Standards for
Accreditation 1-A.5 (Class Size)
Presenter:
Hope Worsham, Assistant Commissioner
Description:
Due to increased enrollment in the current 2nd grade class, the district is requesting a one-year waiver of Standard 1-5.A, concerning the Rules Governing Class Size and Teaching Load Section 3.01.2, "For Grades One through Three (1-3), the average student/teacher ratio in a school district shall be no more than twenty three (23) students per teacher in a classroom. There shall be no more than twenty-five (25) students per teacher in any classroom."
Attachments:
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VII.2. Westside Consolidated School District Waiver Request - Standards for Accreditation 1-A.5 and Rules Governing Class Size and Teaching Load
Presenter:
Hope Worsham, Assistant Commissioner
Description:
The district requests waivers for Standards 1-A.5 (Class Size) and 1-A.6 (Teaching Load) for more than one (1) year for two teachers who exceed the teaching load limits. The district has a fixed weekly schedule that replaces the A/B week model and includes intervention/enrichment time on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Attachments:
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VII.3. Petition from the Ozark Mountain School District to Close Its Bruno-Pyatt Campus
Presenter:
Courtney Salas-Ford, Chief of Staff
Description:
Pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 6-20-602, the Ozark Mountain School District, is petitioning the State Board of Education to allow the district to close the Bruno-Pyatt Campus. At a meeting on August 6, 2025, the Ozark Mountain School District Board of Directors voted 6 to 1 to close the school. Because the vote was not unanimous, the district must have approval of the State Board of Education to close the campus.
Attachments:
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VII.4. 2026 State Board of Education Meeting Dates
Presenter:
Courtney Salas-Ford, Chief of Staff
Description:
Ark. Code Ann. § 6-11-104(b) states, "In any of its meetings before the end of the calendar year, the state board shall determine the meeting dates for the following year." In keeping with the tradition of meeting every second Thursday of the month, the following Thursdays are proposed for meetings:
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VIII. Consent Agenda
Presenter:
Adrienne Woods
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VIII.1. Minutes
Presenter:
Angela Scaife
Attachments:
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VIII.2. Review of Loan and Bond Application
Presenter:
Greg Rogers
Description:
The members of the State Board of Education are requested to review the following:
Commercial Bond Applications - 1 2nd Lien With a recommendation to approve the application from the Loan Committee and additional information provided by the school district in its application package and pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 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.
Attachments:
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VIII.3. Application for Charter Arkansas Executive Prep Academy-Harrison
Presenter:
Dr. Darrell Smith, Assistant Commissioner
Description:
Representatives of the Arkansas Executive Prep Academy-Harrison submitted an application for charter requesting to begin a charter school in Boone County in August 2026. The applicant requested to begin by serving K-8 with a maximum enrollment of 500 in Year 1 and expanding to serve PreK-10 with a maximum enrollment of 700 in Year 3.
At its meeting on September 19, 2025, the Charter Authorizing Panel heard a presentation from representatives of the Arkansas Executive Prep Academy-Harrison. Questions and answers followed. A motion to approve the application was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.
Attachments:
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IX. New Business
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X. Reports
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X.1. Board Liaison Reports
Presenter:
Adrienne Woods
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X.2. ATOY Report
Presenter:
Jeanie Wilcoxon
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XI. Public Comments
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XII. Adjournment
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