The Arkansas State Board of Education recognizes and salutes the

members of local boards of education by proclaiming the month of January

2023 as Arkansas School Board Member Recognition Month.

The Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA) presents the Superintendent of the Year award annually to a superintendent who successfully leads the learning in their districts; who has strength in both personal and organizational communication; who shows constant improvement of administrative knowledge and skills; and who participates in local community activities as well as understanding regional, national and international issues. 
 

Brick Cullum, a History teacher at Conway High School, has been named the 2022 Arkansas History Teacher of the Year.  Inaugurated in 2004, the Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year Award highlights the crucial importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary school through high school. In addition to receiving a $1,000 honorarium from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Mr. Cullum's district held a ceremony in his honor.  The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education would like to present Mr. Cullum with a certificate.

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. 

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 56 school districts for a total of 126 waivers. There were also requests for long-term substitutes from 50 school districts requesting a total of 82 waivers for long-term substitutes. These requests have been reviewed, were either approved or denied by Department staff, and are consistent with program guidelines.

One hundred-fifty-three (153) Awarded ABC slots for the FY23 program year have been voluntarily returned to ABC due to agency closures, inability to fill 100% of awarded slots, and/or community needs.  ABC has reallocated 111 of the 153 returned slots to agencies that have additional space to serve qualifying children on their wait list.  Highland School District’s licensed pre-k program has applied to serve 20 ABC-qualifying families for the 2022-2023 program year.  This reallocation of slots will expand the availability of ABC programs to provide early childhood services to qualifying families and children on their wait lists.

Per Act 648 of 1993, Community Service Learning, community-based organizations may apply to their local school board for approval to work with school districts as a community service site provider.  These site applications are presented to the State Board of Education (SBE) for approval twice a year, July/August and December/January.  The attached six (6) sites have sent in application for SBE approval.

Violation of Standard 1. An educator maintains a professional relationship with each student, both in and outside the classroom. Violation of Standard 2. an educator maintains competence regarding his or her professional practice, inclusive of professional and ethical behavior, skills, knowledge, dispositions, and responsibilities relating to his or her organizational position. Violation of Standard 4. An educator entrusted with public funds and property, including school sponsored activity funds, honors that trust with honest, responsible stewardship. Violation of Standard 6. An educator keeps in confidence secure standardized test materials and results and maintains integrity regarding test administration procedures. Violation of Standard 7. An educator maintains the confidentiality of information about students and colleagues obtained in the course of the educator's professional services that is protected under state law or regulations, federal law or regulations, or the written policies of the educator's school district, unless disclosure serves a professional purpose as allowed or required by law or regulations. The Professional Licensure Standards Board requests the State Board of Education order a 6 month probation of educator’s license and assess a $150 fine. (All cost paid by Educator Smith) Continued therapy with a written reflection on how educator will set boundaries between personal professional life. ERC20010 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Credit Hours: .5, Code of Ethics training provided by PLSB staff. Written reflection on each individual training on how the educator will incorporate these trainings in her professional practices. Written reflections due to the PLSB 30 days prior to the end of probation for approval.
 

Violation of Standard 1. An educator maintains a professional relationship with each student, both in and outside the classroom. Violation of Standard 2. an educator maintains competence regarding his or her professional practice, inclusive of professional and ethical behavior, skills, knowledge, dispositions, and responsibilities relating to his or her organizational position. The Professional Licensure Standards Board requests the State Board of Education order a permanent revocation of the Educator’s license.
 

Violation of Standard 1. An educator maintains a professional relationship with each student, both in and outside the classroom. Violation of Standard 2. an educator maintains competence regarding his or her professional practice, inclusive of professional and ethical behavior, skills, knowledge, dispositions, and responsibilities relating to his or her organizational position. The Professional Licensure Standards Board requests the State Board of Education order a Level 4 Public Notification of ethics violation.

 

Violation of Standard 2. an educator maintains competence regarding his or her professional practice, inclusive of professional and ethical behavior, skills, knowledge, dispositions, and responsibilities relating to his or her organizational position. Violation of Standard 7. An educator maintains the confidentiality of information about students and colleagues obtained in the course of the educator's professional services that is protected under state law or regulations, federal law or regulations, or the written policies of the educator's school district, unless disclosure serves a professional purpose as allowed or required by law or regulations. The Professional Licensure Standards Board requests the State Board of Education order a Written Reprimand and assess a $100 fine. (all cost paid by Educator Cochran). Beginning Administrator Code of Ethics training as provided by the PLSB staff. Written reflection due to PLSB on how training will impact her educational practices moving forward (To be completed within 30 days of the completion of training to the PLSB for approval)
 

The members of the Arkansas State Board of Education are requested to review the following:
Commercial Bond Applications - 2 Second Lien
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.  

If a school district had an ADM of fewer than 350 students in the two years immediately preceding the current school year, Ark. Code Ann. § 6-13-1603 requires the district to be annexed to or consolidated with another school district.  The district may petition the State Board for a minimum school district size waiver under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-13-1613.    
 

DESE is recommending to the SBE to approve a limited authority board for the Pine Bluff School District.

ESC evaluations occur at least once within a five-year period. North Central and Ozark Unlimited Educational Service Cooperative evaluations and self-study reports are attached for review.

Consideration of the Social Studies Standards are respectfully submitted to the State Board of Education for approval. Groups of educators, representative of the State, revised the standards for grades K-12. Schools will begin implementing standards in the 2023-2024 school year and fully implement by the 2024-2025 school year. 



 

The Division requests that the Board release the DESE Rules Governing Home Schools for public comment, pending Governor's Office approval.  

The State Board approved these rules for public comment release on July 14, 2022, pending Governor's Office approval.  The Governor's Office approved them on August 11, 2022.  During the public comment period, it was determined that school safety grants be added to these rules. In order to expedite the receipt of funds by schools, the Division is requesting approval to promulgate these rules as Emergency Rules.