Arkansas School Board Association representatives are appearing before the State Board of Education requesting approval of a resolution proclaiming January 2024 as Arkansas School Board Member Recognition Month.

Leslee Ann Tell, current culinary arts  teacher at Conway High School, received the Fulbright U.S. Distinguished Teaching Award. Ms. Tell comes before the State Board of Education to share her experiences in Vietnam, where she participated in the Fulbright Teacher Exchanges Project.

Pamela Cummings, a history teacher at Benton High School, has been named the 2023 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, Ms. Cummings' district held a local ceremony in her honor.  The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education would like to present Ms. Cummings with a certificate.

Cossatot River School District is appearing before the State Board with a petition to close an isolated school in the district.

Augusta Public School District is requesting a one-year Standards for Accreditation waiver of 1-A.5 Class Size for one kindergarten class that is one (1) student over the maximum number of students with a paraprofessional. The district has provided a paraprofessional for this classroom. 

The Cossatot River School District is requesting a one-year Standards for Accreditation waiver for Class Size. The district has one third-grade classroom that is one (1) student over the maximum of 25 students. 

Earle Public School District is requesting a one-year waiver of Standard 4-F.1 Library Media Specialist. The district has had difficulty hiring a licensed Library Media Specialist. Students will continue to receive library access through their classroom teachers. 

The Marvell-Elaine School District is seeking a waiver for one (1) year to implement an innovative learning program.

The Department of Education is requesting that the State Board approve the release of the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education Rules Governing Literacy and High-Impact Tutoring for public comment.

The Department of Education is requesting that the State Board approve the Emergency Rules Governing Literacy and High-Impact Tutoring.

The Department of Education is requesting that the State Board approve the release of the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education Rules Governing Professional Development for public comment.

In compliance with the provisions of A.C.A. § 6-20-2201 et seq., the Annual Statistical Report of the Public Schools for Arkansas, Open Enrollment Charter Schools, and Education Service Cooperatives, 2022-2023 Actual and 2023-2024 Budgeted, (ASR) is considered for adoption by the State Board of Education.

DESE is required to submit the Annual Statistical Report to the state board, Governor, and House and Senate Education committees by February 15 each year.  The report contains information on revenues, expenditures and fund balances for each traditional school district, open-enrollment charter, and education service cooperative in 2022-23, as well as budgeted amounts for 2023-24.  Additionally, data such as millage, assessment, total debt, per pupil expenditures, licensed FTE’s, and licensed classroom FTE’s are included.  These reports are pulled from the statewide eFinance system.  There are summary pages for all traditional school districts (p. 2), open-enrollment charters (p. 253), and education service cooperatives (p. 237).  The report also contains rankings by selected items such as per pupil expenditures, average daily attendance, average daily membership, and average classroom teacher salary.

There is an Excel version of the data that is published on the DESE website at the same time as the PDF version is published.

Ark. Code Ann. § 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 98 school districts for a total of 307 waivers. There were also requests for long-term substitutes from 48 school districts requesting a total of 86 waivers for long-term substitutes. These requests have been reviewed, were either approved or denied by DESE staff, and are consistent with program guidelines.

Commercial Bond Applications - 3 Second Lien; 2 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.

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 3. An educator honestly fulfills reporting obligations associated with professional practices. The Professional Licensure Standards Board requests the State Board of Education to do the following: order a Probation of License for 1 year; assess a $200 fine; require the educator to read The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success -- No Nonsense, No Excuses (256p) Author: Linda Galindo ISBN 10: ISBN 13: 9780470500163; require the educator to complete Code of Ethics Training provided by the PLSB (1.5 Hours); and require the educator to provide written reflections on how the book and training will impact the educator's future practices and due to the PLSB for approval within 90 days of the State Board Order. (All costs are to be paid by Educator Abram.)

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 to order a Permanent Revocation of License and assess a $500 fine.

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 to order a Permanent Revocation of License and assess a $500 fine.

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 to order a Permanent Revocation of License and assess a $500 fine.

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 to do the following: order a Probation of License for 1 year; require the educator to read Addressing Appropriate and Inappropriate Teacher-Student Relationships: A Secondary Education Professional Development Model, Author: Ernest J. Zarra, III, Kern High School District Publication: CLEARvoz Journal Vol. 3, No. 2 (2016) Link: http://journals.sfu.ca/cvj/index.php/cvj/article/viewFile/26/29, and The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success -- No Nonsense, No Excuses (256p) Author: Linda Galindo ISBN 10: ISBN 13: 9780470500163; require the educator to complete TCC22007: SMACtalk for Teachers: Online Etiquette (1 Credit Hour) and TCC22009: SMACtalk for Teachers: Vetting Information (1 Credit Hour); and require the educator to provide written reflections regarding how each book and training will impact the educator’s future interactions with students and due to the PLSB for approval within 90 days of the State Board Order. (All costs are to be paid by Educator Jones.)

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 to order a Permanent Revocation of License and assess a $500 fine.

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 to order a Permanent Revocation of License and assess a $500 fine.

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 3. An educator honestly fulfills reporting obligations associated with professional practices. The Professional Licensure Standards Board requests the State Board of Education to do the following: order a Written Reprimand; assess a $100 fine; require the educator to complete SPC17008 Foundations in Special Education: Major Components of IDEA (1 Credit Hour), SPC17009 Foundations in Special Education: Legal and Ethical Issues (1 Credit Hour), SPC17010 Foundations in Special Education: Roles and Responsibilities (1 Credit Hour), and Code of Ethics Training Provided by the PLSB (1.5 Hours); and require the educator to provide written reflections regarding how each training will affect the educator’s practices and organizational skills in the future and due to the PLSB for approval within 90 days of the State Board order. (All costs are to be paid by Educator Kotoucek.)

The Institute for the Creative Arts has submitted an application to establish an open-enrollment charter school beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year.  The charter will follow a performing and visual arts high school college and career prep education model.  The Charter Authorizing Panel voted unanimously to approve the application.  

Responsive Ed Arkansas Premier High School of Arkansas is requesting to:  

1.  Add two (2) campuses to the charter in the Fayetteville and Russellville communities.

2.  Increase the enrollment cap from 975 students to 1,225 students to reflect expansion. The new campuses will have the following enrollment cap in each building: Fayetteville: 175 students and Russellville: 75 students.  

The Charter was asked to provide additional information.  The Charter provided clarification to the Panel and was approved (5-0) to open two additional campuses.  

Newport School District has submitted an application to convert Newport High School to The Academies at Newport High School.  The school will serve Grades 8-12 and will follow a traditional, college prep, career and technical, with a virtual option educational model. The Charter Authorizing Panel unanimously (5-0) voted to approve the district conversion charter school.  

A.C.A 6-11-604(b) states, "In any of its meetings before the en of the calendar year, the state board shall determine the meeting dates for the following year." A draft 2024 calendar is presented to the State Board for consideration and approval.

Dr. Keith McGee, Superintendent of the Helena-West Helena School District, comes before the State Board to provide updates on progress made in the district.  

The State Board requested monthly updates from the Watson Chapel School District on progress made towards correcting Standards for Accreditation violations and other concerns noted by DESE.