On June 30, 2024, Capri Salaam completed her service as 2023 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, and on July 1, Beau McCastlain began his service as 2024 Arkansas Teacher of the Year.

Launched in January 2024, the Hot Springs Prevention Recovery Program is the first of its kind program for Arkansas public schools and is the pilot program for the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership. Program goals include opioid overdose prevention, substance abuse prevention, stigma reduction, and substance abuse awareness. Results during the first semester of the program are promising.

Deputy Commissioner Stacy Smith will brief the board on the ADE Summit 2024 which took place July 8-10 at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

Pursuant to Arkansas Code § 6-15-103, the Westside Consolidated School District is seeking waivers from legal requirements Standards for Accreditation 1-5.A and 1-6.A  to implement its innovative block schedule. 

The Prairie Grove School District filed a petition to change its school district boundary pursuant to Arkansas Code § 6-13-1414. The affected school district is the Lincoln School District, which objected to the petition. The petition by the Prairie Grove School District, the response by the Lincoln School District, as well as maps detailing the affected area prepared by the Arkansas Geographic Information Systems Office are attached. 

The DESE Rule Governing the Implementation of the Braille and Large Print Textbook Appropriation is presented for approval to be released for public comment.

The following administrative rules are being presented for final approval following a 30-day public comment period.

The DESE Rule Governing the Educational Freedom Account Program is presented for final approval. 

The DESE Rule Governing Educator Licensure was approved to be released for public comment by the State Board of Education on May 9, 2024. The public comment period began on May 10, 2024, and ended on June 10, 2024. Public comments were received, and no substantive changes were made. The Division requests the State Board of Education's final approval of the rule.

The DESE Rule Governing Better Beginnings was approved to be released for public comment by the State Board of Education on May 9, 2024. The public comment period began on May 10, 2024, and ended on June 10, 2024. Public comments were received, and no substantive changes were made. The Division requests the State Board of Education's final approval of the rule.

The Olvey family is appealing the rejection of their school choice application for their student by the Harmony Grove School District. The resident school district is the Hampton School District.

To meet the requirements of Ark. Code Ann. § 6-18-2507(a)(1)(A) and 7.01.2.A in the DESE Rule Governing the Educational Freedom Account Program, a list of additional associations is presented for consideration of approval to accredit private schools participating in the program.

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 87 school districts for a total of 258 waivers. There were also requests for long-term substitutes from 58 school districts requesting a total of 120 waivers for long-term substitutes. These requests have been reviewed, were either approved or denied by DESE staff, and are consistent with program guidelines.

The members of the Arkansas State Board of Education are requested to review the following:
Revolving Loan Application - 1 Revolving Loan
Commercial Bond Applications - 2 Second Lien and 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 § 6-20-805 concerning the Revolving Loan Program, 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 revolving loan application for the full amount of the proposed loan, approve the application for a loan of a lesser amount than requested, or disapprove the application. 

• 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 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. The Professional Licensure Standards Board requests the State Board of Education order a Suspension of License for 1 year followed by a Probation of License for 2 years and assess a $500.00 fine. Require Educator to complete the following coursework/readings: Title: The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success -- No Nonsense, No Excuses (256p) Author: Linda Galindo ISBN  10: ISBN 13: 9780470500163, Code of Ethics Training Provided by the PLSB (1.5 Hours), Tier I Training (Upon employment after suspension, including certificate of completion), Title: Flipping the Switch: Unleash the Power of Personal Accountability Using the QBQ! (144 p) Author: John G. Miller ISBN 10: 0399152334 ISBN 13: 978-0399152337, and CTM17081: Financial Literacy Unit One: Money, Budgeting, and Banking (1 Credit Hour). Written reflection on each training/book regarding how they will impact her future interactions with students and handling of money (due to the PLSB for approval within 30 days prior to the end of their suspension for suspension removal). While on probation, the educator will provide quarterly reports from her supervisor on how her interactions with students are progressing. If the educator is responsible for the handling of money, the educator must provide quarterly reports from supervisor on following district policies and procedures concerning the handling of school funds. (All cost paid by Educator Hackney)

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 2 Public Notification of Ethics Violation and assess a $250.00 fine. Require Educator to complete the following coursework/readings: Code of Ethics Training Provided by the PLSB (1.5 Hours), Title: What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things that Matter Most 2nd Edition Author: Todd Whitaker ISBN 10: 9781596671997 ISBN 13: 978-1596671997, and Title: The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success -- No Nonsense, No Excuses (256p) Author: Linda Galindo ISBN 10: ISBN 13: 9780470500163. Written reflection on each book/training regarding how they will impact the educator’s future interactions with students. During the probation, quarterly reports from the educator’s supervisor regarding how her interactions are progressing. (All cost paid by Educator Roberts)

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 Probation of License for 2 years and assess a $250.00 fine. Require Educator to complete the following coursework/readings: Code of Ethics Training Provided by the PLSB (1.5 Hours), Title: The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success -- No Nonsense, No Excuses (256p) Author: Linda Galindo ISBN 10: ISBN 13: 9780470500163, and Title: The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence (208p) Author: Dacher Keltner ISBN 10: 0143110292 ISBN 13: 978-0143110293. Written reflection on each training/book regarding how the educator will improve her interactions with students in the future. Quarterly reports from the educator’s supervisor regarding the educator’s appropriate interactions with students. (All cost paid by Educator Cash)  

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. Violation of Standard 4. An educator entrusted with public funds and property, including school sponsored activity funds, honors that trust with honest, responsible stewardship. The Professional Licensure Standards Board requests the State Board of Education 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 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 order a Probation of License for 3 years and assess a $250 fine. Require Educator to complete the following coursework/readings: Code of Ethics Training Provided by the PLSB (1.5 Hours), Title: The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success -- No Nonsense, No Excuses (256p) Author: Linda Galindo ISBN 10: ISBN 13: 9780470500163, Title: The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence (208p) Author: Dacher Keltner ISBN 10: 0143110292 ISBN 13: 978-0143110293, and Title: You’ve Gotta Connect: Building Relationships that Lead to Engaged Students, Productive Classrooms, and Higher Achievement (280 Pages) Author: James Alan Sturtevant ISBN-10: 1629500046 ISBN-13: 978-1629500046. Written reflection on each book/training on how they will impact the educator’s future interactions with students. Quarterly reports from the educator’s supervisor during probation regarding how the educator’s interactions with students are progressing. (All cost paid by Educator Van Dyke)

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. The Professional Licensure Standards Board requests the State Board of Education order a Probation of License for 2 years and assess a $250 fine. Require Educator to complete the following coursework/readings: Code of Ethics Training Provided by the PLSB (1.5 Hours), Title: The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success -- No Nonsense, No Excuses (256p) Author: Linda Galindo ISBN 10: ISBN 13: 9780470500163, Title: The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence (208p)Author: Dacher Keltner ISBN 10: 0143110292 ISBN 13: 978-0143110293, and Title: You’ve Gotta Connect: Building Relationships that Lead to Engaged Students, Productive Classrooms, and Higher Achievement (280 Pages) Author: James Alan Sturtevant ISBN-10: 1629500046 ISBN-13: 978-1629500046. Require educator to prepare written reflection on each training/book regarding how the educator will improve his professional practices in the future. Quarterly reports from the educator’s supervisor regarding the educator’s progress on professional practices have improved. (All cost paid by Educator Drye)

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 3. An educator honestly fulfills reporting obligations associated with professional practices. The Professional Licensure Standards Board requests the State Board of Education order a Probation of License for 2 years and assess a $250 fine. Require Educator to complete the following coursework/readings: ELE14021 Teaching Reading Workshop: Using Assessment to Guide Instruction (1.5 Hours), Code of Ethics Training Provided by the PLSB (1.5 Hours), and Title: The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success -- No Nonsense, No Excuses (256p) Author: Linda Galindo ISBN 10: ISBN 13: 9780470500163, Require Educator to prepare written reflection on how each book/training will impact the educator’s professional practices in the future. Quarterly reports from the educator’s supervisor regarding the educator’s progress on professional practices, particularly on how her assessment practices have improved. (All cost paid by Educator Smith)

Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy will be rescinding the charter as of June 30, 2024, and all associated waivers.  The Charter Authorizing Panel voted unanimously to accept the request.  

Fort Smith Virtual Academy is requesting to change the current grade levels served from Grades K-12 to Grades 6-12.  The Charter Authorizing Panel voted to unanimously approve the request.  

Founders Classical Academies of Arkansas is requesting to amend the grade levels served at the Founders Classical Academy Online campus from Grades K-12 to Grades 7-12; amend the grade levels served at the Founders Classical Academy Bentonville campus from Grades K-7 to Grades K-8; change the name of Founders Classical Academy Online to iSchool Virtual Academy of Arkansas; and close Founders Classical Academy Online Elementary. The Charter Authorizing Panel voted unanimously to approve the request.  

This is an opportunity for the board to receive an update about and discuss the Blytheville School District.