Brush up your knowledge about executive session and earn training credit
As a board member, have you ever worried about knowing enough about the law concerning executive session? Have you heard someone accuse your school board of violating executive session law? Have you wondered if your board might be in an illegal executive session? Learn more about how to conduct a legal executive session from ASBA staff attorney Kristen Gould. Join Kristen for a live interactive webinar that will boost your executive session knowledge. All you need is computer access and a phone line to participate. Arkansas school board members will earn one hour of training credit for attending the webinar. The registration fee is $25 for each school board member. A limit of 25 participants may enroll per session. Click here to register for the evening session on February 20, 2012 webinar that begins at 7:00 p.m.
Click here for the March 29, 2012 lunchtime webinar that begins at 11:30 a.m. (The Feb. 23, March 1 and March 8 webinars are full.) Please note, you may earn credit only once for the Executive Session webinar; please be sure you don't sign up for future sessions of this specific topic.
ADE hires new fiscal leader
Arkansas Education Commissioner Dr. Tom Kimbrell selected Jared Cleveland to serve as assistant commissioner for the Division of Fiscal and Administrative Services.
Cleveland has served as the superintendent of the Lavaca district in Sebastian County for six years. He'll continue in that position through the end of the school year and start in his new role at the Department of Education July 1.
Food allergy guide available
An estimated one in 25 school-aged children has a food allergy. and data from 1997-2007 reveal that there has been an 18 percent increase in reported food allergies among young people. Studies show that about 16 to 18 percent of children with food allergies have had a mild to life-threatening reaction at school. NSBA has published “Safe at School and Ready to Learn: a Comprehensive Policy Guide for Protecting Students with Life-Threatening Food Allergies.” The guide will help school leaders maneuver through the challenges and risks posed by food allergies and establish policies and practices that support the safety, well-being, and academic success of students with life-threatening food allergies. Visit http://www.nsba.org/foodallergyguide to view the guide.
NSBA National Hispanic Caucus offers scholarships
The National Hispanic Caucus of School Board Members will award ten scholarships to high school seniors eligible for graduation in May-June 2012. Two scholarships will be awarded within each of the five NSBA regions. To qualify, students must be of Hispanic origin and meet other criteria. Applications are due by February 10, 2012. For more information and an application, click here.
Education technology not a luxury
Some districts grapple with technology investment and justifying the expense to patrons. The Excellence in Governance and School Leadership blog presents a thoughtful article, "Why School Boards Should Focus on Education Technology," which describes why technology in education is essential. Click here to view the article.
Annual Conference showcases best practices
More than 600 school board members attended the 2011 ASBA Annual Conference in Little Rock. The popular best practices sessions on Thursday allowed boards to share successful programs they have implemented in their districts. Click here to view conference photos. Click here to view award recipient photos. Click here to see photos from the Exhibit Hall. Thanks to our Commercial Affiliates who exhibited this year.
ASBA introduces new online courses
ASBA has developed new online courses to help school board members learn more about their roles and responsibilities. Each course is based on material included in the Handbook for Arkansas School Board Members. The cost for each course is $25. Board members should advise the superintendent about the course prior to completing the online course exam so that the superintendent will anticipate receiving an invoice. Each course, satisfactorily completed, will provide one hour of approved training credit. Click here to access course materials and exam links.
Arkansas launches Common Core information site
The Arkansas Department of Education created a website that provides information about the Common Core Standards and includes links to a video and FAQ. Click here to access the Common Core site. Click here to view the informational video, and click here for the FAQ. The Hunt Institute and the Council of Chief State School Officers commissioned a series of video vignettes that explain the Common Core State Standards in depth. The videos are:
Upcoming Training:
NSBA Annual Conference
April 21-23, 2012
Boston
Joint Conference
May 8, 2012
DoubleTree Hotel
Little Rock
NSBA Southern Region Conference
July 23-26, 2012
Biloxi, Mississippi
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