Congratulations are in order for the 2026 ASBA Educational Foundation scholarship recipients, including District 2 Freshman Scholarship recipient Dalton Greene!
Dalton, a Concord High School graduate, has maintained a 4.0 GPA while completing a rigorous course load that includes concurrent college classes. He has served as FBLA president, class vice president, and basketball team captain, helping lead his team to the state tournament.
He plans to attend the University of Arkansas and pursue a degree in finance, with the goal of helping low-income families through financial literacy. Dalton shared that “watching my parents work tirelessly instilled my strong work ethic.”
Congratulations, Dalton! #StudentFocusedLeadership
We are pleased to highlight the 2026 ASBA Educational Foundation scholarship recipients, beginning with District 1 Freshman Scholarship recipient Maci Sickel!
A member of the Hazen High School Class of 2026, Maci ranks in the top 5% of her class while earning more than 25 hours of concurrent college credit. She has served as varsity cheer captain and yearbook editor-in-chief and has been active in National Honor Society and Beta Club.
Maci plans to attend the University of Arkansas and pursue a degree in communications with the goal of becoming a family attorney. She shared that her mother’s “patience, kindness, and determination” inspire her to strive for excellence.
Congratulations, Maci! #StudentFocusedLeadership
The School Leader’s Legal Playbook: Employment Law in Arkansas
This interactive workshop features real-life scenarios and practical guidance for school leaders, supervisors, and board members. Topics include federal discrimination laws, Arkansas employment laws, and LEARNS Act updates to help you navigate personnel decisions and stay compliant.
📅 Choose your date: May 26 | May 28 | June 1 | June 3 | June 15 | June 17
🕘 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
📍 ASBA Office (523 S. Ringo St. , Little Rock)
🎓 5 hours training credit
💲 $205 early registration | $225 standard
🍽 Lunch provided
Learn more: https://www.arsba.org/article/2812363
Register: https://bit.ly/arboardconnect
📍 Hot Springs Convention Center
📅 July 19–21
This year’s theme, Meeting the Moment: Strategic Leadership for Today’s Schools, brings together education leaders from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi for powerful learning, fresh ideas, and real collaboration.
💡 High-impact sessions
🤝 Meaningful networking
🎯 Practical strategies you can use immediately
🎤 Keynote Speaker: Rex Nelson
“From State of Disaster to State of Excellence”
Walk away inspired, informed, and ready to lead with clarity and purpose.
💲 Early Bird Workshop: $175
💲 Full Conference: $545
💲 Guest Meal Ticket: $199
*Please note this is an in-person only conference.
Make plans to be there. This is one you don’t want to miss!
Learn more: https://www.arsba.org/article/2812236
Register: https://bit.ly/arboardconnect
Join us for the 30th Annual Joint Leadership Conference on May 5 at the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock or attend virtually.
This one-day conference will focus on timely topics impacting Arkansas schools, with opportunities to learn, collaborate, and connect with education leaders from across the state.
Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Location: Wyndham Riverfront Hotel (2 Riverfront Pl, North Little Rock) or Virtual
Training Credit: Six DESE-approved hours
Make plans to attend!
Learn more: https://www.arsba.org/article/2811961
Register: https://bit.ly/arboardconnect
#StudentFocusedLeadership
Facilities Planning Overview for School Board Members
Join Aliza Jones, statewide Facility Planning Coordinator and ASBA Facilities Consultant, for a practical look at school facilities in Arkansas.
This session will cover:
✔️ “Warm, safe, and dry” projects
✔️ Partnership funding
✔️ Facilities master plans
✔️ Procurement laws
✔️ Storm damage claims
Whether you're new to facilities planning or need a refresher, this webinar will help you stay compliant, strategic, and student-focused.
📅 Tuesday, April 21
⏰ 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
💲 $55
🎓 1 Hour Training Credit
Learn more: https://www.arsba.org/article/2811761
Register: https://bit.ly/arboardconnect
This training is designed for central office staff who manage employee leave, but board members are welcome to attend.
Topics include:
• Administering FMLA leave
• ADA and PWFA requirements
• Managing excessive absenteeism
• Arkansas paid maternity leave integration
• Workplace accommodations under ADA and PWFA
📅 Choose a date: April 28 | May 19 | June 2 | July 14 | August 11
🕣 Morning: 8:30–11:30 a.m.
🕐 Afternoon: 1:00–3:00 p.m.
🎓 5 hours training credit (attendance required for both sessions)
💲 $205 per attendee
This session provides practical guidance for those handling leave policies and compliance every day.
Learn more: https://www.arsba.org/article/2811867
Register: https://bit.ly/arboardconnect
Join Simbli and Civility, LLC on April 15 at 11 AM CT for a free webinar on Parliamentary Procedure Best Practices and Effective Meeting Minutes.
If you’re a school board member, superintendent, or board/superintendent secretary, this session will equip you with practical strategies to run stronger meetings and produce clear, compliant minutes.
Save your spot today: https://bit.ly/effectiveminutes
The March 2026 issue of Report Card, the journal of the Arkansas School Boards Association, is now available!
Inside this issue:
• No Low Expectations – Education Secretary Jacob Oliva calls for higher standards, faster learning, and bold change to improve student outcomes across Arkansas.
• Response-ability Matters – Keynote speaker Kent Julian shares a simple formula for success: Events + Response = Outcome, reminding leaders they shape results.
• Teachers + Data Drive Success – Leaders from Van Buren and Poyen highlight how strong support systems and data-informed decisions lead to student achievement.
• When Disaster Strikes – After a devastating tornado, Rogers School District became a community hub, providing shelter, meals, and hope when it mattered most.
Access this and other issues at https://www.arsba.org/page/report-card-magazine.
Thank you for staying connected with ASBA! #StudentFocusedLeadership
Yesterday’s New Board Member Institute at the DoubleTree brought together new board members from across the state, both in person and virtually, for a full day of learning and connection.
From governance and finance to legal updates and school safety, attendees dove into the key responsibilities that shape strong school leadership. We loved seeing so many new faces ready to serve their communities!
We were also proud to recognize this year’s ASBA Educational Foundation scholarship recipients. Stay tuned as we will spotlight each of them individually!
A special thank you to our ASBA Premier Partners who joined us—American Fidelity, Baldwin & Shell, Lumatech, Nabholz, and Stephens—as well as our lunch sponsors, Performance Services and American Fidelity.
Learn more about the services these partners provide at: https://www.arsba.org/page/commercial-affiliates
The 2026 ASBA New Board Member Institute is just one week away!
This is your opportunity to build a strong foundation for effective, student-focused leadership. From understanding roles and responsibilities to connecting with peers across the state, this experience is designed to help board members start strong and lead with confidence.
It's not too late to register! Visit https://bit.ly/arboardconnect to get signed up.
𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞: https://www.arsba.org/article/2702848
Start strong. Serve with confidence. #StudentFocusedLeadership
ASBA offices will be closed March 23–27. We will return to normal business hours on Monday, March 30.
Join us for our upcoming Lunch and Learn focused on the ASBA Policy Service and Simbli.
This session will provide a clear overview of the Simbli Policy Module, how districts can access ASBA model policies—even without a Simbli subscription—and the added benefits available to districts that choose to utilize the full platform.
📅 Thursday, April 2
🕦 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Whether you're exploring your options or happy with your current service, this session will walk you through what you need to know as ASBA transitions to the Simbli policy platform.
Register at https://bit.ly/asbasimbli
#StudentFocusedLeadership
Photo 1: ASBA President Doris Parham at the COSSBA Business Meeting.
Photo 2: ASBA Board of Directors members Debra Barnes, Doris Parham, Nikki King, and Joe Sheppard enjoying the conference.
#StudentFocusedLeadership
Every decision at the board table carries financial responsibility. Understanding how school funding works isn’t just helpful—it’s essential for strong governance.
Join Jerrod Williams on March 17 for a clear, practical overview of school finance designed specifically for school board members. In this focused one-hour session, he’ll break down key funding components, explain what to watch for in financial reports, and connect the numbers to district priorities and student outcomes.
𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬
📅 Tuesday, March 17
⏰ 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
💲 Cost: $55
🎓 Training Credit: 1 Hour
𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Register through AR Board Connect: https://bit.ly/arboardconnect
Select the “Registrations/Publications” tab.
A Zoom registration link will be included in your confirmation email. You must complete the Zoom registration to receive the meeting link (no additional fee required).
We hope you’ll join us! #StudentFocusedLeadership
🎙️ 𝗔𝗦𝗕𝗔 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟑 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲!
In this episode, “Facilities 101,” special guests Jeff Lisenbey, ASBA Executive Board member and President of the Sheridan School Board, and Aliza Jones, statewide Facility Planning Coordinator and ASBA Facilities Consultant, join us to cover the basics of school facilities in Arkansas.
From understanding “warm, safe, and dry” projects to navigating partnership funding, facilities master plans, procurement laws, and storm damage claims, this conversation breaks down what every board member and superintendent needs to know.
Listen on our website at arsba.org/page/asba-boardcast or on your favorite podcast platform:
🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Amazon Music
Also, we are looking for feedback from our members on what you want to hear! Please submit this brief survey to share your ideas for future episodes. - https://bit.ly/boardcastsurvey
#StudentFocusedLeadership #ASBABoardCast
Remember to join us for ASBA’s next free 𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫, scheduled for tomorrow 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟓, from 𝟏𝟏:𝟑𝟎 𝐚.𝐦. 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟐:𝟏𝟓 𝐩.𝐦.
This month’s topic: 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 Guidance for Districts
Led by ASBA Policy Service Director Lucas Harder, this session will cover key timelines, required documentation, and procedures for accepting or rejecting transfer requests—both interdistrict and intradistrict. Participants may submit questions during the webinar, and any unanswered questions will receive follow-up after the session.
While school board members are welcome to attend, these no-cost, no-credit sessions are designed primarily for district personnel who handle the day-to-day responsibilities related to the topic.
We look forward to your participation!
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: Wednesday, February 25
𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Zoom Webinar
𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭: No Cost, No Credit
𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: https://bit.ly/schoolchoice26