Arkansas School Boards Association

It’s a full house at the ASBA/AAEA Joint Leadership Conference this morning! We are excited to welcome all of our in-person and virtual attendees as we kick off a day filled with learning, leadership, and collaboration. #StudentFocusedLeadership

Happy 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 to all of the educators across the state who inspire curiosity, spark creativity, and guide students to new heights. The Arkansas School Boards Association honors your tireless dedication, much of which we know happens behind the scenes. Your work matters deeply. Keep leading, keep inspiring — and take time to enjoy this week. You’ve earned it! “𝘈 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴.” – Henry Adams

📣 New to your school board? Start strong with ASBA’s 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 on 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓! This one-day event is tailored to new board members (or anyone looking for a reset) and meets state-mandated training requirements while diving deeper into: ✅ Board powers & responsibilities ✅ Budgets, audits & financial oversight ✅ FOIA & ethics laws ✅ School safety & student discipline ✅ Student-focused decision-making 🎓 Earn 𝟔 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 of training credit! 💻 Register via the “Registrations” tab in AR Board Connect - https://bit.ly/arboardconnect 📅 In-person: $205 early bird (through June 3) 📅 Virtual: $170 early bird (through June 3) Learn more at https://www.arsba.org/article/2185997. #StudentFocusedLeadership

Final Reminder! Join ASBA + AAEA for the 29th Annual Joint Leadership Conference on 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟔 at the 𝐖𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥 (or attend 𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮!). ✅ 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚: https://5il.co/3cxd7 📝 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰: https://bit.ly/arboardconnect ℹ️ 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞: https://www.arsba.org/article/2081207 Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with education leaders and dive into the key issues shaping Arkansas schools, including updates on the 2025 legislative session. Make plans to attend! #StudentFocusedLeadership

Marion School District Band made school history at the ASBOA State Concert Contest, held in Jonesboro! Both the Wind Symphony and the Symphonic Band earned 1st Division ratings and State Sweepstakes honors, having captured a 1st Division in Marching and Concert Performance at the State Level! These were all firsts in program history. In addition, the Marion Wind Symphony was named the Reserve State 6A Honor band! 🎶 📖 Read more: https://www.msd3.org/article/2161326 Congratulations to the Marion Band program on a record-breaking week! #WinOfTheWeek #StudentFocusedLeadership

🚨 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬! 🚨 The 29th Annual Joint Leadership Conference is coming up on 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟔 in 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤 - with 𝐢𝐧-𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 or 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 options. Hosted by ASBA + AAEA, this year’s lineup includes key insights into the 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 and plenty of chances to connect with leaders from across Arkansas. 🗓️ 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 - https://5il.co/3cxd7 🖥️ 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐀𝐑 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 - https://bit.ly/arboardconnect 📈 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟐 — 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭! #StudentFocusedLeadership

ASBA leaders traveled to Washington, D.C. on April 9 to meet with Arkansas legislators, including Senator John Boozman, Senator Tom Cotton, and Representative Steve Womack. Together, they discussed the critical role of school boards in supporting students across the state. We’re proud to be a voice for Arkansas school board members at the national level! 🇺🇸📚 #StudentFocusedLeadership #ARinDC

🏆 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 - 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 The Lakeside (Lake Village) School Board is now a 2024 Master Board, proving their deep investment in professional growth and effective governance. Join us in celebrating their accomplishment! Pictured: Gwendolyn Smith, Superintendent Dr. Billy Adams, McClinton Lane, Johnny Williams, JoVerna Thompson, Leslie Sykes, and David Green. Not pictured is Richard Livingston. #StudentFocusedLeadership

ASBA Offices will be closed on Friday, April 18, 2025 in observance of Good Friday. We will reopen and be ready to serve you on Monday, April 21! #StudentFocusedLeadership

📣 Registration is NOW OPEN for the 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐒𝐑𝐋𝐂), hosted by the 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 🗓️ 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟖–𝟑𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 📍 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐍𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐭, 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐋𝐀 🎤 Keynote: Mark C. Perna 💬 Early Bird Sessions 📚 Up to 10 training hours Join school board leaders from Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi for powerful sessions on AI, teacher retention, governance, student mental health & more. 🔗 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: https://5il.co/3dn2a 📝 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰: https://forms.gle/ey4mEWsRvBSXebMW9 ℹ️ 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: https://www.arsba.org/article/2153110 Seats are limited—secure yours today! #StudentFocusedLeadership

🎓 Did you know you can learn at your own pace with ASBA’s online platform—𝘼𝙍 𝘽𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙀𝙙? Our course catalog is packed with training tailored for school board members and district administrators. Check out one of our most popular courses, 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙨: 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙩 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, where you will get the tools you need to follow the money—and make it work for your district. 💰 In this 1-hour course, you'll dive into budgeting, audits, and financial oversight with confidence. 🖥️ 𝙊𝙣-𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙. 𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙊𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙚. 👉 𝙀𝙣𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝘼𝙍 𝘽𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙀𝙙: https://arsba.talentlms.com/plus/catalog/courses/147 Don't have an account yet? No problem! Simply create an account, verify your email, and you are ready to enroll! Explore today and find the courses that fit your goals! #StudentFocusedLeadership

🏆 Win of the Week! Viola School District FBLA shattered records at the 2025 FBLA State Leadership Conference, held April 7–8 in Little Rock, with 12 students qualifying for Nationals in Anaheim and a Gold Seal Chapter nomination! 📖 Read more here: https://www.violalonghorns.org/o/vpsd/article/2143683 Congratulations to these students and their advisor on this outstanding achievement! #WinOfTheWeek #StudentFocusedLeadership

🏆 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 - 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Congratulations to the Farmington School Board for reaching Master Board status at the 2024 ASBA Annual Conference! Their dedication to ongoing learning is a model for educational leadership across Arkansas. Pictured: Josh Petree, Mark Vaughn, Travis Warren, Amy Hill, and Lori Blew #StudentFocusedLeadership

Check out this #WinoftheWeek from Texarkana Arkansas School District! 🎉 Congratulations to 𝐆𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐲! We are beyond proud of Gianna for reading an incredible 𝟏𝟕 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 in the month of March! Her dedication to learning and love for reading have earned her the 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐊 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝! Way to go, Gianna! Keep turning those pages and reaching for the stars! 📖 #StudentFocusedLeadership

As we continue into 2025, we're taking a moment to reflect on the incredible leadership recognized at the 2024 ASBA Annual Conference. We’ll be shining a spotlight on our 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 winners—school boards across Arkansas whose commitment to training and growth has earned them this title. First up - 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 🏆 Congratulations to the Ashdown School Board—recognized as a 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐀𝐒𝐁𝐀 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝! Their unwavering commitment to professional growth through 50+ hours of training per member sets a powerful example for student-focused leadership. 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝: Superintendent Casey Nichols, Secretary Dorothy Henderson, Ricky Ward, Ashley Aylett, President Chuck Davis, Vice President Rosa Bowman, Glenda Smedley, and Danny Hooks Thank you for your service and commitment! #StudentFocusedLeadership

Welcome back! We hope everyone had a restful and refreshing Spring Break. As we head into the final stretch of the 2024-2025 school year, ASBA wishes all students, educators, and school staff a strong and successful finish! 📚 #StudentFocusedLeadership

Congratulations and job well done to the Little Rock Central High Madrigals, who took the national stage today in Atlanta! Selected as one of only three ensembles nationwide, they kicked off the Consortium of State School Boards Association (COSSBA) National Conference before Laila Ali’s keynote. They did an outstanding job representing not only LRSD but the whole state of Arkansas! Way to go! 🎤🎶 #StudentFocusedLeadership

Spring Break is here! Whether you're traveling, spending time with family, or just taking a well-deserved break, we hope you enjoy it. ASBA offices will be closed during this time and will reopen on Monday, March 31. Have a wonderful and safe Spring Break! 🌿☀️ #StudentFocusedLeadership

The 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 issue of 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝, the journal of the Arkansas School Boards Association, is now available! 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞: 📌 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – Learn how Pearl Public School District is integrating AI into instruction and operations. 📌𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 – Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva explains how ATLAS testing fits into a strong learning foundation. 📌 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 – Winners of the 2024 ASBA Student Speaking Contest share their visions for the future of education. 📌 𝐀𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 – Meet Beau McCastlain, a De Queen High School teacher inspiring students through "failing forward." This and previous issues of Report Card are available online at https://www.arsba.org/page/report-card-magazine. Thank you for staying connected with ASBA! #StudentFocusedLeadership

𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙑𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙊𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙤𝙤𝙣! ASBA is happy to partner with Missy McJunkins Duke, attorney with Rose Law Firm, for an intensive one-day virtual training on 𝐅𝐌𝐋𝐀, 𝐀𝐃𝐀, 𝐏𝐖𝐅𝐀, and other relevant laws and their impact on school districts, administrators, and other central office staff who handle these issues daily. While board members may choose to register and attend, this virtual training is geared toward 𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙚𝙨 who are responsible for administering FMLA.  Topics Covered: ✅ Administering FMLA leave properly ✅ Understanding your district’s obligations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) ✅ Handling excessive absenteeism while staying compliant ✅ Integrating Arkansas’ paid maternity leave law with existing federal regulations ✅ How ADA and FMLA interact in workplace accommodations Training dates for this virtual workshop include: 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟎 | 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟒 | 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟎 | 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟒 | 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟐 *𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 - The April 10 session is fast approaching, and the early registration deadline falls during Spring Break. If you plan to attend, we strongly recommend completing your registration this week to secure your spot at the discounted rate! 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭: Five (5) Hours (Attendees must attend both sessions to receive credit.) 🔗 Register today for your preferred date under the "Registrations" tab in 𝐀𝐑 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 (bit.ly/arboardconnect)! #StudentFocusedLeadership