Marti Jo Hall

Interim Director of Communications

Arkansas Public School Resource Center

501-492-4300 | mhall@apsrc.net

Arkansas State Board of Education's March Meeting: Important Updates and Decisions

LITTLE ROCK, AR - On Thursday, March 13th, 2025, the Arkansas State Board of Education convened to address crucial items on the published agenda. The meeting, accessible through this link, featured various agenda items, with input from representatives and public commentators.

As the policy-making body for Arkansas's education system, the State Board of Education diligently considered and acted upon several essential agenda items during the meeting:

V. Action Agenda

V.1. Ashdown Waiver Request of Standard 4-B.1 - Hope Worsham, Assistant Commissioner

The board approved the waiver request for Standard 4-B.1 from Ashdown School District, allowing the district to navigate the transitional period until the new superintendent begins in July. Ms. Debbie Greathouse, the District Federal Programs Coordinator, will serve as interim superintendent.

V.2. Heber Springs Waiver Request of Standard 4-F.1 and Ark. Code Ann. § 6-25-104 - Hope Worsham, Assistant Commissioner

The board denied the waiver request for Standard 4-F.1 and Ark. Code Ann. § 6-25-104 from Heber Springs School District, which sought approval to hire a non-certified individual for the open Library/Media Specialist position.

V.3. North Little Rock Waiver Requests for Alternate School Calendar - Hope Worsham, Assistant Commissioner

The board approved the waiver request for an Alternate School Calendar from North Little Rock School District. This request, regarding the 2024-2025 school year submission deadlines, allows the district to adopt an alternate calendar with 1,068 hours of student instruction for K-12.

V.4. Consideration of Request to Approve the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) FY26 - Agency Grant Awards - Tonya Williams

The board motioned to accept the request for Arkansas Better Chance Program Renewal Grants for the 2025-2026 school year, totaling $105,277,280. The funds will support early childhood services for 22,827 children through 225 agencies in center-based and home-visiting settings. The request also includes support for foster and homeless children, with waivers for immediate services, and a per-child award for each foster or displaced child enrolled.

VII. Consent Agenda

The Board approved the consent agenda, except for item VII.11, " Consideration of the Recommendation of the Professional Licensure Standards Board for Case 24-051 Nancy Anderson," which has been pulled for a later date. Items included:

VII.2. Report on Waivers to School Districts for Teachers Teaching Out of Area for Longer than Sixty (60) Days, Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-309 - Karli Saracini

Review of waivers granted to districts for teachers staffing classrooms beyond 60 days without proper licensure, as required by Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-309, presented by Karli Saracini, Assistant Commissioner of Educator Effectiveness.

VII.3. Review of Loan and Bond Applications - Greg Rogers

Review of commercial bond applications, including 4 Second Lien and 10 Voted bonds, with recommendations for approval from the Loan Committee, presented by Greg Rogers.

VII.4. Consideration of the Recommendation of the Professional Licensure Standards Board for Case 25-120 Bradley Quillen - Whitney James

Approval of the permanent revocation of Bradley Quillen’s license and a $500 fine, as recommended by the Professional Licensure Standards Board for violations of Standards 1 and 2.

VII.5. Consideration of the Recommendation of the Professional Licensure Standards Board for Case 25-003 Janice Reddick - Whitney James

Approval of the suspension of Janice Reddick’s license for one year, followed by two years of probation, a $500 fine, and completion of specified coursework and written reflections, as recommended by the Professional Licensure Standards Board.

VII.6. Consideration of the Recommendation of the Professional Licensure Standards Board for Case 25-044 Rachel Lepper - Whitney James

Approval of the written reprimand for Rachel Lepper, a $100 fine, and completion of coursework and written reflections, as recommended by the Professional Licensure Standards Board.

VII.7. Consideration of the Recommendation of the Professional Licensure Standards Board for Case 25-061 Andrew Ellifrits - Whitney James

Approval of the permanent revocation of Andrew Ellifrits’ license and a $500 fine, as recommended by the Professional Licensure Standards Board.

VII.8. Consideration of the Recommendation of the Professional Licensure Standards Board for Case 25-078 Juan Day - Whitney James

Approval of the probation of Juan Day’s license for one year, a $250 fine, and completion of specified coursework and written reflections, as recommended by the Professional Licensure Standards Board.

VII.9. Consideration of the Recommendation of the Professional Licensure Standards Board for Case 25-069 Kelly Simon - Whitney James

Approval of the probation of Kelly Simon’s license for one year, a $250 fine, and completion of specified coursework and written reflections, as recommended by the Professional Licensure Standards Board.

VII.10. Consideration of the Recommendation of the Professional Licensure Standards Board for Case 25-118 Rory Davis - Whitney James

Approval of the probation of Rory Davis’ license for one year, a $250 fine, and completion of specified coursework and written reflections, as recommended by the Professional Licensure Standards Board.

VII.11. Consideration of the Recommendation of the Professional Licensure Standards Board for Case 24-051 Nancy Anderson - Whitney James

Approval of the probation of Nancy Anderson’s license for one year, a $250 fine, and completion of specified coursework and written reflections, as recommended by the Professional Licensure Standards Board.

VII.12. Consideration of the Recommendation of the Professional Licensure Standards Board for Case 25-091 Edward Butler - Whitney James

Approval of the probation of Edward Butler’s license for one year, a $250 fine, and completion of specified coursework and written reflections, as recommended by the Professional Licensure Standards Board.

VII.13. Consideration of the Recommendation of the Professional Licensure Standards Board for Case 25-058 Kyle Orsburn - Whitney James

Approval of the permanent revocation of Kyle Orsburn’s license and a $500 fine, as recommended by the Professional Licensure Standards Board.

VII.14. Consideration of Charter Contract Extension Requests - Darrell Smith, Assistant Commissioner

Approval of a one-year extension for the ten charter schools with contracts expiring on June 30, 2025, to allow completion of the development of a new charter school performance framework, as requested by the DESE Office of School Choice and Parental Empowerment.

VII.15. Consideration of the Amendment Request by Friendship Aspire Academies of Arkansas to Add an Additional Campus - Darrell Smith, Assistant Commissioner

Approval of the amendment request by Friendship Aspire Academies of Arkansas to add an additional campus by reopening its private Friendship Lab School for Dyslexia as a charter campus, focusing on serving K-8 students with dyslexia.

VIII. Reports 

VIII.1. Board Liaison Reports - Dr. Sarah Moore

VIII.1.a. Committee on Early Learning - Leigh Keener

SBE Member Leigh Keener remarked that she had no further information to report during this time, as she had spoken throughout the State Board of Education during the discussion of item V.4.

VIII.1.b. Nominating Committee - Dr.Sarah Moore

Dr. Sarah Moore, SBE Member, announced that the Nominating Committee will be appointed today and will meet in April to make recommendations for the upcoming year's chair and vice chair, with the vote taking place at the May meeting. As reported, SBE Members Randy Henderson, Lisa Hunter, and Adrienne Woods have expressed their willingness to serve on the committee.

VIII.2. ATOY Report - Beau McCastlain

Beau McCastlain, Arkansas Teacher of the Year 2024, shared his monthly report, highlighting his recent activities. He spoke about attending the ArkaNSPRA Communications Conference and co-teaching with a past Teacher of the Year at a career day at Fountain Lake High School, where he discussed the teaching profession. Beau also visited Cabot High School, where he learned about their upcoming production and spoke about the theatre students’ successful fundraising efforts for "Walk for Wheezy," which raised over $50,000 last year. He continued his travels with a visit to Russellville High School, where he observed their 'Cyclone Broadcasting' program. Additionally, he met with Hope Worsham and her team at the Office of Public School Accountability to discuss their work on setting standards for school letter grades. Finally, Beau attended Module 2 of the PLS program in Dallas, where he had the opportunity to connect with key leaders in education and communications, including President Bush and First Lady Bush.

VIII.1.c. Board Member Remarks and Discussion

Before commissioners' report, the floor was opened for board member questions, comments, concerns.

SBE Member Randy Henderson attended the NEA Regional Career and Technical Education Showcase hosted by Rivercrest School District. He highlighted the event's success and emphasized the crucial role CTE programs play in providing valuable opportunities for students.

SBE Member Dr. Gary Arnold requested an update from Hope Worsham on her work with the Assessment project and expressed excitement about the promising data.

VIII.3. Commissioner's Report - Secretary Jacob Oliva

Secretary Jacob Oliva began his report with a recap of the 'demo day' at the Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind, marking the next phase of the new facilities construction. Regarding the Standards Setting process, he confirmed they are in the final phase of the redesign, which began over two and a half years ago. He provided updates on revised standards for ELA, math, and professional learning, and plans to present options for a workshop at the April Board Meeting. Oliva also discussed the opening of the Educational Freedom Account Portals on March 1, 2025, a key component of the LEARNS Act, with approximately 30,000 students already registered. Lastly, he highlighted the progress of Arkansas ACCESS, legislation aimed at removing barriers to student success, which recently passed through committee and is advancing through the session.

As part of its regular schedule, the State Board generally convenes on the second Thursday of each month to address issues impacting the educational landscape. Each meeting aims to consider, vote on, or generate orders related to agenda items.

For more information and to access the agenda and documents for this meeting, please click here.

State Board of Education

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