Jason Black

The meeting included the recognition of the Student of the Month and the Pledge of Allegiance. Key recognitions included Carolyn Lewis Elementary receiving the 2025 Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year award, and Coach Buck James being honored for his induction into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. Board President Sheila Franklin also received the ASBA certificate of boardsmanship award. Discussions involved the approval of consent agenda items, including a question regarding a large invoice from the College Board. The interim superintendent provided updates on upcoming board elections for zones two and three, and extended holiday wishes. The district financial report indicated strong tax receipts for October and November, showing growth in fund balances compared to the previous year. Action items included the approval of the 2025-2026 academic calendar, with Option One being selected by staff majority, and a request to extend the contract for the strategic planning consultant, Dr. Jeff Standard, through June 30th to finalize the superintendent search and strategic plan deliverables, which requires an additional $54,000.

This document outlines the progress and future strategic direction for Conway Public School District for the 2025-2026 academic year. It details district-wide plans for reading, math, behavior, safety, and mentoring, alongside a Strategic Readiness Plan. Key priorities include enhancing academic achievement and student services, fostering a culture of excellence, ensuring transparency and trustworthiness, and developing a comprehensive stakeholder-driven strategic plan. The plan aims to prepare students for college, career, and life, expand creative opportunities in the arts, develop leaders through athletics, and build belonging through various activities, all while cultivating community relationships and maintaining a safe environment.

The strategic plan for Conway Public School District is built upon six core values: Students First, Staff Committed to Excellence, Valuing and Respecting Diversity, Providing Innovative Educational Opportunities, Cultivating Community Relationships, and Maintaining a Safe and Caring Environment. Its mission is to empower every student with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to thrive, with a vision to become a district of choice by July 1, 2026, attracting top talent, fostering excellence, and pursuing national distinction for student achievement. The plan outlines four key district priorities: enhancing academic achievement and student services, cultivating a culture of excellence, demonstrating transparency and trustworthiness, and developing a stakeholder-driven, multi-year strategic plan.

The strategic plan for Conway Public School District outlines a comprehensive framework to enhance behavior systems, focusing on proactive supports, consistent discipline, restorative approaches, and strong community partnerships. Key strategic focus areas include shifting from punitive to proactive supports, ensuring alignment across Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) tiers, fostering community and staff engagement, maintaining legal and policy compliance, building human capital, and implementing long-term strategic planning. The plan aims to reduce suspensions by 10% by December 2026, increase staff and parent confidence in behavior management to 75% by 2027, ensure equity in discipline, and achieve 100% MTSS fidelity across campuses by 2027.

The three-year action plan for Conway Public Schools focuses on enhancing its educator workforce by recruiting and retaining a diverse and representative team. Key objectives include increasing the diversity of teachers and leaders by 1% and achieving an 80% retention rate for the classroom workforce by the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Additionally, the plan aims to foster future educators by increasing participation of diverse students in the Teacher Cadet Program by 1% by the same timeframe.