New Conway Interim School Superintendent Prioritizes Job Security For Top Administrators….Nothing For Teachers

AR Code 6-17-301. Employment of licensed personnel (a) states –

(1) A school district board of directors may employ superintendents, deputy superintendents, assistant superintendents, and high school principals, as well as department heads, coaches, teachers, and other licensed personnel by written contract for a period of time not more than three (3) years.

(2) A contract may be renewed annually.

While School Boards across the State have routinely employed Superintendents on three-year contracts, everyone on down from Deputy Superintendents to Bus Drivers have been employed on one-year contracts….until now.

Stay with me a minute.

At the June 29^th Conway School Board meeting, the Board entered into a separation agreement with School Superintendent Jeff Collum and then promptly named Deputy Superintendent Jason Black the Interim Superintendent.

Now you would think that someone hastily picked to step in as the Interim Superintendent would not have much influence or power over the Board right ?….Well as the French say “Au contraire Pierre !”

Eight days later, Black rolled into the July 8^th Board meeting with a shocking plan….Something I nor anyone I have talked to has ever heard before.

In executive session with the Board, he recommended changing the Deputy Superintendent and two Assistant Superintendent position contracts from one to two years….I kid you not.

Now just to do my due diligence in backing up what I already knew, I FOI’d the contracts of Deputy Superintendents and Assistant Superintendents from School Districts with comparable enrollment numbers – North Little Rock, Cabot, Bryant, Fayetteville, Pulaski County Special School District, and Fort Smith….As I already knew, none of them give those positions two-year contracts….None.

For the Hell of it, and to make an even bigger point, I also FOI’d the State’s largest School District, Springdale, and they don’t give two-year contracts either.

Now according to the Arkansas Department of Education, 55.6% of the students in Conway Schools CANNOT read at grade level.

So instead of making that the priority right out of the gate, Black instead chose to focus on extending the employment contracts of the higher ups….Somebody explain to me how that will help the District’s dismal reading scores ?

Not to worry though because the Board surely looked at Black like he was crazy and then voted NO to his absurd recommendation, right ?….Right ?….Wrong !

In an even more absurd move, the Board voted to approve Black’s recommendation.

Board President Sheila Franklin along with members Leona Walton, Trip Leach, Leo Cummings and Dave Naylor all voted YES to the recommendation with members Barrett Petty and Linda Hargis voting NO….at least two Board members had a brain that night.

I emailed Black asking him the following –

1. What was your reasoning for the recommendation ?
2. Why just the Deputy and Assistant Superintendent positions ?
3. Why not all the positions throughout the District ?

I then emailed the five Board members who voted Yes asking them the following –

1. What was your reasoning to vote for the recommendation?
2. What research did you do to support your vote ?
3. Why just the Deputy and Assistant Superintendent positions ?
4. Why not all the positions throughout the District ?

I also emailed Petty and Hargis asking them what their reasoning was for voting NO.

The only two that responded were Petty and Hargis….and respond they did.

Petty’s response –

Hello Mr. Cavin,

The following statement is ONLY from ME and I am NOT speaking on behalf of the Conway School Board. The motion you are referencing includes the resignations and the elections that were on the July 8th agenda. The elections’ list did include the contract addendums. I was not in favor of the contract addendums. Before this occurrence, I have never heard of anyone other than the superintendent receiving a guaranteed, multi-year contract. I felt the Board was not only creating a questionable precedent but potentially stripping autonomy from the new superintendent IF the Board hires a new superintendent. I was also concerned on how this decision would impact teacher and staff morale as they only receive one-year contracts.

Hargis’s response –

My no vote had nothing to do with the people holding those positions. When this topic of extending Asst Supts’ contracts by 1 year was brought up in executive session, it was a quick decision made in a matter of minutes, and we all agreed.  After having time to reflect and consider it, I did not agree! First of all, after contacting 11 districts in this state with comparable number of students and two with double the number, I found that not one had any Asst Supts with 2 year contracts. Only one had more Asst Superintendents than we do. Secondly, the purpose was to provide job security for these positions in view of all that had happened. I began thinking about our teachers and the many who have expressed fears of retaliation if they speak out, nor do they have the Fair Dismissal Act any more to protect them. I don’t see this kind of concern for our teachers being under stress. The teachers are the backbone of the district. They have the hardest jobs being in the classroom 7 hrs a day without the opportunity to even go to the restroom without someone coming to monitor their classrooms. They deal with students who are disrespectful and rude every day, students who have behavioral issues who act out and disrupt, and those who could care less about being there. I’ve been on both sides of the desk, and I don’t take anything away from administrators (they have their difficulties as well) but I will stand with the teachers every single time especially if we are comparing the difficulty and fear concerning their jobs.

As for the promotion of an Asst Supt to Deputy Supt. I have never understood or agreed with having that position. We have never had it until Dr Collum. It is money that could be used to benefit instruction. That money could be two  Reading  Specialist positions. As I stated before, only one other district of the eleven I contacted had more Asst Superintendents that we have and two of those have double our students. 

I received an enormous amount of emails, texts, and calls with all asking me to vote no to both. What solidified my decision was learning that a very diverse group of community members got together and agreed to take a poll. There were seven of them. They were each to contact 50 people asking their opinion about these two issues. They received 300 responses. All voted a hard NO on the contract issue.  Only 3 or 4 responded with a yes on Deputy Supt issue. The rest were hard Nos. I don’t believe the majority of this community was in favor of either one, and those are the people that this board represents. 

The bottom line for me, neither one benefited the students!

Both are well thought out rational positions.

I would love to give you the rationale behind Black’s, Franklin’s, Walton’s, Leach’s, Cummings’ and Naylor’s positions but apparently their lips are sealed from the public….Gotta love tha transparency !

Sources within the District tell me that Black told the Board he was making the recommendation because he wanted to “Take care of my People.”

I guess the teachers, custodians, nurses, maintenance workers and so on don’t qualify as….his People.

What those five Board members and Black told the boots on the ground in the District is that their value is 50% less than the upper Administration’s.

To Ms. Hargis’ point, I end with this question to those five Board members and Jason Black –

How did this decision benefit the students in the District ?….Bet we don’t get an answer to that one either.

#FactsNotFiction

Jimmie Cavin

Professional Bully Fighter I investigate and report on issues around the State of Arkansas with an emphasis on Government. I am strong conservative however I bring Truth and Facts regardless of Party affiliation….My hashtag is #FactsNotFiction