30 Years And Counting

Rollins’ Leadership a Constant in School District

Jim Rollins, Springdale Public Schools superintendent, smiles Dec. 21 in his office at 804 W. Johnson Ave. in Springdale. Rollins became superintendent of Springdale Public Schools in 1982. He began his career as a junior high school science teacher in North Little Rock in 1972.

Jim Rollins, Springdale Public Schools superintendent, smiles Dec. 21 in his office at 804 W. Johnson Ave. in Springdale. Rollins became superintendent of Springdale Public Schools in 1982. He began his career as a junior high school science teacher in North Little Rock in 1972.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

— Jim Rollins originally planned to be a physician.

During a break from medical research at the University of Oklahoma, however, Rollins was drawn to a position teaching science at a junior high school in North Little Rock. He was 24 years old at the time.

“I just fell in love with it,” Rollins said about the education field.

At A Glance

The Superintendent’s Contract

The Springdale School Board likely will conduct its annual evaluation of Superintendent Jim Rollins in January, as it does every year. The board usually adds a year to his contract after evaluating him. Rollins’ current contract expires Dec. 31, 2014. His base salary for 2013 is $199,274.

Source: Staff Report

From teacher to vice principal to principal, Rollins quickly advanced up the career ladder in the Little Rock area. In 1980 he left for Springdale, where he became the school district’s director of secondary education. In July 1982 he succeeded the retiring Thurman Smith as superintendent.

Much has changed in Springdale since then. The city’s population has more than doubled and the School District’s enrollment has grown from roughly 6,000 to 20,121. The district has added 15 schools.

There’s been at least one constant, and that’s Rollins, whose 30-year anniversary on the job came and went last summer with little fanfare.

The national average for superintendents serving in one place is only about six years, according to Richard Abernathy, director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators.

Charles Dyer, who served as superintendent in Alma for 43 years, is believed to hold the record for longest tenure as superintendent in Arkansas, Abernathy said. Dyer died last year at age 73.

“It is very unusual for a superintendent to be at a single location for as long as Dr. Rollins,” Abernathy wrote in an email. “In a large district such as Springdale, it is very unusual. I think that says a lot about his leadership and the stability of the board. Springdale has always expected a quality educational system and that is exactly what Dr. Rollins has delivered.”

Bill Kessinger is in his 39th year as chief of the West Memphis schools, a district with about 5,600 students. He had high praise for Rollins.

“He’s a large-school superintendent who works with all the schools in Arkansas, and truly has the best interest of all the schools in Arkansas at heart,” Kessinger said. “We appreciate him.”

Asked what it takes to last in the job for decades, Kessinger said, “A lot of luck.”

More seriously, he added, “I’ve been lucky to have a good school board, so I know that’s certainly part of it. You just try the best you can to understand your community and what needs to be done.”

Rollins will turn 66 in March. At an age when most people are starting to slow down, he shows no interest in retirement.

“My work gives purpose and meaning to my life,” Rollins said. “I look at this as a privilege. There’s no opportunity to slow down, and I don’t think I would take it if there was.”

Farm Boy

Rollins grew up on a farm in Greenbrier, a small town just north of Conway. His father was a carpenter; his mother, he said, did a lot of work with the local schools in a support role.

“They were hard-working people who valued education,” Rollins said. “My mom had a passion for improving one’s life through education.”

Both of his parents have died, as has his only sibling, a younger brother.

Rollins earned his bachelor’s degree from Lyon College in Batesville, becoming the first in his family to graduate college. He continued his education at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Arkansas, where he obtained his doctorate.

Rollins and his wife, Teeta, live on a farm in Hindsville. Teeta Rollins retired from teaching a few years ago; she spent most of her 31-year career teaching at Springdale’s Lee and Parson Hills elementary schools.

Following in their footsteps is their son, Joe Rollins, a Springdale High graduate who returned to that school in 2010 as an assistant principal.

Joe Rollins and his wife had their first child, a daughter, earlier this year, making Jim Rollins a grandfather for the first time.

On a typical day, Jim Rollins rises between 5 and 6 a.m. He’s usually at the office by 7 a.m. It’s not uncommon for his work to extend into the evening. Monthly School Board meetings, for example, start at 5 p.m. and regularly last for at least two hours.

Besides his day job, Rollins also manages a herd of beef cattle on his property.

“It’s great therapy,” he said about working on the farm. “The animals like you every day. They encourage you every day. You’re outside, breathing fresh air. It works well to give you a complete day.”

He said he likes to be around something that’s growing and improving. The cattle do just that.

Accountability, Partnerships

Rollins said he’s seen an increased emphasis placed on the personalization of learning during the last 30 years.

The schools are improving the ways they connect with each student using multiple instructional strategies, he said. District officials also have been intent on tapping into various hands-on learning techniques, whether that’s letting kids build robots out of plastic building blocks or having them develop their own businesses through which they learn the basics of economics.

“The next great wave of education is this student engagement piece, and elevating it and elevating it and elevating it,” Rollins said.

Asked what about his tenure has made him most proud, he shifts the spotlight from himself to others — the students, the teachers, staff members and other central office administrators.

“There’s so much conversation today about accountability,” he said. “All of that external accountability is important, but what I’m most proud of is the internal accountability system. Our teachers demand accountability from themselves. They stretch to get better. When something doesn’t work, they are constantly willing to regroup, rethink.”

With the district’s rapid growth in recent years, dozens of new teachers are hired each year. The veteran teachers set an example for the new ones, Rollins said.

Rollins doesn’t get into specifics when asked about his biggest career disappointment.

“There are pushes and pulls every day,” he said. “As humans we all experience disappointment. We have to accept them for what they are and do all we can do to reach a higher level of success.”

As he speaks about the School District, Rollins goes into depth about the importance of building partnerships, particularly with parents and businesses. If the schools can find a way to get parents to take a role in the schools, they will be more likely to impart to their kids the importance of education, he said. If businesses buy into the notion that their future success is directly impacted by the success of Springdale students, they will be more likely to support the schools in some way.

“You’ve got to find ways to open the door and let people in,” Rollins said.

Leadership Shows

Kathy McFetridge, Springdale School Board president, has known Rollins since she joined the board in 1991. She called him a “tremendous leader.”

She said his leadership style is such that he allows the people working under him, such as the building principals, to exercise their own leadership styles.

“He guides them, but he doesn’t dictate what they do,” McFetridge said. “Each principal leads their building a little differently. He really allows that. He loves to see the leaders underneath him grow and develop.”

One of the few times she’s heard people express dislike of Rollins was years ago when he didn’t cancel school during an extreme weather event.

“We had some students at one of the elementary schools who had to stay a little longer after school because of the weather. It was upsetting to some of the parents. But that night everyone got home safely,” McFetridge said.

Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse served on the School Board from 1999 to 2008, when he was elected to his first term as mayor. As a board member, he said he learned a lot from watching Rollins.

“He has a real ability to be really steady and bring people around an issue,” Sprouse said. “He gets people to see issues clearly and come to a consensus on how best to move forward. I can’t imagine a better and more effective leader for a public school system.”

Rollins has had to make tough decisions over the years that haven’t been popular with some people, Sprouse said.

“I don’t think you can have a position like Jim’s and not ruffle people’s feathers. But I’ve always admired the way he approaches those who really are at odds with some decision he’s made,” Sprouse said.

Rollins remains as optimistic as ever about the future of his school district.

“Our best work is in front of us,” Rollins said. “That excites me greatly.”