I’m very pleased to share this 2012 opening-of-school-year report.
The Springdale School District is experiencing significant student growth. More than 750 new students have joined our student body, bringing the enrollment to 20,907.
Springdale is the second-largest school district in Arkansas, and families continue to move here from across the region and around the world. In my view, they choose Springdale for many reasons.
There is a success orientation in this region of Arkansas that is contagious. There is hope here. There is the opportunity for jobs. There are reasonably priced homes. There are excellent schools, hospitals and libraries. And the list goes on.
People are respected here. There is pride here. Families know there is an opportunity for an excellent future here. We grow because people want to be a part of something good. They want to be a part of a community that values children and does all it can to give our children an opportunity for a successful future.
With the help of our patrons, teachers and community leaders, we’ve been able to plan and bring online new schools to accommodate our continuing student growth. A new middle school opened this year, and a new junior high school will open next year. That planning for new schools and construction of new schools has been done in partnership with the patrons of this school district. That is a constant necessity in a growing community. As a result of your partnership with each other and our teachers and principals, the 2012 school year in the Springdale School District opened in excellent fashion, and I thank each of you who have been contributors to the process.
I especially want to thank our parents for being full partners with our teachers and our schools. You share your children, but you do more than that. You volunteer at every turn. You help shelve library books, help with car washes, serve as members of the PTA and booster clubs, support and travel with the school band, attend speech-and-debate tournaments and buy T-shirts you may never wear.
You are in every sense a partner. That’s what makes this community and this school district special. You are appreciated. Your partnership matters. It breathes hope and life into the work of every teacher and every student.
Thank you, Springdale! You are an inspiration to the 20,907 children enrolled and to the educational team that serves them.
Jim Rollins is superintendent of Springdale Public Schools. He has served in that capacity since 1982.