BENTONVILLE -- The principal of Willowbrook Elementary School received a standing ovation during Monday's School Board meeting for being named a master principal.
The state Department of Education on Friday announced Cindy Dewey as the 30th person to achieve the master principal distinction. The honor goes to those who successfully complete three years of intense professional development and an additional year of performance evaluations through the Arkansas Leadership Academy.
Tax relief
Ron Shelby, chief executive officer of Hight Jackson Associates design firm, presented a check for $8,030 to School District officials at Monday’s School Board meeting. The money came through federal tax credits the firm received for exceeding certain design standards on the Willowbrook Elementary and Bright Field Middle school buildings. The firm decided to turn over its tax savings to the district, Shelby said.
Source: Staff Report
Dewey thanked her staff at Willowbrook and those who had supported her in her pursuit of the honor.
"The things we have going on (at Willowbrook) are because of the staff," Dewey said. "It's a joy to go there every day."
The state Legislature authorized the master principal program in 2003. The first master principals were named in 2007. Two other Bentonville School District employees -- Tanya Sharp, now the district's executive director of student services, and Lisa St. John, principal of Apple Glen Elementary School -- have achieved master principal status.
Master principals receive a $9,000 per year bonus for five years upon earning the designation. They are eligible for an additional $25,000 per year for five years if they are selected to serve at a low-performing school.
Diana Peer, the academy's master principal leader, attended Monday's board meeting to recognize Dewey for her accomplishment.
"I want you to know how big a deal this is," Peer told the School Board.
She called Arkansas' master principal program the most rigorous of its kind in the country. The academy is called upon to identify "the brightest and best" making a difference for kids in Arkansas, Peer said.
Dewey "has led Willowbrook to be a wonderful place for children," Peer said.
Dewey has been Willowbrook's principal since it opened in August 2012. She also was principal of Centerton Gamble Elementary School when it opened in 2008 and assistant principal of Central Park Elementary when it opened in 2005.
Under Dewey's guidance, Willowbrook has emphasized project-based learning. That's a teaching method that allows students to explore complex questions or problems in detail while the teacher serves primarily as a facilitator rather than an instructor.
"Project-based learning is growing and growing. It is the coolest thing to see in action," Dewey said.
Willowbrook, the district's second-largest elementary school, has 840 students in grades kindergarten through four.
Also during Monday's board meeting, Superintendent Michael Poore noted the appointment of Lincoln Junior High School principal Jonathon Guthrie to Gov. Asa Hutchinson's Council on Common Core Review. Guthrie was one of 16 people chosen to serve on the council. More than 700 applied, according to the governor's office.
"I'm very honored and humbled and looking forward to the (council's) first meeting," Guthrie said. "It's very important. We need to get this right, move past the politics and do what's right for the kids of Arkansas."
Guthrie said he interviewed last week with Hutchinson's education policy adviser.
"They really wanted to make sure they had people who would keep an open mind," Guthrie said.
Hutchinson called Guthrie on Friday to inform him he'd been selected for the council.
The council will study the state's use of math and literacy standards that have been adopted by most states, including Arkansas. Some in the state and elsewhere have urged officials to reconsider the use of those standards. Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin is the council's chairman.
Guthrie is in his fifth year as Lincoln Junior High's principal and has worked about 20 years total in education. He previously was an assistant principal at Washington Junior High School.
Dave Perozek can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWADaveP.
NW News on 03/17/2015