BENTONVILLE -- The School District's new superintendent will be expected to upgrade technology, reduce achievement gaps and enhance career programs during her first year on the job.
Those are among the goals listed for Debbie Jones in her contract, which the board unanimously approved Monday.
The new superintendent
Debbie Jones started with the district as deputy superintendent in February, having previously served as an administrator at the Arkansas Department of Education. She served as interim superintendent for about a month before the board named her as Michael Poore’s permanent replacement.
Source: Staff report
Jones, chosen last month to succeed Michael Poore as superintendent, will be paid $209,500 for this fiscal year, which started July 1. Poore was earning the same salary before leaving for the superintendent's job in Little Rock in June.
The contract outlines seven areas the board wishes for Jones to concentrate on this school year. Jones wrote in an email she is pleased with the contract and feels the performance goals upon which she and the board agreed "will serve to focus the district's work upon valuable and worthy targets."
The first goal listed is to "enhance district culture" by leading the district in a "respectful and professional manner," according to the contract.
Jones' performance on this matter may be measured by the number of supportive and unsupportive comments received from the public, as well as positive and professional interactions with board members and staff members, according to the contract.
"Enhance technology progress" is listed second. Increasing instructional use of technology and removing barriers so students may prepare for a digital world is a smart goal, Jones wrote.
"These efforts have already begun with the implementation of Google Classroom in the district this year. This establishes a safe way for students and teachers in the district to digitally collaborate and create," she wrote.
Under an instruction-related goal, Jones is expected to decrease achievement gaps in math, literacy and the graduation rate; identify schools that are underperforming and direct resources to those schools; and publicly communicate academic performances by both the district and individual schools.
Certain students are classified under what's called the targeted achievement gap group, also known as TAGG. The group includes students who are economically disadvantaged, who are English language learners or who have some kind of disability.
Bentonville's graduation rate among students in that group has fallen short of the state average the past four years.
The district will expand its intervention efforts that focus on those not achieving in order to close the achievement gap, Jones wrote.
Another goal listed in the contract is to improve career programs. The contract lists several suggested actions under this goal, such as increasing opportunities for students to do externships or partner with industry.
"We have a successful model of a professional studies program with Ignite; those practices should be practiced in the other career education programs," Jones wrote in her email.
Jones will be expected to deliver a balanced budget for this school year, open Osage Creek Elementary School and Creekside Middle School next year, and execute a plan to deliver a 12th elementary school and sixth middle school, according to the contract.
In addition, Jones must maintain, update and communicate a construction and financial plan to support growth needed for the next seven to 10 years. Input will be requested from community and city leaders as part of that process, Jones said.
District enrollment is up by more than 3 percent this year and has grown nearly 20 percent in the past five years.
Another goal surrounds board and community relations, including directives to provide open communications with board members and "respond to public concerns in a timely and informed manner," the contract states.
The board began inserting specific goals for each school year into the superintendent's contract two years ago.
The process of establishing those goals involves individual board members submitting ideas they think are important. Board member Matt Burgess then acts as a mediator between the board and the superintendent to finalize the contract language, board president Travis Riggs said.
The board got its first chance to see the proposed list of goals for Jones during an executive session Monday.
"I'm looking forward to this year. I think she's going to do a great job for us," Riggs said.
The board annually reviews the superintendent's performance -- usually during the first quarter of the calendar year -- and considers at that time whether to extend the superintendent's contract by another year. Jones' contract runs through June 30, 2019.
NW News on 08/18/2016