Arkansas Educator Volume 41, No.5

ARKANSAS

EDUCATOR PROUDLY PUBLISHED BY THE ARKANSAS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

VOLUME 41 N O 5 | FALL 2020

’21 Legislature to Convene Amid COVID Surge

A LEGISLATIVE SESSION LIKE NO OTHER

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INSIDE: CHALLENGING STUDENTS IN A CHALLENGING TIME • COVID CONFIDENTIAL: WHAT’S IT REALLY LIKE IN AR SCHOOLS

SPOTLIGHT: LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS The Little Rock School District will begin next year with a newly elected school board for the first time in nearly six years following a state takeover in 2015.

The Little Rock Education Association successfully supported a majority of the newly elected board members, including a retired educator and other community advocates who fought against the state’s attempt to resegregate the district last year.

The LREA election committee organized canvassing, phone banking and other volunteer activities for both the general election, and a runoff in two zones to help ensure a student focused board would lead the return to local control of the Capitol city’s schools.

While the new board is a step foward, the district remains in Level 5 support status, and the state board of education placed limits on the local board’s ability to file lawsuits, hire or fire the superintendent, recognize the LREA as a sole bargaining agent, or change the makeup of the Personnel Policy Committe.

EDUCATOR VOLUME 41 NO 5 FALL 2020

PRESIDENT CAROL FLEMING VICE PRESIDENT MARY KNIGHT SECRETARY-TREASURER AUDREY NICHOLS

CONTENTS *COVID* CONFIDENTIAL

Photo Essay: Little Rock Educators Support School Board Election

8 COVID Confidential

1 A letter from the President

AEA-NEA DIRECTOR BRENDA ROBINSON AEA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TRACEY-ANN NELSON EDITOR KYLE LEYENBERGER

VISIT US ONLINE AT: aeaonline.org/AREducator Follow us on Twitter @ArkEducation Become an AEA Facebook friend.

ARKANSAS EDUCATOR is published as a service to all members of the Arkansas Education Association 1500 West 4th Street Little Rock, AR 72201 t: 501-375-4611 f: 501-375-4620 tf: 800-632-0624 ADVERTISERS Advertising contents should be addressed to the Editor. Advertising rates are available upon request. Advertising is printed as a service to readers and publication does not imply Association endorsement. The Association reserves the right to refuse any advertising.

2 NEWSFLASH: NEA Foundation Supports AR Community Schools, Digital Media Campaign Promoting the AEA’s Work, AEA Member Wins Settlement

10 ESP Profile: Triumph Over Adversity: Building Community Support for Pre-K 12 AEA Primary Elections

4 PREVIEW 2021 Legislative Session

18 ANNN: Arkansas Educators Hit Hard

by COVID-19, New Figures Show 22 From the Desk of the Executive Director 23 AEA 2020 Virtual RA 5 MEMBER PROFILE: REACHing Great Heights Challenging Students in a Challenging Time

I SUPPORT FRIENDS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION

Q: How can educators support pro-public education candidates?

A: Contribute to the Arkansas Committee for Children and Public Education!

Visit AEAonline.org/accpe to give today! *Donations up to $50 are tax deductible

WINTER 2020

A L E T T E R F ROM THE PRESIDENT

It goes without saying that 2020 has been a year of challenges and triumph.

Educators have been called on to do extraordinary things in dangerous circumstances as the COVID-19 pandemic rages around our state. Despite the COVID pandemic, our members persevere; rise to the challenges; provide support to students; and find innovative ways to celebrate success.

From the early closure of our schools in the Spring, to a premature return to face-to-face learning that has exacerbated the spread of the virus; students, educators and their families have faced great uncertainty. Thousands of positive cases in our schools have forced shifts to online learning with little notice, and more than a dozen educators lost their lives to the virus in just a few months.

In this issue, we feature deep reporting from the Arkansas Nonprofit News Network on what educators met during that return to in-person teaching. We also offered educators an opportunity to share what they’re experiencing anonymously in our COVID Confidential feature.

The virus is also sure to affect the upcoming 2021 Legislative Session, set to begin January 11th. It already promises to be a session like no other. From school funding and salaries to the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System and using public funds to expand private school vouchers, higher education issues and everything in between, we anticipate a contentious and difficult session for education in Arkansas. Check out our legislative update to ensure you are ready to join us as we advocate for our students and profession.

One of AEA’s longtime priorities, legislative support for Pre-K, is near and dear to Kathleen Hale of the Fayetteville Education Association. Find out how she has overcome challenges to build a strong program that continues to thrive during the pandemic. We also meet Rogers EA President Ashley Rieske, who is working to keep students healthy while finding new ways to keep her local engaged and working together to advocate for safe working conditions.

Finally, be sure to check out the AEA Primary Election Candidates on pages 12-17. You can find pictures and brief statements for each candidate in the election. Voting for active members will be available online at AEAonline.org beginning at 8:00 a.m. on February 8, 2021 and ending on February 22, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. If a final election is held, members will be able to vote March 22, 2021 beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending April 12, 2021 at 5:00 p.m.

Thank you for all you do for Arkansas’s students, and I hope you find rest over the upcoming winter break.

Carol Fleming, President, AEA

ABOUT PRESIDENT FLEMING: Carol B. Fleming MS, CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist currently serving as President of the Arkansas Education Association. Before taking the helm of the state’s largest association for education professionals, Fleming spent two decades working with students at Pulaski Heights Middle School within the Little Rock School District. Fleming has worked to ensure good public education policies at the local, state and national level. As a parent of an adult with special needs, she is reminded daily of the importance of advocating on behalf of the professions and those served which has fueled her passion for education, leadership, and professional issues. Her goal is to get others to become involved to support successful public schools.

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NEA FOUNDATION GRANT TO EXPAND COMMUNITY SCHOOLS Two Arkansas school districts will serve as models in development of community schools thanks to a grant secured through a partnership with the AEA and the NEA Foundation.

Community Schools mobilize students, families, educators, and community members to develop a grassroots vision for their schools and communities, and they work together to achieve their vision.

During the summer of 2020, the NEA Foundation released a by-invitation only request for proposals (RFP) from partnerships engaged in developing or expanding community schools across Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. AEA worked closely with ForwARd Arkansas and the Arkansas Coalition of Community Schools on this venture.

As a result, Arkansas was awarded a $75,000 grant to implement community school strategies to address community need; build on existing community assets; and improve outcomes for students and families, especially in low income communities with the greatest need.

The Little Rock School District and Batesville School District were identified as model districts to implement this program. This includes working closely and creating a partnership with leaders within the LRSD, City of Little Rock, Batesville School District, Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce, ForwARd Arkansas, and AEA. The grant will address needs ranging from a broad state-level infrastructure to field testing school-level implementation for the purpose of creating model community schools in rural and urban settings.

A resource of “What Works� will be

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created outlining lessons learned and best practices in Arkansas urban and rural community schools. AEA is excited to be part of this partnership with the goal to support the development of community schools both locally and as a southern regional strategy.

Additionally, the NEA Foundation is providing technical assistance to the grant recipients and partners. This support will include training rural and urban Community School coordinators; outreach and marketing strategies to promote and activate demand for Community Schools in other regions of the state; and develop policy and funding strategies which will include steps to enact legislative language for the infrastructure of funding and financing.

Plans are set for future funding strategies that include both local and national philanthropy efforts; legislation to provide state level resources; and federal funding sources.

The Community Schools Model is based on the work of Chicago immigrant communities in the late 1800s.

Comparable to what we see throughout our communities today, there was a lack of resources to support immigrant families and many children were living in poverty.

During wartime and the depression, communities began wraparound services for students (particularly those in poverty) as school was the only place for exposure to art and music. There was the realization that students living in poverty and not having their basic needs met may not be as successful as their healthy and well-fed peers.

Since then, many advances and partnerships have been forged to create community schools within districts and states. These relationships have increased student success; led to higher educator retention; and greater communication between stakeholders.

A NEW DIGITAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN IS PROMOTING THE AEA’S WORK IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

NEWS FLASH

The message focuses on the benefits of public schools and their more qualified educators and diverse student bodies. The commercial was shot over several days in October and is now being used to ensure everyone knows when communities support public schools, those communities thrive!

The $135,000 National Education Association Media Grant will allow AEA to share this message on social media, websites and streaming services over the coming months.

Check it out: aeaonline.org/facts

AEA MEMBER WINS $15K OVERTIME SETTLEMENT WITH SCHOOL BOARD AEA UniServ staff worked with a North Little Rock member to ensure he received $15,000 in overtime pay for work he did outside of his normal duties.

North Little Rock IT professional Brian Drause began recording the North Little Rock School Board at his boss’ request a decade ago.

At that time, district policy allowed employees to accumulate overtime, and then either take comp days or turn the overtime in for money. Drause was so busy he never managed to take a day off and accrued $19k in overtime.

Though Drause was never notified of changes or given an opportunity to cash in before they took place, he was told a new policy only allowed 40 hours of overtime to accrue. While Drause earned every cent, it was not clear that he would be able to collect. AEA helped him build the case to present to the school board, creating a timeline to show the hours he worked under each policy.

“I wanted the board to see how much time he had accumulated for each school year and under which policy,” said UniServ Director Renee Johnson.

“I was afraid they would only pay that amount under that year’s policy.”

That would mean Drause would only be compensated for 40 of the 700 hours he worked. When Drause had the opportunity to speak, he told the board he just wanted to be paid for the work he’d done for the district.

And it worked. The board voted to pay him $15,000 of the $19k total, much higher than the current policy, or even what labor laws would have likely covered.

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State budget hearings were held in October and November ahead of the session. The House and Senate Education Committee serving as the Educational Adequacy Committee submitted its recommendations on how to resource public schools for the next two years to legislative leadership and Governor Hutchinson adopted their recommendation into his proposed budget. This is a largely positive recommendation that includes several issues for which AEA advocated, including significantly more investment in public education and a proposal to set aside millions more for school districts to increase teacher pay.

If approved by the General Assembly, it will be the single largest increase in state investment in public education in Arkansas in 14 years.

Lawmakers have already begun prefiling bills ahead of this year’s session.

As always, AEA will be closely monitoring any legislation that impacts the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System after successfully fending off a multi-pronged attack on public retirement systems in the 2019 legislative session. Lawmakers have until January 25th to file any retirement related bills.

The Arkansas General Assembly is set to convene a general legislative session on January 11, 2021.

The state continues to grapple with the spread of the coronavirus which means this legislative session will be different than ever before.

Rep. Matthew Shepherd (R) El Dorado, has once again been elected by his peers to serve as Speaker of the House and Sen. Jimmy Hickey (R) Texarkana has been newly elected to serve as President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

Unlike many states that have seen a negative, coronavirus-related impact on their budgets. Arkansas is in a fairly strong financial position going into this legislative session. The Department of Finance and Administration has reported state revenues well above projections. This is critical as we work to ensure that our schools are properly funded, and that health and retirement benefits are protected. However, with the federally funded COVID-19 rescue package ending in December, there is growing economic uncertainty.

In addition, we anticipate multi-faceted attempts to divert public funds for private schools through various unaccountable voucher schemes or related “pandemic pods.” Although AEA has been widely successful in defeating these attacks, we anticipate a stronger, renewed attempt to expand on these efforts.

Over the summer, Arkansas saw millions of dollars come into the state as part of the CARES Act approved by Congress including $20 million that was allocated for additional paid leave for public school employees. Current guidelines require the state to spend its share of CARES Act funds by December 31.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR AEA Annual Legislative Conference Saturday, January 23 AEA Lobby Week March 22-26

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AEA is planning our annual Legislative Conference for Saturday, January 23 and all members are invited to attend. We are also tentatively planning to host our AEA Lobby Week March 22-26 which aligns with Spring Break. We invite all AEA members to join AEA leadership and staff to attend committee meetings and meet with lawmakers about public education issues. Please note that plans are still being finalized for how the public will be able to safely engage in this legislative session, so modifications to Lobby Week will likely be necessary.

MEMBER PROFILE ASHLEY RIESKE

CHALLENGING STUDENTS DURING A CHALLENGING TIME

On a recent Tuesday, one of Ashley Rieske’s fifth grade classes is learning about whale flukes. Through online research, the kids find out each whale tale is unique, but the lesson doesn’t end on the web. The information is applied into hand painted killer whale tale sculptures.

“We give them a different experience than what they get in their regular classrooms,” Rieske said. “We’re encouraging them to think in different ways.”

As the Rogers School District’s REACH Coordinator, she splits her time between schools. In the lower grades, Rieske gets 30 minutes a week with all students to work on creative thinking or problem solving. Those schoolwide classes help to identify future participants for her pullout program serving gifted 3rd 4th and 5th grade students.

“We get to come in and work on enrichment type activities and a lot of it too that most people don’t realize is social emotional,” she said. “They come and connect with other people that think like they do; to see that, ‘Oh I am different than everyone else, but there are people like me, just not maybe a ton of them in my class.’”

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can help them work through those social emotional issues and teach them that learning process.”

She’s also tasked with providing a literal safe place to hold class thanks to the coronavirus.

“Everybody is exhausted and just that constant worry of, ‘Am I keeping my kids safe? Am I doing what I need to for them?’” she said. “We’re doing our best but our situations aren’t always ideal.”

Because her students are from different homerooms, they are stationed in socially distant clusters around the room. It’s almost like everybody is a first-year teacher again.

How do I do this digitally? How do I keep them safe, but keep as close to the same experience as they would normally have?”

While it’s impossible to keep them apart completely, Rieske says they’re doing their best, and she uses technology to help students connect while saying physically separated.

The isolation kids can feel in homeroom can also be exacerbated when educators focus on students who need more help.

I think if people slow down and realize, ‘Oh! All these things I’m passionate about, AEA is working on and I can come be a part of this,’ they understand the benefit of working together.

- Ashley Rieske

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“Our gifted kids often get overlooked just because of time,” she said. “They’re doing ok in class so those are the last kids we get to because we’re trying to help pull these other students up to where they need to be.”

Rieske also provides a safe place for students to struggle with content so they aren’t blindsided by more challenging material in later grades. While an average learner may fail several times before reaching a target, many of Rieske’s students quickly pick up new concepts and don’t have the same experience.

“They don’t know how to fail and it’s middle school or high school before they hit things and don’t know how to cope,” she said. “We try to set up situations in our classrooms where they can have a safe failure and we

“They were getting tired of working with the same kids all the time because that’s who they were around,” she said. “We use Google Meet. Even though we’re sitting in the same room, we can’t sit together so we do breakout rooms and mix up the people they’re working with. It was just research, but they thought it was the best thing ever because it was just different people.”

Rieske feels comfortable with technology but says this year has been challenging.

In addition to all the normal daily activities, educators are constantly learning new software and experimenting with new ways to share information.

“I’m doing so much more generation of content,” she said. “I’m taking these lessons I’ve already done and trying to develop them into something that we can sit at our desks and do but still have the same experience.”

The virus is also making organizing more difficult. Rieske took the helm of the Rogers Education Association two years ago and says the plans for membership drives were replaced with crisis communications and public awareness efforts.

“The first thing we did that really got people’s attention was that we put out a letter back before schools shut down,” and posted it on Facebook.” she said. “I was hoping to reach a couple hundred people, and it was up to thousands just by the next morning. We started getting phone calls from the local TV stations, but I think that was what got the ball rolling with a lot of our members, like, ‘Oh, our local association is here. What can we do to help?’”

She said that engagement paid off, with the district listening to members’ concerns and modifying reopening plans. However, not being able to gather in person is a problem.

“We’re just kind of trying to find our footing,” she said.

“ZOOM’s great and it’s a way to do things, but it doesn’t have that same connection that you have in person and I think everybody is kind of ZOOMed out.”

Rather than piling another video call on top of PDs or staff meetings, Rieske started writing and sharing detailed recaps of school board meetings.

“I’m trying to form connections in any way I can,” she said. “They’re pretty hungry for information. It helps everyone feel like they’re more in the loop with what’s going on.”

She thinks more educators are seeing the value of the association, and even though a virus may have been what brought them in, AEA has much more to offer.

“You can join the association and help us be a voice towards these things we’re asking for and trying to navigate,” she said. “I think if people slow down and realize, ‘Oh! All these things I’m passionate about, AEA is working on and I can come be a part of this,’ they understand the benefit of working together.”

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We asked educators to share what it’s like to work in school buildings while the pandemic rages across Arkansas...

C * CONFIOVID* DENTI AL PROFILE 1: Being a teacher has always been a difficult but rewarding career. Reaching students who have struggled and helping them find success is the payoff for all the time spent nurturing relationships with our students, all the hours spent planning lessons individualized to fit the needs of diverse learners, and all the early mornings and late nights spent reading essays and grading papers. Teaching has always had its challenges, but 2020 is the first year where I’ve been scared to walk into my school building.

It’s not just the sight of hundreds of students inching their way through crowded hallways, shoulder to shoulder in a time where they should be six feet apart. It’s not just seeing students sit in classrooms with no social distancing, with nothing between them and covid-19 but a cloth mask. It’s the days when over half the staff and a fourth of the students were under quarantine for exposure to covid. It’s the lack of subs to cover the classes, causing class sizes to double and triple with no learning happening. It’s watching principals desperately begging to go virtual for the safety of their students while the governor and school officials sit on their hands.

The other thing that covid-19 has made abundantly clear is that instead of addressing the fact that students struggle to stay engaged with virtual schooling, politicians and school leaders all too often want to blame teachers and place the responsibility to fix the problems squarely on our backs.

Taking away planning time while at the same time doubling and tripling the amount of duty responsibilities is just the beginning. Continuing face to face PLC (Professional Learning Community) meetings that put teachers at risk of exposure, and other time-consuming tasks at the expense of individual planning time is not a sustainable situation for teachers.

The hard truth is that students in face-to-face learning are failing in my school at a 60% rate. Virtual students are failing at or above that rate. What we are doing is not working, and despite teachers screaming at the top of our lungs

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begging for someone to listen, none of our leaders seem to hear us. The chaos at the local level reflects the state government’s feeble and chaotic attempt at planning. All too often the state pushes responsibility off on the local districts, who then blame the state for the lack of sensible planning.

In the end, I think it’s important to acknowledge that learning is hard right now. It’s not just school aged children, college campuses across the state are struggling to keep students engaged as well. In fact, life is hard right now, and unfortunately in times like these education becomes less of a priority. We are all struggling though these difficult times.

Instead of closing their eyes, sticking their fingers in their ears, and hoping for the best our leaders need to prioritize compassion, understanding, and flexibility. Far too often the priorities remain district initiatives and new programs instead of the humanity that this moment demands. The people making decisions have either never stepped foot in a public school classroom since they graduated high school, or haven’t been in a classroom in a decade or more. This wouldn’t be so much of a problem if they would involve those of us who are on the front lines in the decision making, but so far, the preferred route seems to be sitting behind their desks and dictating instead of listening.

We are at a critical moment. Our education system is in trouble, and we walk into new challenges daily that are being ignored or put on the back burner. We are lessening restrictions and quarantine times at the very same time cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are spiking. Teachers have been asked for far too long to simply fall in line and do what we are told and told that if we really cared about our students there is nothing we wouldn’t do, including sacrificing time with our families, weekends, and summer break to ensure our kids get the best versions of us. We’ve repeatedly stepped up the plate.

But never before have we been asked to put our lives on the line every single day when we go to work. Being a teacher has always been difficult, but in 2020 being a teacher has become downright dangerous.

PROFILE 2: Our response has been piecemeal at best. Other than temperature checks for students who ride the bus we have not seen many adjustments to the school year.

Our local association made several suggestions such as staggered classroom transitions, one way hallways, adjusted lunches to reduce the number of students in the cafeteria but those were all rejected as being too difficult to implement.

There is almost no effort to enforce social distancing in the hallways or even in the classrooms. Some teachers enforce masks, most don’t. Some teachers and admin don’t even wear masks when they are inside around other people. As a result we have had many students “move to virtual temporarily.” When a student does have to be quarantined we are not asked about who they may have interacted with or if we ourselves might have been exposed.

supervised by a few teachers.

There are no district wide procedures for cleaning or sanitizing classrooms or equipment for students between classes. They do a sanitizing fog through the school on Friday evenings but that is practically useless considering there is nothing being done between class transitions.

We still have campus wide and occasionally district wide PLC meetings. Many teachers will sit shoulder to shoulder and don’t wear masks.

I will say that in general our admins are supportive of the staff and many times they have said if you need something let us know. I think the main problem is that most of the staff does not take Covid seriously. I have heard teachers who have had the virus and recovered say that they wish everyone would just get it and get it over with.

Virtual education in my opinion has been a mess. I think overall it highlights the inequalities our students face. The kids who have good internet and have adults to help them are doing ok but most have become unmotivated and some seem to have disappeared completely. They don’t respond to emails or assignments in Google Classroom and some don’t have working phone numbers. The district has made extra efforts to reach those students which is great but this all feels like a band aid on a failing system.

I have several students who were A students last year who I have not heard from at all this year.

For athletic classes I have witnessed zero social distancing or mask enforcement and athletes are the ones I have to remind the most in my class. The staff are required to record our temp each morning when we sign in. The nurses in our district have done an outstanding job. When a student is showing symptoms there is a dedicated room that they wait in until the nurse can come see them and evaluate them. The nurses tend to err on the side of caution and send students home who are not feeling well.

We recently started a virtual Friday where all in person students have the option to stay home and teachers can focus on virtual students who are falling behind. I think that will be a big help to teachers and students. The ones that do show up are kept in the auditorium and are

I have tried to take all of this in stride and educate my students the best I can but it has taken a toll on my own mental health. I feel like we have been on red alert since March but the worst of it is that most adults don’t seem to really care that they are putting other people at risk and that makes it very hard to wake up each morning and teach my students. It’s demoralizing and dangerous but it’s not surprising. From President Trump, to Governor Hutchinson and the Arkansas Department of Education we get the same message that we have to have in person school while at the same time not being given any real guidance or accountability on how to do that safely.

What I will take away from this year is that we as educators are treated as expendable. At some level I always knew that my job as an educator was expendable through consolidation or cost savings. It wasn’t until now that I realized that our lives are seen as expendable for the sake of “The Economy” and that is a lesson that I will never forget.

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Photos by Dawn Reaves

Pre-K Director builds community support for early education

Kathleen Hale is spending more time in Pre-K classrooms, as the coronavirus disrupts educators’ lives and leaves the program she oversees short-staffed.

While it takes time away from her normal duties as the Director of Pre-K Programs for Fayetteville Public Schools, Hale does not mind one bit.

“I love being in the classroom,” she said. “It’s my why. It’s why I get up in the morning... to see these children thriving and learning, and having experiences they otherwise would not normally have. It does my heart good.”

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She says there is nothing quite like watching a student light up after learning a new concept.

“When they actually get it, it’s like magic,” she said. “You see their self-esteem grow, their vocabulary grows and then you see them learning pro-social skills and becoming helpers and leaders, and important members of their classroom family.”

Hale has deep experience with the power of public schools. Growing up in the urban center of Baltimore in the 1960’s, she describes her homelife as ‘bleak,’ with an adverse childhood experience score of 9 out of 10.

As a presenter for the district’s series on poverty, trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and equity, Hale shared her personal story of triumph over childhood abuse and neglect which led to the receipt of the district’s Triumph Award in 2019.

“As I look at the role models that I’ve had, being involved in education in a myriad of different ways has given me the opportunity to really broaden my skillset, and to be able to serve the community,” she said. “They gave me the ability to see beyond the adversity and dream of something better.”

Now she dreams of better Pre-K for Arkansas’s children. Studies show a quality program offers a return on investment that pays off throughout a student’s life even after graduation.

“There’s a lot of research about children in poverty and the number of vocabulary words they know compared to their more affluent peers,” she said.

“Kindergarten is more rigorous, more academic and Pre-K provides that opportunity to kind of level the playing field.”

Getting students in early also offers an opportunity to identify students who need special services. Hale and her team do initial assessments and screenings that can lead to a seamless transition of services for children as they begin kindergarten.

responsible for securing grant funding each year. The Fayetteville program’s teachers are certified and on the district pay scale. As a result, the state’s primary Pre-K funding source, Arkansas Better Chance for School Success does not cover the cost of salaries and benefits, let alone other line items.

“THEY GAVE ME THE ABILITY TO SEE BEYOND THE ADVERSITY AND DREAM OF SOMETHING BETTER.” – Kathleen Hale on the educators in her life

“My task has always been to find money for all of the other things that we need, for example to be able to feed the children,” she said. “There is a cost associated with that. Curriculum, supplies, consumables, all of those kinds of things; in Pre-K you need a lot of that. To do Pre-K correctly and have the highest level of state quality approval, you can’t skimp on classroom and curriculum.”

In addition, educators need top notch professional development to ensure they are up to date on best practices.

Over twelve years, Hale’s successful grant applications totaled more than $9,400,000, and the program now has classrooms in 6 elementary schools.

“It’s the big hearts of the community members who see the need,” she said. “I’m very grateful for those collaborations and connections that we’ve been able to form with the district and funders. All of our students meet the state poverty guideline, and many have multiple risk factors.”

ESP PROFILE KATHLEEN HALE

“I had a really significant amount of early childhood trauma,” Hale said.

“Those experiences drove me to really appreciate the educators in my life.

They saved my life.”

Hale said there have been times when she wasn’t sure she would be able to find the funding, but knowing the Fayetteville Education Association and AEA were at the Capitol advocating for public education gave her hope.

“Our FEA and AEA representatives go to the state legislature and they sit in committee meetings and they advocate for educators,” she said. “They’re very articulate, bright, motivated and energetic individuals and they do very important work.”

In addition to the insurance benefits that come with membership, Hale says the AEA offers educators a chance to join with a likeminded group of people.

“There’s a certain camaraderie and a shared experience that probably, especially now during COVID, is very important,” she said. “Many teachers are teaching virtually. They feel a disconnect and I think being a member of an organization that is in touch with the current realities is affirming and validating and it can be a really good support system as well.”

“There are so many strides that occur when a child gets connected with resources,” she said. “It can make or break whether they get through kindergarten.”

With such obvious benefits, one would expect universal support for Pre-K, but the state has struggled to fully fund cost of living increases for the state program since it was originally established.

Because Pre-K is not part of the state’s K-12 funding formula, Hale is also

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2020-21 AEA PRIMARY ELECTION AEA members can vote for the following candidates during the AEA Primary Election that will be held beginning at 8:00 a.m. on February 8, 2021 and ending on February 22, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Should there be a 2021 Final Election, it will be held March 22, 2021 beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending April 12, 2021 at 5:00 p.m.

Voting for active members will be online at www.aeaonline.org. Look for the “Vote Here” Icon on the AEA website beginning February 8. Members can access the voting site seven days a week, 24 hours a day during the voting period. You must enter your voter ID that is printed on your AEA membership card. Contact the AEA Office if you need any assistance with your voter ID, (501) 375-4611, Ext. 101 or 104. Retired members will receive a ballot by regular mail to vote for NEA Retired Delegates.

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.

BOARD NOMINEES PRESIDENT/NEA DELIGATE 2 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2023 CAROL B. FLEMING Educators are facing unimaginable challenges – both professional and personal.

It’s times like these that we find strength and encouragement through the unity of our Association. During my first term, we built relationships to ensure your voice is at the forefront of policy makers’ decisions and strengthened our communities, locals, and member involvement across the state.

I ask for your vote to serve a second term. AEA needs an advocate who represents all educators; is part of the conversations impacting public education; and sets a clear vision as we emerge from these difficult times. With your support for continued service, we will engage in advocacy efforts to protect students, schools, and retirement benefits. Let me continue to Share Your Voice as AEA President. Respectfully, Carol Fleming.

MARY KNIGHT Greetings Colleagues, Today, in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I know that our unity as an organization is solid. Because we are united in a spirit of love and responsibility, our sense of purpose will consistently transform any situation so that our despair becomes hope; and hope will always help us rise and serve as the great leaders needed by AEA. As I begin my campaign for President, humbly, I ask for your support to help me meet the successes as well as the challenges so that AEA may forever be the voice of education and educators.

Voting for active members will be online at www.aeaonline.org. Look for the “Vote Here”Icon on the AEA website beginning February 8.

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ROY VAUGHN Hardworking, ambitious, and professional are three characteristics that best describe me as a member of the Arkansas Education Association. Service is the key to the longevity of AEA, my commitment to service in and out of the classroom has provided the skills necessary to function well as AEA President. I am committed to working for social justice and educator rights. My goal is to grow the AEA into an organization ALL educators would be proud to be a member of. My goal as the next president of AEA is to regain the trust of educators around the state and fight for issues that matter most to them: safety, a living wage, and student success.

V

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BOARD NOMINEES (Cont.)

DISTRICT BOARD POSITIONS

AEA VICE PRESIDENT/ NEA DELEGATE

DISTRICT 1 POSITION 1 – ((LREA) 3 YEAR TERM 3

2 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2023

3 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2024

BRENDA BROWN Greetings AEA Members, I render my qualifications for this position as Vice President.

I believe this position requires integrity and character which support a professional education community. AEA works hard to make connections with patriots, community leaders and other stakeholders. It is my desire to campaign for Vice President so that I may continue to press forward to ensure the beliefs and values of AEA as well as the right of every child to have a great public education. Join me and the legacies of AEA leaders as I campaign for Vice President of AEA. I am humbly asking for the support of the AEA members.

TERESA GORDON I am Teresa Knapp Gordon and I would be honored to have your vote for Vice President of Arkansas Education Association.

I am a National Board Certified Teacher and I am currently the President of the Little Rock Education Association. My entire career has been spent advocating for the students and educators of Arkansas. I grew up in the Arkansas Delta and I understand the challenges educators face in smaller school districts. I have a history of proven leadership in the Association, serving at the local, state, and national levels. I bring a diverse knowledge of the Association and I believe those experiences will help me work to restore the Association’s presence throughout Arkansas. I would appreciate your vote for AEA Vice President!

APRIL REISMA My name is April Reisma, and I am running to be the next Vice President for the Arkansas Education Association. I have been very active in the Association, and also hold positions with the National Education Association. I have worked with ESSA Implementation, the establishment of Micro-credentialing, personnel policy, and have worked with the State Department of Education as a member of the Educator Effectiveness and Licensure Team. I want to work with the other members of the Executive Committee, the Board, and the Staff to increase membership and our impact here in the state of Arkansas and on a national level. I see our needs, and I see our members’ priorities. I am ready to serve and ask for your vote for this position.

LAKEITHA AUSTIN Greetings, I am Lakeitha Austin and a proud member, board member and treasurer of LREA. I’ve been in the teaching profession 17 years. I am currently the District 1 Position 1 Board member. I’m also on the AEA PR&R committee. I represent certified and classified personnel equally. I’m a proven leader who is dedicated and committed to ensuring all students have a right to succeed, and will continue to help protect the professionalism of our organization. Please show your support by voting for: Lakeitha Austin KIMBERLY CRUTCHFIELD I believe in the Power of the Union!

I believe that a Unified Organization can achieve great things. I believe that we as educators can be the Moving Force of change for a better tomorrow!

And I believe that that time is NOW! As a twenty two year educator I feel that I hear, understand and connect with teachers from across the state. I am a delegate that will build a common bridge to fight for equity in education. I have been a LOUD voice for teachers and students. I would love to serve in a greater capacity as your NEA delegate. I will be your voice and I will never be silenced. Thank you for your time and hopefully your vote.

NANETTE PATINO Hello, I’m Nanette Patino, a Spanish teacher at Central High School. I have been an active member of the Association for 26 years. I’ve had the privilege to be a NEA RA delegate, the Vice-Chair on the AEA Return to Learn Committee and an AEA RA delegate this year.

I am eager to serve my district, colleagues and students as a School Board member this year. As a School Board member, I am committed to upholding the core values, vision and goals of AEA. I will be prepared and well-informed of the issues presented before the board and work diligently to learn about my role as a Board Member. I look forward to stretching my knowledge and skills through this platform with your support.

ALTERNATE DISTRICT 1 POSITION 1 (LREA) 3 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2024 BECKI HOUSTON I am Becki Houston, I am running for Alternate Board Member LREA Position 1.

I have served as a Board Member before and as an Alternate, I have many years of experience to bring to the AEA Board table.

As a certified member, I think it is important to have classroom teachers on the AEA board representing LREA. Please VOTE Becki Houston Alternate Board Member Position 1 LREA, Thank you.

KRISTY MOSBY My name is Kristy Mosby. I am running as a District 1 Position 1 Alternate for the AEA District Board. I am a 5th grade teacher, and I have been an active member of the Little Rock Education Association since my being hired by the district 24 years ago. I am currently serving as the LREA Vice President and the LREA Crisis Team Chair. I believe in the work of the Union and would love the opportunity to extend my service through the state organization. Please vote for Kristy Mosby for District 1 Position 1 Alternate!

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DISTRICT BOARD POSITIONS (Cont.)

ALTERNATE DISTRICT 1 POSITION 2 (LREA) 1 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021-7/14/2022 CATHY KOEHLER It is a privilege to serve the Arkansas Education Association members in all roles. As the District 1 Position 2 Alternate, I stand ready to serve if called upon to do so.

ALTERNATE DISTRICT 1 POSITION 3 (LREA)

NONE

3 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2024 PATRICIA A. THOMAS As AEA Board member for District V, Chairperson for Personnel Policy Committee, and member of Pine Bluff Education Association among other educational committees, I am seeking your support for another term to continue the work in District V. Our district has gone through numerous changes that have affected the relationship with parents, students, stakeholders, and the entire community. I have spent unlimited hours collaborating with various organizations, leaders in the community, and pastors. I met my responsibilities by attending regular AEA board meetings and I joined forces with other districts to discuss a wide variety of concerns that AEA and the UniServ Directors were made aware of at monthly District V Meetings. With your support, I will continue to work diligently for the cause.

DISTRICT 2 PASS (PULASKI)

ALTERNATE DISTRICT 5

2 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2023

3 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2024

ZINA BURNS I Zina Burns want to run for Pass again for Support Staff, to represent change and make a difference in the work environment, and any other issues that arise in the work place. I am asking for your support. Thank You Zina Burns

ALTERNATE DISTRICT 2 PASS (PULASKI) 2 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2023

DISTRICT 2 PACT (PULASKI) 3 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2024 MELISSA MOORE As the President of PACT, I have sought to increase the information base of our teachers regarding their rights, responsibilities and benefits afforded to them from PACT, AEA and NEA. As the former Chairperson and Secretary for the PCSSD Personnel Policies Committee, of which I am still a member, I am actively involved in working to create a better school environment for both teachers and students. I am nominating myself to another term on the Board of Directors for District 2. I do this so that I may continue to champion the issues of education, solve problems and collaborate with like minded individuals. Being on the AEA Board of Directors allows me to be well informed and proactive for my members and students.

ALTERNATE DISTRICT 2 PACT (PULASKI) 3 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2024 GREG FRANTAL No statement provided

ALTERNATE DISTRICT 3 (GARLAND, SALINE, LONOKE)

NONE

ARKANSAS EDUCATOR

(GRANT AND JEFFERSON)

HARRIETT WARREN My name is Harriet L. Warren and I am running for the position of Alternate for Board of Directors for zone 5. I have been a member of AEA for 24 years. In that time, I have gained in depth experience and knowledge by being an active participant in my local, where I currently serve as president.

Currently, I also serve on the district’s PPC (past chair and assistant chair), grade level chair, leadership team, alternate for NEA Resolutions Committee and Alternate AEA Board Member for Zone 5. A position I would like to retain.

If elected, I think that I would bring a unique and fresh perspective to the position and stand ready to diligently fulfill all requirements of the position if/when needed.

NONE

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DISTRICT 5 (GRANT AND JEFFERSON)

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DISTRICT 6 (CRAWFORD, MONTGOMERY,POLK,SCOTT, SEBASTIAN) 3 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2024 LORIE WOODWARD My name is Lorrie Woodward, and I am seeking the position of AEA Board Member District 6. I am a past board member, as well as previous president of Fort Smith Education Association. Educational advocacy is at the heart of who I am, and I believe that public education is the bedrock of our nation. I want to serve on the AEA board because Arkansas’ schools need individuals who will work tirelessly to advance the cause of public education in this state. I have experience at the local grassroots level as well as regional and state level experience. District 6 is an important zone for AEA, and I believe it will be well represented by my leadership moving forward. Thank you.

ALTERNATE DISTRICT 6 (CRAWFORD, MONTGOMERY, POLK, SCOTT, SEBASTIAN) 3 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2024 WENDY PEER AEA continues to be a voice for Arkansas teachers and now more than ever, our voices need to be heard. I want to work at the state level to advocate for teachers, students, staff, and all stakeholders. I want to make a difference at the state level. I am currently serving as vice president for our local association and am on the inaugural Personnel Policy Committee at Fort Smith School District. While on the local PPC I am the chair of the calendar committee and helped to revise the calendar due to the changes forced by this pandemic. I was able to advocate for teachers and maintain fidelity in the required contract days and professional development requirements.

DISTRICT 8

(CLARK, COLUMBIA, HEMPSTEAD, HOT SPRING, HOWARD, LAFAYETTE, LITLE RIVER, MILLER, NEVADA, PIKE, AND SEVIER) 2 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2023 CATHLEEN COLLINS As a candidate for District 8 Board Member of AEA. My name is Cathleen Collins. I am a 5th Grade Science Teacher with Hope Public Schools. I have been teaching for 8 years. As a teacher and a parent, I am concerned about the changes happening in our schools. I want to be a part of the solution. I am a member of the Hope Education Association where I serve as secretary. I have learned a lot since being a Board Member this year I want to continue to serve District 8.

ALTERNATE DISTRICT 9 (BRADLEY, CALHOUN, CLEVELAND, DALLAS, QUACHITA, AND UNION) 2 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2023 JEQUETTA M. ROGERS My name is JeQuetta Rogers. I am seeking the position of Alternative Board Member of District 9. I began my journey with AEA at the beginning of the 2019–2020 school year, and it has been an enriching one. Recently, I was given the wonderful opportunity to be an alternative member of the board. It has enhanced my understanding and appreciation for this organization, and I would like to continue to serve at high-capacity for not just my local and district, but for the entire organization. I want to continue to serve this position so that my philosophy of teamwork, education, and most importantly, connection to the children be shown anywhere I am sent to represent my district and this organization. HUMBLY SUBMITTED JeQuetta Rogers

DISTRICT 10 (ASHLEY, CHICOT, DESHA, DREW, LINCOLN) 3 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2024 TONYA WILLIAMS I am committed and ready to work for our members! It is extremely important that our voices be heard. The time has never been more urgent than now to fight for public education! It would be an honor to serve you.

ALTERNATE DISTRICT 10 (ASHLEY, CHICOT, DESHA, DREW, LINCOLN)

NONE ALTERNATE DISTRICT 11 (ARKANSAS, CROSS, CRITTENDEN, LEE, MONROE, PHILLIPS, PRAIRE, ST. FRANCIS, WOODRUFF) 3 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2024 DOROTHY HENNINGS No statement provided

CORNELIUS ROBERTS My name is Cornelius Roberts. I have attended 9 NEA RA’s. This is a pivotal time in Education.

Arkansas needs delegates that will speak up for Arkansas. There are resolutions that need to be removed, so that NEA can move forward. I would appreciate your support.

ALTERNATE DISTRICT 12 (BAXTER, CLAY, CRAIGHEADM FULTON, GREEN, INDEPENDENCE, IZARD, JACKSON, LAWRENCE, MISSISSIPPI, POINSETT, RANDOLF, SHARP, STONE)

NONE ALTERNATE DISTRICT 13 (BENTON, BOONE, CARROLL, MARION)

NONE ALTERNATE DISTRICT 14 (SEARCY, MADISON, NEWTON, AND WASHINGTON) 2 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2023 AMANDA LADISH My name is Amanda Ladish. I am in my 7th year of teaching. I am a mom to four daughters; three grown and one in 7th grade.

As a candidate for my district, I humbly ask to serve as the alternate board member for District 14. I enjoy a good rapport with district members and we communicate regularly. My goals as an alternate are to stay engaged, serve as an advocate for educators, students, families, support professionals, and all school staff. I stay abreast of local, state, and national issues through research and networking. As a Springdale educator living in Fayetteville and with 6 generations of roots behind me in Elkins, I would be so proud to join this board of amazing Arkansans.

HIGHER EDUCATION STATEWIDE

NONE MEMBER ADIMINISTRATOR – STATEWIDE 3 YEAR TERM 7/15/2021 - 7/14/2024 MICHELLE DUNBAR I nominate Mrs. Michelle S. Dunbar to serve as an Administrator Board Member. She has served as a co-President for the local association, an AEA State Committee Member – EPP and Chair. She works for Hamburg Schools as the Federal Programs Coordinator (since 2015) and was a building principal 2008-2015. I taught elementary math for 6 yrs and began her journey to become a teacher as a para for 10 yrs.

STUDENT PRESIDENT ASPIRING EDUCATOR/ NEA DELEGATE KELLY GIVENS Hi, my name is Kelly Givens and I am currently a senior at Arkansas Tech University pursuing a degree in education to become an educator.

As some of you may know I currently hold the seat as Arkansas Aspiring Educator, President and needless to say that this has been a wonderful experience. My journey has led me to meet both teacher and those aspiring to become, and within these meetings I find that educators have mainly had one goal, and that is to continue to be or become the best in what their students need. I am here to help guide those that are aspiring to become find a place that would like to help them achieve that goal, and it is here within AEA.

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NEA DELEGATES

REGION 7 (Cont.)

The following candidates are running for NEA Delegates.

Delegates will represent the Arkansas Education Association at the NEA Representative Assembly in Location/Date.

Not all regions have candidates.

CORNELIUS ROBERTS See page 15 for statement

REGION 3 NO OPPOSITION CATHLEEN COLLINS See page 15 for statement

REGION 8 KIMBERLY CRUTCHFIELD See page 13 for statement

SUE STUART • 33 years special education teacher (Texarkana).

• Active AEA member since 1989.

• Local Building Representative, VP, President.

• AEA Board 6 years.

• Served AEA Constitution, Bylaws, Rules, Resolutions Committee.

• National: Served 4 years NEA Resolutions Committee.

• Represented members at NEA RA since 2002.

I would appreciation your vote for state representative, NEA RA

BECKI HOUSTON See page 13 for statement

AMBER MCDANIEL I’m Amber McDaniel, a Middle School Reading teacher and Dyslexia Interventionist in the North Little Rock School District that I graduated from.

I’ve been a public school educator for 5 years.

I have 4 children who were homeschooled for several years. Three later attended North Little Rock Schools and 1 attended LISA Academy.

REGION 4 HARRIET WARREN Greetings, I am Harriet Warren, a fourth-grade teacher at Broadmoor Elementary School. I am a member of the Pine Bluff Education Association where I serve as president. If chosen, I will represent my state and local in a competent and capable manner by making the best decisions possible for the betterment of our national, state and local organizations.

ELLA SARGEANT No photo or statement submitted PEGGY WATSON My name is Peggy Watson and this is my fourth year teaching 3rd grade alternative learning in the North Little Rock School District.

I am certified to teach grades K-8 and have a masters in Mathematics. I am passionate about education. I believe it is important to be an advocate for both students and teachers.

Thank you for your consideration.

REGION 5 DUSTIN PARSONS We are at a time in our profession when we must unite, stand up, and speak up! It is vital that we come together for the betterment of ALL Educators! I am a proud public school educator, and I believe in giving to and helping others. I am a product of PUBLIC education.

APRIL REISMA I am April Reisma and I represent the educators of Saline, Garland, and Lonoke counties as a Board member for AEA. I want to represent them, and all of Region 5, at the 2021 NEA RA as well. I am asking for your vote to do just that!

Thank you for your consideration.

REGION 7 GABERELLE HALIBURTON I’m thrilled to announce my desire to serve as your delegate. I will work hard to ensure you are aware of current information because I believe in public education. I currently serve as secretary on the Elections Committee for AEA. I am President of the West Memphis Education Association. Please elect Gaberelle Halliburton as your 2021 NEA RA delegate.

DOROTHY HENNINGS No statement provided

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REGION 10 TONYA WILLIAMS I am committed and ready to work for our members! It is extremely important that our voices be heard. The time has never been more urgent than now to fight for public education!

It would be an honor to serve you.

EVELYN WILSON-THOMAS Evelyn Wilson -Thomas, Employed with the Strong–Huttig School District as the Academic and Behavior Interventionist. I am President of the Strong-Huttig Education Association.

I will be your voice, supporting Strong Public Schools for our children and employees.

MICHELLE DUNBAR See page 15 for statement

RETIRED CANDIDATES RETIRED PRESIDENT/NEA DELEGATE AEA BOARD PAULETTE PARKER As a retiree, I am actively involved on the local level by serving in leadership roles in many community organizations and activities. The most intense local activity that I participate in is serving on the Greene County Board of Election Commissioners.

In this capacity, I encourage and engage retirees to help with elections. Other groups that I participate in are the Greene County Museum, Greene County Retired Teachers Association. On the state level, I have served on the AEA Board and on various committees. I am running for R-AEA President to maintain my involvement in AEA. I will bring input from the local retirees to the state level on issues with our paycheck, insurance, or other retiree concerns. I would appreciate your vote.

RETIRED VICE PRESIDENT NEVADA GATES I am humbly asking for your vote to serve as your Retired-AEA Vice President. I am experienced, available, committed and informed. I have the courage to take on tough issues and the energy to follow through.

Thank you for your past support. Vote for me to REPRESENT YOU. THANKS.

ALTERNATE RETIRED BOARD MEMBER, POSITION 1 BARBARA DAVIDSON No photo or statement submitted

NEA DELEGATES RETIRED LINDA CHESTERFIELD I am Linda Pondexter Chesterfield, and I ask for your support for NEA Delegate Retired. At this assembly, we will consider the budget, elect members of the executive committee, raise money for political action, and hopefully return to regular order. I will use my knowledge to represent you. Please vote Linda Pondexter Chesterfield, NEA Delegate Retired.

SID JOHNSON I am asking for your support of my candidacy as an NEA RA Delegate. Experience is especially valuable today as NEA deals with the current political and educational problems facing us. AEA/NEA retired members need a strong voice within the current organization.

I can provide that strong voice. Stay safe.

AEA REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY DELEGATES RETIRED MAUREEN BILLINGSLEY No photo or statement submitted LINDA CHESTERFIELD See previous statement

BARBARA DAVIDSON No photo or statement submitted NEVADA GATES I will advocate to improve the safety in schools to protect our students, and personnel from the COVID-19 virus. Also, any issues related to positive benefits for AEA-Retirees, and school personnel.

SID JOHNSON Please vote for Sid Johnson as one of your eleven delegates to the AEA RA. Experience is especially valuable today as AEA deals with the current political and educational problems facing us. I promist to provide a strong voice for the needs of AEA Retired members. Vote for Sid and stay safe.

PAULETTE PARKER I have previously served as a delegate to the AEA-RA and an AEA Board member, as well as having served in leadership roles on the local level. I am actively involved in the Greene County Retired Teachers Association, serving as a past president. I am running as an AEA-RA delegate to bring input from the local level to the state level and vice versa.

I would appreciate your vote.

LEROY WILLIAMS As an advocate for members of AEA through all 40 years of teaching, I have served on almost all the committees of the association; local state, and NEA-RA delegate. I am presently serving as secretary of the AEA Retired Advisory Committee. I am committed to advocating for Great Public Schools for all children. Thank you for your vote.

PAULETTE PARKER I feel that retired members can have a role in NEA activities and the first step is to become an NEA delegate. This will give me the opportunity to vote on rules and gain needed information to involve more retirees on national issues. Your vote will be appreciated.

LEROY WILLIAMS Thank you for the support that you have given me in previous years. I am, again, asking for your vote of confidence to advocate for children and public education.

I have represented you well in the past and I will continue my commitment by representing AEA Retired members at the 2021 Representative Assembly.

Vote online at www.aeaonline.org.

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ARKANSAS EDUCATORS

HIT HARD

BY COVID-19, NEW FIGURES SHOW

by Benjamin Hardy of the Arkansas Nonprofit News Network

ince Aug. 24, approximately 2,060 Arkansas public school teachers and staff have tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.* At least 60 have been hospitalized, 14 have landed in an intensive care unit and seven have been placed on ventilators. Six have died, according to health department data and news reports.

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The numbers, which the health department provided to the Arkansas Nonprofit News Network on Oct. 21, shed new light on the toll that COVID-19 has taken on Arkansas educators since the school year began. The health department has not previously published statewide totals for public school employees over this period. The department does publish a biweekly report of school employee and student case numbers in school districts with five or more “active� cases, along with cumulative cases since June 15.

The state as a whole, which has a population of about three million, recorded about 45,000 new positive tests from Aug. 24 to Oct 21. There are between 70,000 and 82,000 public school employees in Arkansas, according to the Arkansas Department of Education and the state agency that manages employee health insurance.

Based on those figures, between 2.4% and 2.9% of public school employees tested positive just in the last two months — an incidence rate higher than the roughly 1.4% rate in the rest of the state’s population over the same period. This data suggests that the relative risk of infection for public school employees is significantly higher compared to the general population, though it does not adjust for demographics or other differences between the groups. (For example, school employees may get tested more frequently than most people.)

The six school workers who lost their lives to COVID-19 have been identified previously in news reports. Terry Lee Thacker, 68, a bus driver with the Russellville School District, died in late August. Jody Jenkins, 57, superintendent of the Atkins School District, died in late September. The others died in October: Susanne Michael, 47, an elementary teacher at the Harrisburg School District; Angela Francis, 43, a first-grade teacher at the Watson Chapel School District; Greg Rainwater, 51, the athletic director at the Nettleton School District; and Melissa Hilton, a paraprofessional at the Cabot School District.

It is not clear how many teachers and other staff became infected at school rather than elsewhere in the community.

Mike Cima, the health department’s chief epidemiologist for outbreak response, said people may develop symptoms of COVID-19 anywhere from a few days to two weeks after exposure, making it hard to determine the source of transmission.

“Because there is such a wide window, it is difficult to say with any degree of certainty that a person acquired the virus at this particular place at this particular time,” Cima said.

“Any case or hospitalization or death is cause for concern and we will continue to look for ways to improve safety and increase compliance with public health guidelines.”

- Governor Hutchinson

The health department is seeing “a general increase in the number of cases associated with public schools,” he said, including some clusters in which transmission can be traced to schoolrelated activities, such as team sports.

Asked whether the numbers of cases and hospitalizations among educators might prompt any change of policy from the state, Governor Hutchinson said through a spokesperson that “any case or hospitalization or death is cause for concern and we will continue to look for ways to improve safety and increase compliance with public health guidelines.”

Francisco Hernandez, a special education interpreter at the Fort Smith School District, is among those who were hospitalized with COVID-19 this fall. His wife and all three children living at home also became sick, he said, but their symptoms were not severe.

Hernandez, 46, began developing aches, chills and nausea in late August and tested positive on Aug. 22, a couple of days before students began reporting to school.

“It got to a point where I wasn’t eating at all. Just the mention of food made me sick,” he said in a phone interview.

On his third day without food, his wife dropped him off at the Baptist Health Fort Smith emergency room on Aug. 28, where he was admitted into an isolation area for COVID-19 patients. There, doctors

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discovered he had developed pneumonia in both lungs.

“The first two, three days, I wasn’t able to breathe at all,” Hernandez said. His blood oxygen levels dropped as low as 78, he said, and he was given oxygen around the clock. (A normal blood oxygen reading is between 95 and 100.) “If I needed to take a shower, I needed to shower with the oxygen on. And just walking from the bed to the bathroom, I was winded.”

After several days of oxygen, two transfusions of convalescent blood plasma and other therapeutic treatments, he said, his condition improved. Hernandez was discharged on Sept. 3 with a regimen of steroids. It took him weeks to return to normal, he said.

According to the Oct. 29 health department report on schools, the Fort Smith School District has seen a total of 46 cases of COVID-19 among faculty and staff and 216 cases among students since June 15. Hernandez probably did not contract the virus at work. His 17-year-old daughter was the first person in the household to fall ill, he said, and the family believes she was exposed at her retail job in mid-August before the school year began.

Hernandez returned to work Sept. 22.

Unlike most of his colleagues, he has been able to do much of his job virtually this fall. In normal times, he traveled from school to school interpreting for Spanishspeaking families. Now those meetings happen over Zoom, from his office at a district building. Though he works around other adults, he has not been face-to-face with students all year, he said.

Dr. Gary Wheeler, president of the Arkansas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said around 20% of all new cases in the state each day were affiliated with either students or school staff. (The most recent health department report said the state has seen a total of 5,689 cases among public school students since June 15.)

“That’s really high, but it reflects what’s going on in the community around them,” he said. “Schools don’t operate in a vacuum.”

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The state added over 7,000 new cases last week, the most since the pandemic began. Hospitalizations have been climbing since early September and reached a new high of 676 on Wednesday. As of Oct. 28, the state had recorded 1,875 deaths.

After months of battling the virus, there is now “kind of a playbook” to drive down community transmission rates, Wheeler said.

“Switching schools to virtual [instruction] alone, in my mind, would not be a good idea,” he said. “It would have to be concurrent with limiting retail for some period of time. Limit sports teams, limit church attendance, reduce group gathering numbers — these are all established, evidence-based things. And if you did them all together, chances are you would have a positive impact.”

But the United States has lacked a synchronized, coordinated response to the virus since the beginning, Wheeler said. “At this point we’ve seen a doubling in cases over the last two months, and there are no new interventions presently planned,” he said.

At a virtual press conference on Tuesday Oct. 27, Governor Hutchinson said he does not intend to impose new restrictions on businesses. Instead, the governor called for individuals to have “discipline in terms of wearing a mask, socially distancing, protecting others from the spread of the virus.”

Wheeler noted that school closures carry clear risks for children, socially and psychologically. Teachers and school staff

provide “an extra umbrella of oversight for all kinds of things that might occur within families, from dramatic hunger to child abuse,” he said. Some students may dramatically fall behind in academics without in-person instruction, potentially affecting them for years or even decades to come.

But, he added, “there’s potential harm from disease, and that has to be balanced properly.” Though children rarely die from COVID-19, they can become seriously ill, and the long-term risks associated with such a new disease are unknown.

The American Academy of Pediatrics made recommendations several months ago stating that for in-person school to proceed safely, the community infection rate needed to be below a certain rate.

“There’s no guidance out there that would send children to school at the current levels of infection that we have,” Wheeler said. “Clearly, we’re between a rock and a hard place, and nothing’s going to be ideal.”

This fall, Arkansas took a more aggressive approach to school reopenings than most states, mandating that all schools give an option for in-person classes, five days a week. The Arkansas Department of Education allows schools to temporarily switch to virtual instruction if a campus sees a rise in cases. The decision must be made in consultation with the education department and the health department.

Education Secretary Johnny Key said in a briefing Tuesday that 169 schools had modified their operations since the beginning of the school year but had since

“There’s no guidance out there that would send children to school at the current levels of infection that we have. Clearly, we’re between a rock and a hard place, and nothing’s going to be ideal.”

- Dr. Gary Wheeler, president of the Arkansas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

“The state has no enforcement mechanism or accountability system when safety guidelines are not being followed.

We know social distancing is impossible in many of our classrooms and buses, yet we continue working to educate students in these unsafe environments,” she wrote in an email.

returned to a normal schedule. In the week beginning Oct. 19, only 17 districts had some type of active modification plan, Key said.

ventilation in classrooms,” Wheeler said, which can be a challenge in older buildings. “And finally, trying to avoid gatherings of students.”

When asked for comment from Key on the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths among public school employees, education department spokeswoman Kimberly Mundell wrote in an email that “COVID affects everyone, no matter the profession. Every place of employment is facing similar challenges during this unprecedented time.”

But some advocates for educators say that things look very different on the ground in certain districts. Shelley Smith, a recently retired teacher who runs a private Facebook group for Arkansas school employees with over 18,000 members, said she hears from teachers and staff on a daily basis who worry their schools are unsafe but are afraid of being disciplined by administrators if they speak out.

Mundell said the education department does not track cases, hospitalizations or deaths of public school employees.

Cima, the epidemiologist, said the health department has worked extensively with the education department to develop policies around masks, social distancing and contact tracing procedures. The two agencies are rolling out a new rapid testing initiative this month to provide serial testing of employees at certain schools.

“Schools are really doing a pretty good job of implementing those [policies] and keeping transmission within the schools to a minimum,” he said.

Wheeler agreed, saying superintendents and Key deserved credit for reducing risks within schools. Rigorous masking is likely the biggest reason Arkansas schools have not seen worse outbreaks, he said.

“The second most important thing is space between students. The third most important thing is probably adequate

“In spite of what official reports tell you, there are districts where health guidelines are not being followed, sanitizing is not happening unless teachers and staff are doing it, kids are not wearing masks or distanced 6 feet apart. (I have seen that myself firsthand),” Smith wrote in a message.

“Teachers are trying to keep smiling even though they are struggling to keep up with the demands of their daily routines.”

“The state has no enforcement mechanism or accountability system when safety guidelines are not being followed.

We know social distancing is impossible in many of our classrooms and buses, yet we continue working to educate students in these unsafe environments.”

- Carol Fleming, president of the Arkansas Education Association,

Modified schedules have helped, Smith said, but many teachers and staff are overworked and overwhelmed. “I do not know how a lot of folks will make it to June like this. I fear we will lose more to the virus and many more to resignations and retirements,” she wrote.

Fleming said the Arkansas CARES Act Steering Committee, which was established to make recommendations for allocating federal aid, should provide more support for educators. “State and local leadership needs to recognize and acknowledge the current safety hazards that exist in our schools and take concrete action to address them,” she wrote.

Carol Fleming, president of the Arkansas Education Association, also said many school employees feel they are unable to raise concerns about practices in their school because they fear retaliation.

This reporting is courtesy of the Arkansas Nonprofit News Network, an independent, nonpartisan news project dedicated to producing journalism that matters to Arkansans.

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FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

TRACEY-ANN NELSON

THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS We’ve heard the phrase elections have consequences continuously, and for those of us in the public education space, Betsy DeVos’ impending departure allows us all a moment to exhale. There have been few people who have done more to damage students, educators and the sacred institution of public education as DeVos. We now have the opportunity to have a Secretary of Education who will put *all* students first. We need an Education Secretary who understands educators are experts on public education, not unaccountable billionaires looking to profit off our kids.

Unfortunately, I’m not as excited about our prospects at the state level. We started this year working to build on the major collective victories that we had in 2019: from defeating a major attack on the Teacher Retirement System, to extending higher education opportunities to more students through a state level DREAM Act and defeating more voucher efforts.

These successes were due to our work to successfully build a coalition of pro public education lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.

AEA members got to work organizing around public education champions who were running in competitive primary elections, winning 3 of 5 of these elections.

We successfully advocated for the Educational Adequacy Committee to recommend significantly more investment in public education in Arkansas including a proposal to set aside millions more for school districts to increase teacher pay. If lawmakers approve these recommended funding levels, it will be the single largest increase in state investment in public education in Arkansas in 14 years.

We worked with a coalition of partners and successfully defeated Ballot Issue 3 in the November election, which would have gutted our ability to have direct access for citizens to place things like a minimum wage increase on the ballot.

In addition, the members who serve on the ACCPE recommended 12 candidates in the General Election. We were able to deliver wins in 7 of these races, but the elections that we were not able to win in both the primary and in the general election have significant implications for the upcoming legislative session.

As I mentioned earlier, we have been able to successfully defeat the biggest attacks on public education, ATRS and our students because of our elections, communications and policy advocacy and by building a bipartisan coalition of legislators. The legislative races we were not able to win took key pro public education lawmakers from the house and senate education committees as well as the joint retirement committees.

I want to be clear: the narrow path we have been able to build in the past 5 years has now become extremely narrow. The good news is we have built very strong coalition partnerships with other pro public education organizations including the administrators and school board associations.

I strongly encourage you to build strong, close, and to the extent possible, positive relationships with your school district leaders. Strengthening this pro public education coalition may be our only path to help defeat what we anticipate to be a major attack on public education and potentially on AEA in the 2021 session which begins in January.

We must renew our calls on state officials to protect the health and safety of our students, and school employees. However, we must do this in coalition with other pro public education organizations in our state.

Please join with your fellow AEA members, your school boards, your superintendents and everyone within the public education community to join forces as we combat this deadly virus plaguing our state and the anticipated attacks on public education that will come in 2021 legislative session.

Tracey-Ann Nelson AEA Executive Director

EDUCATOR This is YOUR magazine – Let us know what you would like to see.

Send story ideas to kleyenberger@aeanea.org 22

ARKANSAS EDUCATOR

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“As an Association, we have done a lot during the past year; yet, there is still much to do.”

Carol Fleming, AEA President

The AEA held its first Virtual Representative Assembly in November as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The annual business meeting normally includes robust debate from elected delegates across the state, but technology limitations required a streamlined agenda similar to the NEA RA held in July. Delegates heard reports from Officers, Committees, the NEA Director, and Executive Director. The program also celebrated the work of our volunteers and recognized our awardees. A video also recapped the activities and events of the year. It, along with a copy of the Awards ceremony, can be found on the AEA Members Only section of our website.

“As an Association, we have done a lot during the past year; yet, there is still much to do,” AEA President Carol Fleming said. “The work we do shapes our lives and the lives of our students.

We have the power to advocate for our schools, ourselves and the communities.”

Delegates who attended the meeting said it was energizing and motivating. State Senator Joyce Elliott delivered the keynote address, calling on educators to stay involved in the upcoming legislative session to ensure students remain at the center of Arkansas’s public education system.

The 2020 Rozzell Lecture was also held virtually, featuring 2018 National Teacher of the Year Mandy Manning. She spoke about the great responsibility and power educators have to advocate for our students, telling attendees, “A lone voice is a whisper, but our collective voice is a ROAR!”

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR AEA Annual Legislative Conference Saturday, January 23 AEA Lobby Week March 22-26