LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas to lose 5 school districts.
Arkansas’ roster of 244 school districts is slimming down to 239, effective July 1.
The Wickes and Van Cove school districts are consolidating voluntarily to form the new Cossatot River School District. The new district will serve the Wickes, Umpire, Cove and Vandervoort communities.
The South Pike County School District will be the name of the district formed by the voluntary annexation of the Delight School District into the Murfreesboro School District.
Additionally, the Weiner School District is being voluntarily annexed into the Harrisburg School District.
The Turrell School District is being absorbed by the Marion School District.
And the Twin Rivers School District, which had campuses in Williford and Oak Ridge, is being divided among six adjoining school systems: Highland, Hillcrest, Mammoth Spring, Maynard, Pocahontas and Sloan-Hendrix school districts.
Biology group picks top teacher
Claudie M. Forrest has been named the 2010 Arkansas Outstanding Biology Teacher by the National Association of Biology Teachers.
Forrest, a 30-year teaching veteran, is a biology teacher at Earle High School. She is president of the Arkansas Science Teachers Association and is involved in all aspects of science education from the classroom to the state legislature.
She serves as a Pathwise mentor for new teachers, the science department chairmanfor her school and the science chairman for the Arkansas Curriculum Conference.
ASU System staff
shifts locations
JONESBORO - The Arkansas State University System is moving its headquarters.
The staff is leaving its leased quarters at 2400 East Highland Drive, where the monthly rent is $6,838.67, to 2004 East Nettleton Ave. in Jonesboro, a facility already owned by Arkansas State University.
The house that will serve as the building for the system office was donated “many years ago” to ASU by Dean B. Ellis and his wife, said Lucinda McDaniel, one of the system office’s lawyers. The office is not on the ASU campus, she said.
The system’s telephone number - (870) 933-7900 - and the FAX number - (870) 933-7910 - will remainthe same.
The staff will be moved in by Monday, according to Pam Kail, executive assistant to the system president.
UA expects to top
20,000 students
FAYETTEVILLE - The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville projects it will be over the 20,000-student mark for the first time in its history when the fall semester count is taken.
UA’s projected enrollment is 20,719. The expected freshmen enrollment includes about 3,500 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen. Last year, UA projected 2,900 firsttime, full-time degree-seeking freshmen. The university was very close in its calculations: 2,919 showed up.
In fall 2009, UA had 19,849 students, according to the state Department of Higher Education enrollment report.
Arkansas, Pages 19 on 06/27/2010