BENTONVILLE -- The Bentonville School Board on Monday approved a revised set of goals for Superintendent Michael Poore for the 2015-16 school year as part of a one-year extension of his contract.
Other business
The Bentonville School Board approved several personnel moves for the 2015-16 school year at its meeting Monday. Some notable hirings included:
• Bryan Hale, assistant principal, Washington Junior High School
• Leslie Lyons, assistant principal, Sugar Creek Elementary School
•Reid Pierce, assistant principal, Ardis Ann Middle School
• Kendra Schacht, assistant principal, Apple Glen Elementary School
• Lisa Baker, dean of students, Bentonville High School
• Emily Colston, registrar, West High School
Source: Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette staff report
The extension makes Poore's contract effective through June 2018. He earns $209,500 per year. The contract extension did not come with a pay raise, although the board could decide to adjust his pay upward at any time, according to the contract.
The board approved the extension in a 5-0 vote. Board members Wendi Cheatham and Willie Cowgur were absent.
Poore, 53, is entering his fifth year as superintendent.
The Bentonville district is the fourth-largest school system in Arkansas, with 15,497 students, according to the Arkansas Department of Education's Data Center enrollment for 2014-15.
The Little Rock School District is the largest in Arkansas, with 23,363 students, followed by Springdale with 21,120 and the Pulaski County Special School District with 16,592, according to state data. The fifth-largest is Rogers at 15,027. Fort Smith is sixth, with 14,317 students. These numbers do not include pre-kindergarten.
Last year was the first time the board had included specific goals and expectations for Poore in his contract.
Poore received a composite rating of 3.63 -- on a scale of 1 to 5, with five being the highest score -- from the board in its most recent annual evaluation of him, which covered March 2014 through February, according to a letter from the board to Poore dated June 1. That's an improvement of 0.27 points from the rating the board gave him last year on the same scale.
The evaluation covered six areas with specific ratings and comments on each one, according to the letter. The letter outlined Poore's strengths and areas the board would like him to consider improving.
Strengths included "strong community and school involvement," "collaborative approach that lead to a successful Common Core and PARCC implementation and readiness," and "good recruiting and alignment of district staff under extraordinary circumstances."
PARCC refers to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, standardized tests aligned with new Common Core standards.
Areas cited for possible improvement included "clearer communication and accounting for budget changes and the effect on operating balance," "continue to develop and manage a comprehensive long-range plan," and "continue to improve on academic achievements including a plan to improve TAGG results and graduation results."
TAGG stands for targeted achievement gap group. It includes students who are economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities and English language learners.
One of the goals outlined in the new version of Poore's contract is to boost the percentage of students in that group meeting annual measurable objectives by 4 percent this school year.
A goal repeated in his contract this year is to increase the graduation rate by at least 2 percentage points. The contract also asks Poore to evaluate and report on the success and return on investment of several programs, including the 21st Century Technology initiative, the high school's International Baccalaureate program, online education delivery, Bright Futures and Ignite.
Other goals include executing a plan to deliver a 12th elementary school and a fifth middle school, drafting and presenting an elementary school zoning proposal based on a common calendar, and developing a plan for publicizing West High School's grand opening in August 2016.
During a break in Monday's meeting, Poore said he appreciates the board for extending his contract. He also likes the way the goals are written.
"They're probably a little cleaner than they were last year," he said.
Another change concerns how much Poore is to be paid if the board decides to terminate his contract. His new contract says he will be paid for the remainder of the contract year in which he is terminated, plus his salary for an additional year. His old contract stipulated severance pay of only one full year.
The board may terminate his contract only if at least five of the seven board members agree to do so.
The board hired Poore in 2011. He had been deputy superintendent of curriculum in Colorado Springs School District 11 in Colorado, replacing Gary Compton, Bentonville's superintendent, who retired.
The Bentonville School District has 13,604 students and 15 campuses.
Metro on 07/03/2015