Springdale school's growth studied

Enrolling 2,000 in alternative-learning campus envisioned

Governor Asa Hutchinson speaks Thursday, February 9, 2017, with students before a dedication ceremony for Springdale's new Don Tyson School of Innovation campus.
Governor Asa Hutchinson speaks Thursday, February 9, 2017, with students before a dedication ceremony for Springdale's new Don Tyson School of Innovation campus.

SPRINGDALE -- School district leaders are contemplating the expansion of the Don Tyson School of Innovation.

The School of Innovation has introduced the community to a new system of education that focuses on students moving at their own pace as they master essential skills, Springdale Superintendent Jim Rollins said. It's built around the idea of providing each student with a personal education plan based on a student's readiness to learn.

About 500 eighth- through 10th-graders started the school year in the new $24 million campus. Half of the campus was built in time for the first day of school, but the rest of the 143,000-square-foot campus remained under construction through the end of December.

The district's plan is for the school's enrollment to increase to up to 1,000 eighth- through 12th-graders in the next two years. Rollins' long-term vision has been for a second construction phase that would accommodate an additional 1,000 students on the School of Innovation campus. He asked the School Board in January to begin planning and thinking about going ahead with the expansion.

"Those decisions have not been made," he said.

A ceremonial dedication drew U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Gov. Mike Beebe, five members of the Tyson family and more than a dozen representatives of Tyson Foods to the school Thursday. State and local leaders in education, business and community sat in the audience.

The Don Tyson school is a model that fits with Gov. Asa Hutchinson's focus on job creation because it is designed to provide students with training that leads to a good-paying job, he said.

"We give them the flexibility to learn in their own way at their own pace and in the direction they want to go -- and with flexibility to shift from it," Hutchinson said. "We want our local school districts to be able to innovate and be flexible."

School of Innovation students can take classes from Northwest Arkansas Community College and simultaneously earn an associate's degree as they work toward a high school diploma.

"It's a new approach for us," Rollins said. "It's a relatively new approach for the state and nation. The better we can become at personalizing and customizing teaching and learning, we think we can serve all kids."

What is now the Don Tyson School of Innovation was among the first schools of innovation approved. It opened in the 2014-15 school year with 200 eighth-graders attending classes inside the Jones Center.

Sophomore Yulissa Rivera said she remembers feeling overwhelmed and discouraged her eighth-grade year. She persevered and noticed the school's impact on her personal growth, she said.

As she grew more comfortable with her teachers, Rivera learned to ask for help, she said. She's learned more about her strengths, developed leadership skills, gained confidence with public speaking and knows how to shake hands properly.

"I've learned so much here," Rivera said. "This school has pushed me so hard."

John H. Tyson, chairman of the board for Tyson Foods Inc., said his father, the late Don Tyson, told him that education can take people anywhere. Don Tyson was the company's chairman and chief executive officer.

The Tyson family committed $1.5 million for the campus, and the school named after the elder Tyson gives students a learning environment with a hands-on approach where they can develop skills and learn with technology, Tyson said during Thursday's ceremony. Those opportunities will allow students to chase after their dreams, he said.

School districts are required to make long-range plans for academic facilities, Rollins said. The state has approved a second phase for the School of Innovation, with Rollins thinking the state would pay about 50 percent of the cost.

A rough estimate of the expansion is about $40 million, but district officials won't know exactly how much state money will be available for the project until May 1, Deputy Superintendent Jared Cleveland said. If district officials decide not to expand, the district will forfeit the state partnership money.

Rollins plans to work with his staff and the School Board to determine whether now is the right time for the expansion. If it is, the district will need to figure out how to pay its share of the costs, he said.

"A year from now we'll have a better definition of what the next step might be," Rollins said.

One factor in that discussion is state funding for school facilities, Rollins said.

Hutchinson's budget proposal for the next biennium includes $100 million for educational facilities statewide, he said. The governor has asked the Legislature to look at spending on school facilities because he can't include $100 million in every budget.

"We need to make sure we don't have building growth across the state that we can't afford," he said. "We have a strong partnership with our school districts. There's a commitment and a responsibility in the state to make sure our school children have dry and safe and good environments to learn. There's a balance between the state costs and local costs."

Rollins said the School of Innovation required partnerships, including the $1.5 million from the Tyson family. The district has not used that money yet. Rollins is interested in studying the addition of an agriculture business center to the campus, he said.

Metro on 02/14/2017

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