Bentonville School Board Meeting 11-14-23

Subsidized Housing and Comparisons

The holidays are and the meetings are kind of quiet.

After speaking with my School Board Rep, I was informed that Arkansas tracks a lot of the information I am looking for. But like most of the government resources, it’s hidden.

https://myschoolinfo.arkansas.gov/Districts/Detail/0401000?FY=32&tab=reports

The website has a lot of interesting data, but it’s divorced from cost

Bentonville Public schools have the highest millage rate and the property values are generally higher. So none of the comparisons are looking at cost per outcome.

Also there was an election a few weeks ago. It flew under my radar until it was upon us. The School board had a vote about the millage rate. The outcome of the vote wouldn’t change the rate one way or another, but a yes would encourage the school board to try and raise the property taxes next year. I haven’t seen if it passed or not, hopefully I will know by next month.

I am playing with different AI summaries. The non ChatGPT AIs are doing a better job of letting me know the outcome of the votes the committees make, I may be making a switch sooner than later. But they each have their strengths and weaknesses.

This is from Chat GPT:

1. **Approval of Agenda and Annual Report Introduction**: The board unanimously approved the meeting's agenda. Dr. Jones presented the annual public report, complying with Arkansas standards, highlighting educational data and enabling public queries via a QR code.

2. **Educational Data Presentation**: Lisa St. John, Executive Director for Elementary Education, shared key educational metrics such as math and English language learner scores, high school graduation rates, and school quality scores, indicating overall high achievement with areas for improvement.

3. **Teacher Housing Project Discussion**: The board deliberated on a teacher housing initiative, discussing funding sources, selection criteria, and the potential impact on teacher recruitment and student education. **This passed, I will go into this on a later date**

4. **Policy Revisions and School Calendar Approval**: The meeting included a review and approval of policy revisions and the school calendar, with a focus on ensuring safety and enhancing educational quality.

5. **Public Engagement and Concluding Observations**: The board invited comments from the public, reiterating their openness to input from various community stakeholders. The session closed with board members acknowledging community events and expressing appreciation for the commitment of students and teachers.

This one is from Google Bard:

The school board meeting was held on November 14, 2023. The meeting was called to order by President Carlson. The following items were discussed:

• Annual report to the public

• Election of officers

• Consent agenda

• Discussion of attainable housing

• Comments from the board

• Executive session

The following actions were taken:

• The board approved the annual report to the public.

• Kelly Carlson was elected president.

• Willie was elected vice president.

• Joel was elected secretary.

• The board approved the consent agenda.

• The board approved the changes to policy 7.7.

• The board approved the items discussed in executive session.

• The educational data presented in the meeting showed that Bentonville schools are performing well compared to other schools in the state. The district received the highest growth in Northwest Arkansas for the fifth year in a row and the highest academic achievement in Northwest Arkansas for the fourth year in a row. The district also received the highest School quality score for Northwest Arkansas for the fourth year in a row.

• The housing program discussed in the meeting is a partnership between the school district and a local non-profit organization to provide affordable housing for teachers. The program will offer 40 rental units and 60 shared equity units. The rental units will be available to teachers of all income levels, while the shared equity units will be available to teachers who meet certain income qualifications. The program is expected to open in the fall of 2024.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 pm.

Thanks for Reading, please share with a neighbor.