Almost $7 million in rewards will go to 175 of Arkansas' more than 1,000 public schools in the coming weeks for their best-in-state results on state-required ACT Aspire exams in the spring of 2017.
The Arkansas Department of Education on Thursday announced the recipients of the statutorily authorized financial rewards that total $6,999,529. The rewards are capped at $7 million.
Campuses that were among the top 5 percent of schools in terms of student achievement and the top 5 percent in achievement gains are set to receive $95.76 per student.
[FULL LIST: Reward Schools 2017]
Schools that were among the top 6 percent to 10 percent in achievement and the top 6 percent to 10 percent in achievement gains on the Aspire that is given in grades three through 10 in math, literacy and science are to receive $47.88 per student. The achievement-gains category also takes into account graduation rates for high schools.
The 2,172-student Cabot High School will receive $103,325.04, the largest amount for any one campus.
The Springdale School District is set to receive $896,313.60, which is the total of 20 rewards for 17 of its schools. Three schools -- Bernice Young and Hunt elementaries along with Hellstern Middle -- are being rewarded for both achievement and achievement gains.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson congratulated the teachers and students in the recipient schools for reaping the benefits of diligent study. He said the schools are "leading the way."
"We all appreciate the pleasure of a 'bonus' for our hard work," the governor said. "But this is about more than extra cash for a school. Your devotion to teaching and learning now ensures a strong workforce and well-educated leadership for Arkansas' tomorrow."
Arkansas Code Annotated 6-15-207 established the school recognition program, providing that the reward money can be used by the schools for school employee bonuses, equipment purchases and employment of personnel to assist in improving student achievement.
To collect the rewards, each school must establish a committee composed of the principal, a faculty-elected teacher representative and a parent representative to decide how to use the money. The spending plan must be submitted to the Arkansas Department of Education.
Kelly Hayes, the comptroller of the Springdale School District, said Thursday that district employees "are thrilled" with the prospect of receiving the rewards.
"Our teachers and our principals have worked very hard. Our children have done a great job, and it shows," Hayes said.
Melissa Fink is principal at Springdale's Jones Elementary, which is to receive $51,423 because the school 's average achievement rate fell in the top 5 percent in the state.
"We were just notified today and I sent my teachers a big congratulatory email because this is the result of all their hard work. We'll be forming a committee ... and we will make decisions on what we will spend our money on," Fink said.
"Some possibilities include books for classroom libraries, possibly funding our home library project or getting extra staff in the building to support student learning so we can keep our momentum going, or manipulatives and other resources for math and science. The list is endless on what we can do with the money."
Fink said this is the first year in several that the school has been a recipient and that she is appreciative of changes in state and federal school accountability models that allow her school -- in which 98 percent of children are from low-income families and 85 percent are not native English language speakers -- to shine.
The old model called for schools to either hit an achievement target or not. The new system takes into account the achievement gains of the children.
"It allows us to show what we have known for a long time, that our kids are growing and that the things we do here are good. We are excited that we have been validated," Fink said.
The Valley Springs School District's middle school in Boone County is to receive $29,111.04 for being in the top 5 percent for achievement and an additional $14,555.52 for being in the 6 percent to 10 percent of districts in academic growth. Valley Springs Elementary is to receive $15,082 for being among the top 6 to 10 percent of schools in achievement.
Judy Green, superintendent of the Valley Springs School District, said Thursday's news of the rewards comes on the heels of word earlier this week that all three of the district's campuses received A letter grades under the state's federally approved school accountability system.
"A lot of time I only get to share negative information with my School Board," Green said. "Today I got to share positives."
The Bentonville School District is typically a recipient of several program awards and that was the case for 2017. Bentonville district is to receive $632,829 -- a total of 10 awards to nine schools. Willowbrook Elementary is receiving $177,539.04 for top achievement and achievement gains.
The Little Rock School District, the state's largest school system, is to receive $314,571.60, with Don Roberts Elementary receiving the bulk of that for being in the top 5 percent for achievement and improvement.
Forest Park Elementary was recognized for a top 5 percent achievement rate. Forest Heights Stem Academy and Jefferson Elementary were among the 6 percent to 10 percent of top-achieving schools. And Parkview Magnet High was rewarded for achievement gains/graduation rates among the 6 percent to 10 percent highest in the state.
The Cabot, Fort Smith and Greenbrier districts, as well as the Fayetteville and Rogers districts, each had several recipient schools. There were three recipient schools in the Pulaski County Special District and one in North Little Rock.
Publicly funded open-enrollment charter school campuses are among the recipients, too. Those were three of the LISA Academy campuses, two eSTEM campuses, Maumelle Charter Elementary, two Haas Hall Academy campuses, Arkansas Arts Academy High and the Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy in Bentonville.
A Section on 04/13/2018