The Walnut Farm Montessori School in northeast Bentonville is recruiting new board trustees. They are looking to fill two seats (potentially one parent and one non-parent). If you have a background in education or governance, risk, and/or compliance, and you would like to learn more about this board opportunity, please reply to this email. Resumes will be due by Feb. 20th, so think fast!

Read Alex Golden’s reporting in Axios NWA about “What NWA schools are saying amid ICE crackdowns”.

Read Kayla Rupp’s reporting in the NWA Dem Gazz about “Siloam Springs educators worry chronic absenteeism holding School District back”

Jeff Gravette, a five-time recipient of the Gravette Teacher of the Year award, was unanimously appointed Gravette School District Superintendent. Read more in the NWA Dem Gazz HERE.

Upcoming County Government meetings at the Admin Building in downtown Bentonville:

Recaps from last week’s legislative activity:

Bills of note in committees this week:

Recently filed bills to be aware of for future activity:

Constitutional Amendment Proposals from the Legislature:

^{From Kristin Higgins at the U of A Division of Ag Research & Extension:}

“Many of the 43 proposed constitutional amendments Arkansas legislators filed by the Feb. 12, 2025 deadline seek to change policies previously approved by voters, from striking from the Arkansas Constitution references to greyhound racing to once again allowing judges to run on party tickets.

The Senate and House each have a State Agencies and Governmental Affairs committee that reviews proposed constitutional amendments and bills related to election processes. Legislators on these committees take public comment and vote on the bills, which then go to the full House and Senate to discuss and vote on.

Legislators are limited to referring three constitutional amendments to voters.” Read more about each proposed amendment HERE.

^{From Senator Greg Leding’s ARLeg Update email sent this morning:}

“At a press conference last Friday, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced ACCESS, a LEARNS-like omnibus bill aimed at increasing access to higher education. Like the controversial LEARNS Act, there are things to like about ACCESS: provisions to make it easier for students to apply to higher ed institutions, expand scholarship opportunities, standardize course numbers, and more. Including all of these items in one large bill makes it trickier for lawmakers to vote against the parts they might not like: provisions aimed at eliminating diversity initiatives, not allowing students to attend protests, targeting professors. Another thing in common with the much-anticipated LEARNS bill everybody knew was coming in 2023: It took weeks longer than many expected for the legislation to arrive. Senator Jonathan Dismang (R-Beebe) and Representative Matthew Shepherd (R-El Dorado) are the lead sponsors.”

In other words, be wary of the trojan horse headed into our state colleges/universities.

Read reporting about the announcement:

^{From Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families 2025 Legislative Session Recap, Vol. 5:}

“Delivered to the Governor: SB3 from Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Mary Bentley

This bill will prohibit state agencies from providing programs targeted toward historically excluded groups, including on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin but specifically excludes veteran status in matters of state employment, public education, or state procurement. This will result in the elimination of scholarships to Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native Americans who commit to teaching in the Delta; as well as university retention programs for Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American students, faculty, and staff. It will also prevent programs designed to recruit more diverse staff in state government. This bill will also allow a person to bring a civil action if the person believes his or her rights have been impacted as it relates to discrimination or providing preferential treatment on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in matters of state employment, public education, or state procurement. It passed the Senate State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee with an amendment from the House on Tuesday and the full Senate on Wednesday. It was delivered to the Governor for her signature on Thursday [Feb. 13th]. “

Spring school board elections for at least one position in all school districts in Benton County (except Bentonville) will be held May 13, 2025. Candidates are eligible to file to run from noon on Feb. 24 - noon on Mar. 3. Candidates must be registered to vote in the school zone, collect 20 signatures from voters in that same zone, and not work for the school district. More details HERE.

All positions (unless indicated otherwise) will serve 5 years and are unpaid. Positions up for election in 2025: Decatur Zone 1, Decatur Zone 4 (term exp. 2029), Gentry Zone 1, Gravette Zone 2, Gravette Zone 4, Pea Ridge Zone 2, Pea Ridge Zone 3 (exp. 2026), Rogers Zone 3, Rogers Zone 5, and Siloam Springs Zone 5

The filing period’s just about a year out, so it’s still early—but anybody who thinks it’s up to somebody else to recruit good candidates is wrong. State and county parties play a role, but so do the rest of us. If you’ve ever thought about running, or you know someone you think would make a good elected official, now’s the time to start talking about it. I’m happy to speak with anyone who would like to learn more about the positions up for election (hint, there are a lot!).

_{Thanks to Senator Leding for most of the content in the paragraph above!}