School Board Meeting News

The Springdale Public Schools School Board met Aug. 10, 2026.

Regular monthly School Board meetings are held at 5 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the District Administration Building at 804 W. Johnson Ave.

Meetings are livestreamed HERE monthly.

Restore Hope CEO Karen Phillips presented the 10:33 Initiative with the School Board, a community-driven partnership establishing Springdale Public Schools as Washington County's primary hub for family support.

Grounded in the "neighbors helping neighbors" model, the program positions local schools as the first line of contact for non-abuse, poverty-related challenges. By taking on the role of a convener rather than a social service agency, the district enables teachers to keep their focus on education while connecting families directly to coordinated local resources.

To drive the initiative, the district will host a full-time community coordinator to build and run a local alliance and two full-time family advocates to work directly with parents.

The network will be powered by Restore Hope’s secure, privacy-compliant Hope Hub platform, which is FERPA and HIPAA compliant, ensuring privacy in coordinating a full support system, including the Hope platform with unlimited providers, mentoring, shadowing, communication support and training.

Don Tyson School of Innovation students Ramey Jones and Danielle Robertson shared their experience of contributing to the establishment of the nation's first student-led AI policy for K-12 schools with the School Board.

The sophomores were among more than 130 Student Senators and education leaders from all 50 states who gathered July 17-19 at the America’s Youth AI Festival at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston to create the policy.

Read the full story HERE.

Special Education teacher Lindsay Rankin of Bernice Young Elementary School is a 2027 Arkansas Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist.

“Being selected as a semi-finalist is both unbelievable and incredibly exciting, I know there are amazing teachers across Arkansas, many that I have had the opportunity to work alongside and learn from, so to be recognized with them is both an honor and humbling,” Rankin said. “I hope this recognition shines a light on the incredible students I serve every day and gives a voice to their often-overlooked success.”

Read the full story HERE.

Walker Elementary School has earned the STEM Model School designation from the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

"We are overwhelmingly proud of the hard work this designation represents from our students, staff and the Northwest Arkansas community," said Walker Principal Lynn Ryan. "Through meaningful partnerships with nearly 60 local businesses, individuals, organizations and other Springdale schools, students have gained authentic opportunities to apply STEM skills to real-world experiences and see the impact of their learning beyond the classroom."

Read the full story HERE.

Executive Director of Student Services Damon Donnell highlighted the mission of the district's Treehouse Pantry and the essential partnerships that allow the district to provide vital resources directly to students and families to remove non-academic learning barriers.

During the presentation, Donnell recognized three standout community partners whose contributions have provided crucial support over the past yea.

Tyson Foods Executive Assistant Heather Freeland was celebrated for a generous donation of school supplies, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to equipping Springdale students for academic success.

Girl Scout Troop 5016, led by Colleen Cummins, earned the prestigious Girl Scout Bronze Award for a service project that helped stock the pantry's shelves. The Scouts organized supply drives at local schools and the Springdale Public Library, compiling more than 100 complete hygiene kits. To ensure long-term impact, the Scouts also created and distributed instructional flyers so others can recreate the kits and continue meeting the community's needs.

Northwest Arkansas Food Bank Senior Manager Lauren McGraw, a former Springdale teacher, helped celebrate the food bank's massive nutritional support. Between August 2025 and July 2026, the organization supplied the Treehouse Pantry with 143,000 pounds of food, equivalent to 119,000 meals, including fresh produce, frozen food and essential staples.

Through these collaborative efforts, Springdale Public Schools and its community partners continue to ensure that local students have their basic needs met so they can focus on learning and growth.

Associate Superintendent Melissa Fink presented an overview of Springdale's Kindergarten Jump Start initiative, a multi-day transition program designed to help incoming kindergarteners acclimate to campus life before the formal start of the school year.

Held for three hours daily from July 27-31, the program provides young students hands-on experience in their new school environments.

Kindergartners practice crucial daily routines, including sitting attentively on group carpets, organizing supplies, navigating hallways, lining up for restrooms and playing safely on playgrounds. They even learned what to anticipate in the cafeteria, learning how to carry trays, eat snacks and clean up, as well as learning about afternoon dismissal and parent pick-up routines to ease anxiety for both students and parents.

Most Springdale elementary schools participate in the initiative, allowing for the participation of 641 students, roughly half of Springdale's incoming kindergarten class.

Fink said Jump Start participants appeared as prepared on day one as students would be nine weeks into the school year, noting having even half a classroom familiar with school routines sets a positive tone that helps the entire class transition smoothly.

Feedback from both parents and educators remains overwhelmingly positive, she said, and the district plans to continue refining the initiative to ensure every young student gets a strong, confident start to their educational journey.

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Email: communications@sdale.org
Website: https://www.sdale.org/
Location: PO Box 8 Springdale Ar 72764
Phone: 479-750-8800