Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Wasem returns to Bentonville district for new challenge
Principal to lead Jones Elementary during new model school initiative
BENTONVILLE — School District Superintendent Debbie Jones said she’s seen Jeff Wasem excel in challenging situations.
Jones mentioned Wasem’s previous work as a principal in Bentonville, first at Old High Middle School and then in leading the opening of Creekside Middle School.
“He created such a great culture for kids and for teachers, really collaborative, fun,” Jones said, adding Wasem “builds a culture where students want to go to school.”
When Wasem moved to Rogers to be principal of Heritage High School the past two years, Jones said she saw him succeed again.
“It really is a big job,” Jones said of Wasem’s duties at Heritage. “I think that only made him a better professional. With every job assignment, he grew.”
Now Wasem is back in Bentonville — with a new assignment and another opportunity to grow.
The School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to hire Wasem as the principal at Jones Elementary, which is at the center of a model school initiative to invigorate all of Bentonville’s downtown elementary schools.
“I am confident with the right people, resources and support the model school will be successful,” Wasem said in an email. “I do not see this as pressure. Again, I see this as an opportunity. The most important thing moving forward is building deep and meaningful relationships with the community. We want their trust and I believe we do that through relationships, twoway communication, and by actively listening as they communicate their ideas and opinions about the vision for the school.”
The Rogers School District, meanwhile, is seeking Heritage High School’s fourth principal since the school opened in 2008. Heritage High enrolled 2,080 students as of last fall, according to state data.
Jones called Wasem a
strong leader and said visionary was a word that came to mind.
Wasem — who said he’s been in education for 23 years, 18 of those in school leadership — said the goal of the project is to build Jones Elementary and the downtown group into a model for the state and the nation.
“Leading and serving colleagues who create, build, and pioneer new opportunities for students drives me professionally,” Wasem said. “I had the opportunity to lead the opening of Creekside Middle School and the experience was one of the most rewarding of my career. Bentonville Schools is a phenomenal district that is focused on serving the student and meeting the needs of the community at every turn. This school is another example of the growth mindset that runs throughout the district to increase the educational options for students.”
Angie Stafford, the former principal at Jones Elementary, resigned to pursue other opportunities, according to information from the district.
Aside from Jones Elementary, other centrally located elementary schools are Apple Glen, Baker, Sugar Creek and Thomas Jefferson.
“It’s not just Mary Mae Jones,” Jones said. “It’s building a model system so that we can open up parent choice in a public setting and do it well.”
To guide the project, the district teamed up with the federally funded Region 14 Comprehensive Center. It’s one of 19 Regional Technical Assistance Centers in the country and provides customized and adaptable support at no cost, according to the Region 14 website.
The reason for the initiative is that student growth is expanding outside the district’s downtown area, creating enrollment challenges there. The district is forced to bring students in from miles away because of the limited population within the heart of the city.
The project is starting with Jones Elementary and Baker, Jones previously said.
“We want to take both through the whole discovery process,” Jones said. “If we can open both as model schools, that’ll happen in 2024. We will at least open Mary Mae Jones in 2024. Those two schools are going to go through the exploratory process over the next year.”
Jones Elementary had 471 students as of last fall.
PROJECT UPDATE
Jones and School Board members have said the community’s desires and opinions about what they want to see in a school are the keys to developing a successful and sustainable model. To gather that information, Region 14 and the district will use surveys and focus groups. Questions are being written for the surveys now, Jones said. She expects the surveys to be released in the next couple of weeks. They’ll be sent to all parents in the district, Jones said, and there’ll be outreach to students and business leaders.
A link to the surveys from the district’s website, bentonvillek12.org, is also in the works, Jones said.
Wasem encouraged parents, patrons and the community in general to complete the surveys when they’re released.
“This is paramount to the development of the vision for the school,” Wasem said. “The team will develop a clear and concise plan that needs to be communicated flawlessly to the community so everyone is aligned to the vision and focus of the school.”
It’s early in the process, Jones noted. She said there are weekly calls with Kristin Nafziger, the Region 14 director, as the initiative takes shape.
After meeting with Baker staff, Jones can tell enthusiasm is high.
“One teacher said, ‘ OK, how does this work? Can we just make the motion that, yes, we want to go in ’24?’” Jones said. “We’re like, ‘Hold on. Let’s really understand what’s involved.’ But that speaks to their culture of wanting to really provide the best for students.”