Schools Receive Money

SCHOOLS IN FARMINGTON, LINCOLN, PRAIRIE GROVE RECOGNIZED

All five schools in Farmington School District have been recognized as high performing schools for 2014 and will receive a total of $135,141 in cash awards from the state.

One school in the Lincoln and Prairie Grove school districts also made the 2014 list of high performing schools.

According to a news release from Arkansas Department of Education, the Arkansas School Recognition and Reward Program identifies the top 20 percent of schools based on academic achievement, academic growth and graduation rates.

The department is recognizing 215 public schools this year, with 109 schools identified as top 10 percent schools and 106 identified as being in the top 11 to 20 percent of schools across the state. Schools in the top 10 percent are eligible to receive $90 per student and schools in the second list are eligible to receive $45.10 per student.

In Farmington, Folsom and Williams elementary schools both made the top 10 percent list. Williams will receive $34,319 and Folsom will receive $28,599.

Lincoln Elementary also is in the Top 10 percent and will receive $30,761.

The other three schools in Farmington, Ledbetter Intermediate, Lynch Middle School and the high school are in the top 20 percent. Ledbetter’s reward is $ 25,453, Lynch’s $24,060 and Farmington High will receive $31,482.

Prairie Grove Middle School made the top 20 percent list and will be awarded $25,453.

The money comes from the Recognition and Reward Program, which is an initiative by the General Assembly to provide performance-based incentives for outstanding schools.

This is the second year that Folsom has made the top 10 percent. Last year, Folsom received about $27,000 and spent its money on technology for the school.

“As far as making it two years in a row, I think it shows we’re on the right track and doing great things for our kids,” said Stephanie Pinkerton, principal. “We have teachers who work very hard.”

Pinkerton noted the fact that all Farmington schools made the 2014 list is an indication of progress across the district.

“It goes to show great things are happening across Farmington in all grade levels,” Pinkerton said. “This shows that all teachers across the district are working hard for their students.”

This is the first year for Ledbetter to make the list and Principal Julia Williams said her staff is thrilled.

“We are so excited to be invited to the party this year,” Williams said, noting that anytime a Farmington school is recognized it reflects on all schools in the district.

The money can be spent in one of several ways, including nonrecurring bonuses for faculty and staff, nonrecurring expenditures for educational equipment or material to assist in maintaining or improving student performance.

Williams said her committee has already met and will recommend the money be used to convert its computer lab into a Mac lab. The school has been raising money for the upgrade and she said the reward money will provide the balance to finish the project.

Reba Holmes, Prairie Grove Middle School principal, said her school “is honored to represent our community” through the Arkansas School Recognition Program. “Our PGMS motto, ‘Encouraging Excellence,’ is interwoven through the dedication of our teach- ers, hard work from our students, and partnership with parents and community. We strive to make learning meaningful and student engagement a top priority,” Holmes wrote in an email about the award.

“This is exciting and awesome,” said Melody Sebastian, Lincoln Elementary principal.

“Lincoln Elementary was thrilled to learn that they were recently recognized and rewarded for being one of the top 10 percent of schools across the state for high student performance and student academic growth,” Sebastian added in an email. “The staff at Lincoln Elementary is so deserving of this recognition and reward. They are an amazing group of educators that work hard everyday to make Lincoln Elementary the best place it can be for the students in this community. We will have the committee formed this week in order to determine how the funds will be spent.”

The decision on how the money will be used must be made by a committee from each school including the principal, a teacher elected by the faculty and a parent representative selected by the parent teacher orga- nization. The spending proposal must be submitted for review to the Education Department by Dec. 15.