Education Committee- House

Nine I've met with members I've met with I've talked with superintendents I've talked with the directors of for directors of co ops last week and one subject to a cap came coming up was that they felt the need that they're it there should be some superintendents on the co op board so what this amendment does it allows us to superintendents within the boundaries of the go up district to be appointed to that Board by. The newly constituted board and after talking to the Speaker and my superintendent it also allows for two year term where it's rotating so the the superintendents in that area would get an opportunity to serve on it my superintendent from Paris recommended that we need it one from a small school and one from large schools so as you can see it in there it It recommends that a superintendent from a three A. school or or lower be on the on that board and a superintendent from a for a school or larger be on the board that basically sums up okay thank you ma'am the summary there on the amendment represent Cozart you're recognized for a question. Thank you Mr chair a ritual Eubanks remind me are all co ops of have equal representation from a small school to a large school in of each one of those fifteen co ops. Do they all have a large and a small school in those in the make up of their of their current board yes I don't know I just wanted to be able to allow for that so that there would be representation from small districts and large districts are my follow up question would be so if they're not if they do not have a one a two a or three A. school in their district they're all large that means they would only have one superintendent on the boards I correct. Now I think it might require that I amend this bill again to allow for that that. But I understand what you're saying and I and you're right you know that it they shouldn't be if if if they don't have any that fits that criteria then yeah there's still is my intent that to superintendents article thank you thank you Mr. Representive Walker you're recognized for a question I did have one question I want to make sure this bill isn't based off of here so there's something so do you have any physical data shows is the best approach to improve co ops. Now it's just that I don't feel out of my motivation for running the bill was I felt like with the amount of money that goes to the fifteen co ops there's approximately a hundred fifty plus million dollars and that's made up of state local and federal money that it might be good to have more transparency have the people on that board that have a different perspective We have a governor that's just put forth an education plan that is bold and it's transformative and so it would seem like because of where we are. In education in the State of Arkansas that maybe it's that maybe we should look at everything that we're doing and I'll be able to like I said have a different set of eyes on. What the operations of the co op the services they're offering and you know just of like I said bring a different perspective. The representative flowers you're recognized. Thank you Mr chairman reserve Eubanks I didn't come to you because. I was aware that there were conversations happening about possible amendments and that you were working with the stakeholders and this is I'm just wondering though if for the different perspective that you're trying to achieve. Could there not have been And action action to add those perspectives verses remove any of the superintendents given that you know then it forces a sort of competition among the the superintendent stakeholders within that given destruction my flowers remember we are talking about the amendment and not the actual bill. One I guess I'm asking why the amendment couldn't reflect and addition of of those stakeholders who are not already on the board first as removing someone. By the thought I was trying to add stakeholders to the board. Without. Making the board so large that it just becomes. You know a difficult. The manager but. Representative Duke you're recognized. Thank you Mr chair and I'm not sure if I'm speaking to the amendment or not so if I'm not I'm sure you'll let me know. My question is would you I I appreciate how you have tried to work with us different concerns we have with that so thank you for that would you be willing on this amendment to make some another amendment it to open it up a little bit more I think you know my concern and this may be the bill so I would like to have a little bit more of the local options for the local school boards on who they choose so a few more superintendents or the option to add their superintend so you're you're at and Mister chairman can I address that yes you Medicaid the so you're asking that the school board be allowed it if they chose to to appoint their superintendent is that what is that your question. Yes okay and I understand that may get away from a little bit of the diversity that you're trying to achieve so I don't know if there's a happy medium and sent somewhere in there. I don't know that I'm opposed to that I had that idea I was just like I said from the very beginning I was I was trying to get is more diverse Perspectives brought to the board you know I talked to one a former teacher that like the idea that a former or that a classroom teacher could be on that board I mean they're the recipient of a lot of the services that the co op provide so you know they they bring a different Perspective to. How well these programs are working and may have suggestions and maybe in the past I've never felt like their voices being heard so I just you know. I've always felt that. That. When you have a board that's made up of people with such a common background that people just approach things. Through the same lines too often but I you know I had a superintendent of approach me that lives in my district and he took exception to the fact that he his comment was superintendents no education and we know best well okay if that's the case then why do we have school boards that are made up of people from the public why do we have an Education Committee that It's not made up of all teachers or former superintendents or whatever the case may be because I think we need to we need to hear from everybody's perspective so but I'm not opposed I don't know that I'm opposed to that I have to think about it some more but it depends on what you had to do here today as to how I'm going to proceed from the very beginning I've I've told everybody I'm open to suggestions I took some of your suggestions I took some of the suggestions from the director's I didn't go to the to the extent that they want but you know I I'm trying I'm trying to meet people so somewhere in the middle and and try to come up with something that the you know it's good for education I had a member of this committee want me to amend the bill to reduce the number of districts from fifteen to nine well. That wasn't my intention the you know consolidate districts or co op board or whatever and even if we did that I would still. The changes in the makeup of the board so That's where we're at. Your baby. Thank you so I and I agree I like the idea of having some other voices at the table so I guess my question would be. I would like to make us to make some more tweaks on this one to get maybe some more options the local school boards while still getting some other. Classroom teachers in there may be some other areas to the as we start this discussion might need to be represented a little bit on their voices wise as well and and say I really appreciate what you've been doing this thank you I I included a person from the public because that person could be a former superintendent could be a former principal or a classroom teacher it's not it or a business person you know they have experiences to that are valuable in making decisions as to what's best as to the type of services how to spend money that sort of thing so representative Hodges you're recognized. Thank you Mr I guess I have a question for president of Eubanks much as just asking you for taking action on the amendment or debating an amendment or for going to start there before getting into the bill you kind of touched on that but just a point of clarification and. A representative back you're recognized. Yes. Thank you Mr I appreciate what you're doing to build out into getting more diversity and I think that's a that's a great way to go in no matter what we're trying to approach I think it's a good idea my question was is I probably could a little bit more research and maybe I could come up with this but but. The makeup of it now the boards now before this change how did they come up with this selection that they have now. Is the question. I suspect there's some people here that if they're given the opportunity to speak for against the bill might have that answer for you it is my understanding is made up of the superintendents of all the school districts within that co out district also my question. Members I want to follow up and try to also expand upon representative Hodges question. We have an amendment before us of a bill. And. Before we just get way down in the and into debating the merits of the bill. We need to address the amendment. Representative. Flowers you're recognized. You're in the queue yes thank you Mr was going to ask to make a motion to adopt. I'll take that motion we have a motion by representative flowers to adopt the amendment has presented is there any discussion on the motion. Seeing none all those in favor of the motion to adopt the amendment has presented say aye opposed nay thank you representative Eubanks you're now recognized to present your bill house bill eleven ninety two. As amended. As amended. members this this bills changed actually since I originally file it originally the bill allowed for the the Speaker the president of the Senate the governor and department of education to make the appointments to the board Had conversations with members particularly representative at Duke and she made the comment that she felt it was important that each school district had representation on that board and and the more I thought about that the more I agreed with it so I I it changed I amended that bill and put in place that the school boards could appoint their own representative to. The co op board and they could use a school employee with the exception of the superintendent or assistant superintendent Could be a member of the school board occur be a member of the public and so that was how I changed it in the first amendment and then I had the conversations that the we're set up with the for the co op directors last Thursday afternoon I met with them They wanted to have some representation on the board from superintendents and so I thought about that I had a former superintendent that it contacted me prior to that and and thought it might be a good idea to have at least one superintendent on that board and so After speaking with my own superintendent on Friday he that was where he came up with the thought that there ought to be at least two and that's where. It came in as a small district or large district now based on representative coach Cozart comments The bill may require another amendment just to clarify how that works if there isn't a small district or large district and that that. And that makes sense to me and so And then I talked with the Speaker on Friday as well and he was meeting with his his a superintendent and it was his suggestion that they be on a two year rotating uh term so that more the superintendents within those the co op District would have an opportunity to be on the on that board as well so. That's based it's not a complicated bill really so My purpose here is not too close to co opt down I just I thank. For the sake of transparency and Possibility of having diverse perspectives and new ideas that I think it would I think it be beneficial for the overall operation I understand people don't like change I get it but the I thank. I doubt that I served on this committee for terms I've I've served ten years on the pair school board I've been passionate about education basically my whole life so. I think education is the key for everything that we do if we want to give kids a choice given the future we've got to. We've got to change what we're doing now it's not all on educators because our society has changed so much I just don't know if we've adapted accordingly to be able to meet the needs of of of the students that were we're trying to educate and serve now This bill was not to be an attack on the coops. I just want to try to do things that make a difference and hopefully for the best. I'll try to take any questions three questions by the committee. Representative McNair you're recognized. Okay representative act and and you and you touched on this but. I'd like to have a couple that The the the purpose the problem that we're trying to fix. Is what. Like I like I said earlier when when everybody. Come from the same background with the same age similar for the most part education and experiences they they tend to look through the same prism when they address the problem. I don't always think that's a good idea I mean that's why we have the make up of a committee like here that's why we have a school board because you get you get people from different backgrounds they deal with things. I don't think. I'm not saying it can't happen but usually if you call everybody comes from the same background. They may not necessarily consider different ideas that other people bring to the table and so. You know I have my perspective and ideas on this bill and that's why I put it out there and set okay let's have a conversation let's talk about what we can do. To make things better. Not. All superintendents are created equal just like all representatives are not created equal some are good some maybe not so much. I'm sorry about to superintendents. But you know it like I said I'm I'm I was on the school board that where we had several superintendents and I saw. Without naming names that were excellent and And some that I didn't have a lot of respect for and I don't think and I didn't think that they were necessarily making the decisions that were best in the best interest of the children and the kids so I think if you look at the problem I'm trying to say is that I don't know we're we're forty eight forty nine you know and I don't know if this is going to change that substantially. But I'm ready to do something and I don't I don't see where it. Negatively affects. The operation. Necessarily so. The the other concern that I have a good and you know I can't speak for co ops across the state of but the the years is that I've been involved with the co op that's in my district The of the board members have have rotated and I do have different opinions on my most of them are superintendents but they they're not you know they're they're they're not the the same and and again we're talking about kind of equal representation but we're talking about. Right now we're talking about going from four injured fifteen representation of our local school districts to amend and added administered level to maybe one or two in our area because of the different in size group so I mean if if we. If we don't trust their superintendent. To do the right thing I thank the the ratio should be different I mean not if I in my opinion the board. At some point should it should at least be have administrator they're the ones that are in the trenches no one what's going on a topic thank you. What we want. The make up of the Judiciary Committee to be all attorneys. Representative Dick you're recognized for a question. Okay so been thinking about some of what you said is we're talking as as I told you for my district I'm fortunate because I have a small and medium and a large size so I've gotten all their perspectives and they feel like the co op. From those perspectives run really well they all have a voice but I do understand your thought process with bringing some teachers and my concern I have with that is and I think it's good but if you have save our school one of our school district educator chooses to put a teacher on there or for a principal on there that perspective at least I've seen board meeting is usually from that building level and doesn't encompass you know elementary principal doesn't see things the same way high school principal does And so the superintendent should be the bridge between all those to get those perspectives so would you entertain and again I think this is kind of working document this point of but ensuring that those perspectives if you do a teacher or a building principal you need to have a voice from each of those levels so maybe in the format of this I would like to see would you be interested in letting the school board choose including the superintendent or assistant superintendent that's what they think would best represent them but then allowing some spots on that board that would be from an maybe an elementary principal level and in the secondary level so that those voices are heard in addition because I would like to have them at the table they don't know that I would want to lose the objectivity and the knowledge base that are superintendents bring to it as well so would you entertain maybe some of those options. I I worry where in a In this case of a classroom teacher was on their and their superintendent was on there as well would they feel possibly intimidated and be afraid to maybe voice of an opinion different that that's what I'm afraid of because you know. There subject evaluations and that sort of thing too and and then I don't know like I said all superintendents are created equal some you know follow the the Just like any manager. They some like input and follow input. Some people do not so I wouldn't I wouldn't want somebody to be on the board and and then. Not feel able to freely express their opinion. You're recognized for a follow up well I mean as I said you served on school board you know that happens every time there's a principal's report they're always it's a difficult difficult I am. Wrote for them to walk being if they have a different opinion from their superintendent and so that would be that would be challenging there's no question same thing for superintendent or principal who comes in the superintendent they work for so I'm not sure that you can find a happy medium or maybe you can't find a happy medium I I still primarily would like to see their decision to rest with the local school board I think that's a good to include the superintendent or assistant to the superintendent but I don't want to don't take the scope out of allowing some other voices on there because I think those are important they often. Their voices are heard so I I do think that's a good piece. And I would hope that a good school board would know whether they're superintendent was in touch with the principals and teachers so I I I don't know that I can not object to that idea. Representative Cozart you're recognized for a question. Thank you Mr chair. I think the biggest problem I really have with bill John is the you know the dropping back of all the super because you know they collaborate together with each other and figure out the best things for that area for their schools.