Each October, the Eureka Springs School Board issues a report to the public, a detailed assessment covering recent accomplishments and future hopes. Most of the report will be available on the school’s website by the end of the month.
A series of presenters, including the school principals, guided the board through a review of operations at the three schools at Monday’s meeting. The report also covered federal programs, special education, and academic efforts such as Advanced Placement or the gifted and talented program.
Jerry Wells reported in detail on the district’s Gifted and Talented programs. The GT program has regular evaluations for students. Wells showed graphs used to monitor the GT program to ensure that the program aligns with gender and socioeconomic status. He explained that students from lower economic sectors are often underrepresented in GT programs.
Wells also described the progression in the program, with K-2 students meeting once a month. Middle school students receive more intensive GT intervention, and by the time students reach high school, their GT efforts are primarily aimed at advanced-placement classes.
Counselor Rachal Hyatt then led the board through a discussion of test scores. The ACT Aspire will be replaced, but scores from testing in spring showed very positive results, and Hyatt had a list comparing Eureka Springs to the other 18 schools in the region.
Test results showed a big jump ahead for fourth graders, whose scores were near the top in every subject. Student scores also compared well to state averages.
The ninth grade has a disproportionately large class, and those students have struggled academically. High School Principal David Gilmore wondered aloud if Covid setbacks had hit that class particularly hard. He further explained that the high school has identified the challenges to remediate this class.
Hyatt showed results of advanced-placement tests, which can earn students college credit for classes taken in high school. Hyatt said 36 students taking AP classes were above the state averages in every category. She listed scores for students taking the ACT test, explaining that students scoring above 19 on the test can receive state scholarship money. She also said there was growth in all three schools by English-language learners.
As a district, Eureka Springs was rated 28th in the state in 2021, and 21st in 2022. The latest scores place the district at number 15 of 250 schools in the state. The high school scores especially well and is rated number 10 in the state.
Treasurer Pam McGarrah delivered a deeper look at the school’s financial picture and noted that increased assessments have helped the budget.
Supt. Bryan Pruitt said the school’s 623 students include 10 percent identifying as Hispanic, and that a third of students qualify for free lunches. Pruitt said the new cafeteria for the elementary and middle schools is a little behind schedule, and described future plans to build a new bus barn that would make the current location available for a pre-school.
After the 45-minute report, the board moved quickly through a regular monthly meeting. A proposed budget for 2025-26 was approved and will be published, as will a sample ballot and the tax millage.
Pruitt said the school received six bids from banks to hold the school’s funds. With banks currently in need of funds to loan, the school received a bid with 5.26 percent interest from CS Bank. Pruitt noted that in addition to having the most favorable bid, CS Bank has also been “a good neighbor” to the district.