Six Bryant Schools will receive their share of $6,877,600 in reward money from the Arkansas School Recognition Program. Awards are based on assessment information from the 2021-22 school year and graduation rates from the 2020-21 school year.
The Arkansas School Recognition Program was created to provide financial awards to public schools with high student performance, student academic growth, and for secondary schools, high graduation rate.
An amount of $100 per student is awarded to schools in the top 5% in student performance or student academic growth. Three Bryant schools scored in the top 5%:
Springhill Elementary (Top 5% Performance in State) $52,200
Collegeville Elementary (Top 5% Growth in State) $49,600
Salem Elementary (Top 5% Growth in State) $48,100
Based on student performance or academic growth (which includes high school graduation rates), schools in the top 6%-10% are slated to receive rewards of $50 per student enrolled. Bryant schools receiving this award include:
Bryant Elementary (Top 6-10% Performance in State) $29,650
Hurricane Creek Elementary (Top 6-10% Growth in State) $22,400
Salem Elementary (Top 6-10% Performance in State) $24,050
Bethel Middle School (Top 6-10% Performance in State) $33,800
“Given the challenges of the last two years, I am extremely proud of all our schools’ ESSA scores and letter grades. The scores are reflective of a year mired in excessive absences due to quarantines and massive numbers of COVID cases, along with many other obstacles. However, through it all, our staff stayed focused on student learning.
“I am especially proud of the six of our 12 schools who are recognized as top achievement and/or growth schools in the State of Arkansas. Those schools will receive almost $250,000 in recognition funds.
“None of this could be accomplished without our dedicated staff and the support of our parents and community. We are grateful beyond words. While we have much to celebrate, we recognize that learning gaps still exist from the pandemic. We want our parents and community to know our staff will continue to work tirelessly to make these gaps disappear.” said Superintendent Karen Walters.
Schools receiving recognition funds are required to establish a committee to determine how to use the funds. Funds must be used for faculty and staff bonuses, educational equipment and materials, or personnel to assist with improving or maintaining student performance. The committee will include the principal, a teacher and a parent representative.