[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6467376,"mediaKeyId","5796950-dee12cc5b5b061014caed768b4de3557","parentId",5796950,"title","Siloam Springs board approves 2025–26 proposed budget, facility-resolution and several contracts; personnel items carried","audioSeconds",736,"startMs",7862000,"endMs",8598000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5796950-dee12cc5b5b061014caed768b4de3557&start=7862&end=8598","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5796950-dee12cc5b5b061014caed768b4de3557/thumbnail_7862000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6467376/Arkansas/Siloam-Springs-board-approves-202526-proposed-budget-facility-resolution-and-several-contracts-personnel-items-carried","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6467376-95184b568cfcb0aeede3e9cb1985e9ab/orig.mp4?Expires=1775871140&Signature=iVqhmpPG1io4Kz~fyggI6RyU94XTS~38AjncJ1Ob7q7Auzeq4q6HjWMOXdEpkDbBmI9Qu7cLfbNB1JSbImqXbLkTN7jdxagcgGivku3SFkJb5cdVxLvcJhCa4JYF7cACdVN8BHUdsLhwQ~F4H16lT8Uulh02IbrMQNujF~PBLWBIRf069N9SCIyYY3Ohry3KfVTJQTcVMuTYNA4L5hXEGLESAKMxITOq3EUo1RZPXrN1LWGY9VESDjppYilY7yAExXrcE1HDtpC6crOEqLamJrRwEcbDbkkkmi8aF0bVBozNpqFY~3bpbphcMY~0JyprlEdF6D~lNalsPZBTUMqd4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","SILOAM SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT","date","2025-09-19T13:40:55Z","article","The Siloam Springs School District Board of Education on Wednesday approved the district’s proposed 2025–26 budget, adopted a resolution supporting preparation of a 2026 master facilities plan and approved multiple contracts and personnel items during its regular September meeting.

Budget adoption
Terry, the district finance lead, presented the proposed 2025–26 budget and said the district projects roughly $2 million in additional local revenue tied to higher property assessments and expects state funding to remain largely flat. She told the board salaries and benefits account for 72% of the district’s planned expenditures for 2025–26 and that the district intends to move about $1.5 million into the building fund to help prepare for future facility needs. The board approved the proposed budget by voice vote; the motion carried.

Resolution and policy updates
The board approved a resolution authorizing continued preparation for possible state facility partnership funding in 2026; the superintendent said the resolution is a preparatory step and does not obligate the district to request state funds. The board also approved policy updates the administration said were required to align local policy with state rules and regulations (changes to maternity/parental leave language were specifically noted as reflecting state rule language).

Contracts and agreements
The board approved a tuition agreement with Northwest Technical Institute to continue placing one student in a welding course. The board also approved a contract with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Jennifer Q. Banks, to provide behavior-consultant services under a contract arrangement rather than hiring a full-time employee; administration described the arrangement as materially less costly than previous full-time staffing while preserving services.

Personnel and other routine actions
The board approved the consent agenda, accepted licensed resignations, approved new hires for licensed positions and authorized compensation for teachers assigned more than the state 150-student daily cap in certain classrooms. The meeting minutes, financial statements for August and other routine items were approved by the board as part of consent and regular motions.

Votes at a glance
- Motion: Approve consent agenda (minutes, personnel transfers, student transfers, discipline). Outcome: approved (voice). Vote: unanimous.
- Motion: Approve August financial statement. Outcome: approved (voice). Vote: unanimous.
- Motion: Approve proposed 2025–26 budget. Outcome: approved (voice). Vote: unanimous.
- Motion: Approve resolution supporting 2026 master facilities plan preparation. Outcome: approved (voice). Vote: unanimous.
- Motion: Approve policy updates to align with state rules. Outcome: approved (voice). Vote: unanimous.
- Motion: Approve tuition agreement with Northwest Technical Institute. Outcome: approved (voice). Vote: unanimous.
- Motion: Approve BCBA contract (Jennifer Q. Banks). Outcome: approved (voice). Vote: unanimous.
- Motion: Accept licensed resignations and approve licensed hires (listed in meeting minutes). Outcome: approved (voice). Vote: unanimous.
- Motion: Approve compensation for teachers assigned more than the 150-student cap. Outcome: approved (voice). Vote: unanimous.

What officials said
Superintendent Patrick and Terry emphasized the board’s prior budget work session and described the budget as the product of collaborative preparation. Terry told the board she incorporated board recommendations and that the district had tried to maintain services while increasing staff pay and preparing for future facilities needs.

Next steps
Administration will proceed with routine budget finalization steps and the district will continue planning work related to facilities and the master-plan process. Several items (including the Zonda demographic work and school-zone options) are scheduled for follow-up discussion and public input later this fall and winter.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","BOE Meeting 2025.09.18","oneSentenceSummary","At its September meeting the Siloam Springs School District board approved the proposed 2025–26 budget, a resolution supporting preparation for a 2026 master facilities application, policy updates required by state rules and a pair of contracts; the board also approved personnel changes and other routine items.","taxTitle","SILOAM SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT, School Districts, Arkansas","taxId",55552,"location","Arkansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6467381,"Siloam Springs leaders present proposal to cut student building transitions after demographic study and district data",1975,2335000,4310000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5796950-dee12cc5b5b061014caed768b4de3557&start=2335&end=4310","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5796950-dee12cc5b5b061014caed768b4de3557/thumbnail_2335000.jpg","/articles/6467381/Arkansas/Siloam-Springs-leaders-present-proposal-to-cut-student-building-transitions-after-demographic-study-and-district-data","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6467381-3ad9ca63b7f93d3feabd2dc5f0079a53/orig.mp4?Expires=1775871140&Signature=VRqzU-KFpgCZ9VMFEivyXgJe2DESN2c37Nk9Rx1LSffJMsQ6I25lO3-tgR9ipfEZUWXFWMXlmD2nObP9aQPvHc4qHBCMsWp6tWHg4Lt2cK9RTOYeKLbu3uGynZ-D3YOM4XXsTtFQoq-OzMLbPphVzfya8z9yy0SwgEzrBQd44KNSFk6SoJC0J7N8zrw2eCQuAuT~kbARJNkQwAvWcnpTANs6zFOY1t3qBVttyv8yoT6XSm3oznJFhLiaA3UsTkpF3ApSyzHTimxsViIveY~Hl4JO1hJvyopq5hEg5-3j1QA-UPbAPxaBWRc7DE~yWtgbBbgI6k7BIcGr5bqxuTa3Fw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Siloam Springs School District leaders on Wednesday opened a public process to consider reconfiguring grade assignments so students spend longer stretches at the same campus instead of switching buildings every one or two years. Superintendent Patrick said the district has not decided to adopt a plan but that officials are “ready to start having some open, public conversations” about eliminating multiple transitions.

District officials told the school board they were prompted by a review of research and the district’s own longitudinal achievement data, and by a demographic study from Zonda Intelligence. The district’s preliminary proposal would move from the current configuration to three neighborhood elementary schools that serve kindergarten through fifth grade (Northside, Allen and Southside), two middle schools serving grades 6–8 and the existing high school serving grades 9–12. The administration said the change would eliminate three building transitions in a student’s career and could be implemented as early as fall 2026 if the board and community agree.

Why it matters: Administrators said repeated transitions — moving students to a different building every one or two years under the current configuration — correlate with declines in measured achievement and with higher behavioral and emotional incidents in transition years. The district said the reconfiguration aims to improve academic continuity, reduce family logistical burdens and create steadier staffing and student cohorts.

District data and research cited
Mr. Killian, the district’s data presenter, summarized multi-year student-achievement tracking the district compiled for current grade cohorts. He told the board that “scores decreased 19 times on transition years” while declining only eight times on years when students stayed in the same building, and that test scores increased far more often in non-transition years (16 increases) than in transition years (five increases). Killian and other presenters cautioned that assessment changes in recent years complicate direct comparisons but that the pattern was consistent across multiple cohorts.

Behavioral context
Ms. Payton, who outlined observations about student behavior, said transition years tend to show “much higher rates of student discipline issues” and increased emotional concerns. She described longer-term relationships between students and counselors or school-based mental health staff as particularly important for students with significant needs, saying those relationships are disrupted when students move buildings frequently.

Zonda demographic study
Hudson, a representative of Zonda Intelligence who joined the meeting remotely, presented a demographic and housing analysis the firm prepared for the district. He told the board the region continues to see housing starts and employment growth and that the district’s near-term enrollment is likely to remain “fairly stable” in the roughly 4,300–4,500 range over the next three to five years, with potential growth later. Hudson also mapped active and proposed single-family and multifamily developments and provided yield estimates (students per housing unit) for new subdivisions the firm reviewed.

Proposed configuration and capacities
District staff supplied initial capacity estimates for the proposed configuration: roughly 450 students at Northside, about 650 at Allen Elementary and about 730 at Southside; two middle schools splitting the current intermediate/middle population (estimated roughly 500 students each in the scenario) and the existing high school staying 9–12. Staff said these figures are preliminary and would be refined as part of demographic zoning work.

Next steps and timeline
Superintendent Patrick said the district will hold outreach and feedback meetings with staff and parents. The district plans to publish Zonda’s school-zone options and return to the board with formal zone proposals after community input; tentative steps outlined at the meeting include public meetings in September–October, Zonda returning with proposed zone options between November and January, and a district decision point after that timeline.

No formal action was taken Wednesday; board members were asked only to authorize the public process and to receive the study. Patrick emphasized that no final decision has been made: “We haven’t made any decisions about anything yet, but we have to start somewhere.”

Looking ahead
District officials said next phases will include draft school-zone maps from Zonda, more public meetings, and follow-up work on staffing, transportation routing and facility plans if the board directs the district to proceed. Administrators stressed the process will include multiple options and community feedback before any change would be adopted.","District leaders presented research and a Zonda demographic study showing repeated school-building transitions coincide with drops in student achievement and higher behavioral incidents; administrators proposed moving to three K–5 neighborhood elementary schools, two 6–8 middle schools and a 9–12 high school and opened a public feedback process.","actionData","errors"]

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Siloam Springs board approves 2025–26 proposed budget, facility-resolution and several contracts; personnel items carried

Siloam Springs leaders present proposal to cut student building transitions after demographic study and district data