Votes at a glance: Bentonville Board approves calendar, contracts, budget, policies and personnel

At its April 15 meeting the Bentonville School District Board of Education approved a series of routine and administrative items. The board voted unanimously on each listed motion; where motions and seconds were recorded they are noted below.

Key outcomes

- Agenda approval (item 2): Motion by Jeremy; second by Tatum. Vote: unanimous yes.

- Consent agenda (item 6): Motion by Willie; second by Tatum. Vote: unanimous yes.

- Approval of the 2026'27 academic calendar (item 7a): The board approved calendar draft B, which places a flex teacher workday in December (documented as Dec. 21 in draft B). Motion by Becky; second by Jeremy. Vote: unanimous yes.

- Student accident insurance renewal (item 7e): The board approved renewing the district's supplemental student accident insurance through Health Special Risk (underwritten by Mutual of Omaha) at the same premium as last year, $19,520 annually. The board also noted voluntary family-supplement coverage options: $94 per year for 24-hour coverage or $25 per year for school-day coverage (optional for families). Motion to approve by Tatum; second by Willie. Vote: unanimous yes.

- Operating fund/budget report and approval (item 7f): The board approved the period-9 financial report. Staff reported total fund balance for all funds of $71,100,000 (down $5,500,000 from the prior year), operating fund revenues exceeding expenditures by $5,100,000, and explained timing of property-tax collections. Motion by Becky; second by Jeremy. Vote: unanimous yes.

- Food-service contract fee adjustments with Aramark (item 7g): The board approved fee increases tied to the CPI for "food away from home" (3.4%), the third year of the five-year Aramark contract. Staff noted the district expects increased breakfast participation next year because of state changes to free breakfast eligibility. Motion by Willie; second by Tatum. Vote: unanimous yes.

- Policy updates and adoption (item 7i): The board approved a set of personnel and student policy updates for 2025'26, including additions to salary schedules and stipends (a $5,000 academic stipend for behavior classroom teachers; changes to wrestling and choir stipends), personnel technology-use clarifications, Title IX alignment language, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment-related student policy additions (survey opt-out, physical-exam/screening guidance, marketing of personal information), and adoption of the state-aligned cybersecurity posture (operational details withheld for security). Motion by Tatum; second by Willie. Vote: unanimous yes.

- Personnel packet (item 10): After an executive session to consider personnel matters the board returned to public session and approved the personnel packet discussed in executive session. Motion by Willie; second by Jeremy. Vote: unanimous yes.

Notes and clarifications

- All recorded roll-call votes were affirmative and recorded in the transcript as yes votes by the named board members. Where the meeting record lists specific movers and seconders those names are included above; in all cases the vote counts were unanimous in the public record.

- The calendar approved was specifically the 2026'27 draft B option (flex December teacher workday), not the 2025'26 calendar that is already posted online for the coming year.

- On the student accident insurance item, staff clarified that the memo contained confusing language about required purchase for ninth-grade students who play up in varsity football; staff said that purchase is optional and that the district-provided policy already covers ninth graders.

The board adjourned after approving the personnel packet and other routine business.