Educating our children is one of the greatest responsibilities of a community, as well as one of the best investments for the future health and prosperity of the area. Every member of our diverse and talented community should have the opportunity to share their thoughts and insights about how the Arkadelphia Public Schools can continue to improve upon the educational experience offered to the grade school students in our town. With the assistance of the Arkansas School Board Association and the leadership of the Arkadelphia Board of Education, Project Connect will offer any interested community member the opportunity to provide input about the Arkadelphia Public Schools.

“Our community has a history of making education a high priority, and we are all stakeholders in our public education system."
-Dr. Jeff Root, APS Board of Education President

“Our community has a history of making education a high priority, and we are all stakeholders in our public education system,” Dr. Jeff Root, APS Board of Education President, said. “As board members, we see needs in the district related to facilities and other issues, but we cannot move forward without more feedback from the community. Project Connect is our way of ensuring that every idea will have a voice and every concern will be heard.”

“This is an opportunity to democratize governance in Arkadelphia Public Schools,” says Dr. Casey Motl, Zone 1 Director. “The board members recognize that we alone are not the wellspring of every good idea or best practice, but in collaboration with a broad cross-section of community interests, we are very confident that we can build up our public schools into the envy of the state.”

As an APS community initiative, Project Connect will provide a forum made up of multiple small groups, each led by a trained facilitator. The groups will meet quarterly throughout the current school year with an action meeting planned for May where ideas will be presented to the APS Board of Education for consideration.

“Our schools benefit from the excellent leadership of our board, administration and staff, but also from the active involvement of our community,” Dr. Donnie Whitten, APS Superintendent, said. “All stakeholders are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to collaborate with your fellow community members and have your voice heard.”

Community members who would like more information about Project Connect or who want to participate may visit arkadelphiaschools.org or contact Motl at motlk@obu.eduor 870-403-2336.