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Transparency

District Budget Information

Four Factors of Funding

Four Factors of Funding

 

 

2025-2026 Budget Allocation

pie chart of fsps budget

 

Teacher Salaries
Operating
Capital Projects
Debt Service
Federal Funds
Activity
Child Nutrition

 

$70,911,858
$84,699,855
$8,461,905
$9,633,211
$19,245,277
0
$10,680,195
$203,632,300
School Board members group photo

 

Recent Board-Approved Actions

  • October 2025
    • Selected Mr. Harding to serve as the district’s voting representative for the Arkansas School Boards Association (ASBA) Delegate Assembly.

    • The Board approved the submission of a waiver letter to sell or lease the Belle Point property.

    • Approved an opt-out model for the APNA Survey in the 2025-2026 school year. 

    • Approved the 2025-2026 School Improvement Plans. 

  • September 2025
    • Approved digital advertising plan for tv spots at local tv stations. TV spots will run for 10 months at a cost of $28,250. 
  • August 2025:
    • Approved the district's collaboration with the City of Fort Smith to pursue a noise mitigation grant. 
    • Approved the 2025-2026 budget.
  • July 2025:
    • The board approved raising lunch prices by $0.25, making them $3.00 for grades K–5 and $3.25 for grades 6–12.
    • Approved a proposal to address recruitment and retention and Special Education and Alternative Learning Environments which includes monetary incentives: $5,000 for SPED Self-Contained and ALE teachers, and $3,000 for Inclusion/Resource Teachers and eligible paraprofessionals.
    • Expanded support for non-core sports by funding professional coaching.
    • Approved the district's new Bell to Bell No Cell policy. 
  • February 2025: District's future plans for an Alternative Learning Environment (ALE), consolidating students from Beard Elementary, Sutton Elementary, and Belle Point Center at the new Orr Learning Academy. 

Watch Mr. Mahan's Board Meeting Recap Videos Here

Rightsizing

In the fall of 2023, FSPS established a Long-Range Facility Planning Committee to develop a strategic plan for our school facilities. Their focus was on creating a practical and adaptable roadmap to guide the district's infrastructure development over the next 5 to 15 years.

A major part of the Long-Range Facility Plan is a focus on rightsizing over the next five years. Rightsizing is a strategic approach to optimizing the use of our school facilities by aligning the size and capacity of buildings with current and projected student populations. The goal is not simply to close schools, but to improve campuses at minimal cost while maximizing their suitability for both current and future needs. For elementary schools, key factors include a target building capacity of 625 students, a utilization rate of 80% (about 500 students), and the depreciated value of each building. The goal is to ensure that every campus is efficient, effective, and fully equipped to provide a high-quality learning environment.

Benefits of Rightsizing:

  • Decreased Need for Class-Sizing: By pooling more resources and staff into fewer schools, the district gains greater flexibility to accommodate growth and balance state requirements. This reduces the likelihood of class-sizing by ensuring that schools are neither overcrowded nor underutilized.
  • Grade-Level Collaboration: Multiple teachers teach the same grade level, allowing them to collaborate more effectively and share resources and strategies to improve student outcomes.
  • Dedicated Resources: Each campus will have dedicated art, music, and PE teachers, reducing the need for staff to split time across multiple schools.
  • Full-Time Assistant Principals: Each campus can have a dedicated Assistant Principal instead of sharing, enhancing student support and administrative efficiency.

Previously Rightsized Schools

  • Trusty Elementary

  • Orr Elementary

Schools Currently Being Considered for Rightsizing

  • Carnall Elementary

  • Spradling Elementary

Student Outcomes

Graduation Rates

  • Northside High School - 88%
  • Southside High School - 91%

ACT District Composite Score - 19.6

Total Number of AP Students

  • Northside High School - 367
  • Southside High School - 518

# of Students who scored a 3, 4, or 5 on their AP exam - 885

Industry Certifications

Students who earned at least one certification throughout high school

  • Northside High School - 337
  • Southside High School - 330

Total Certifications Earned

  • Northside High School - 544
  • Southside High School - 555

Total CTE Completion Certifications

  • Northside High School - 449
  • Southside High School - 210
graduate holding up diploma
Southside graduate smiling

Upcoming Events

School Board Calendar School Board Meeting
Service Center, Building B, Auditorium
School Board Calendar School Board Meeting
Service Center, Building B, Auditorium

Mr. Mahan's Goals for 2025-26 School Year

1: Communications, Marketing, & Transparency

1.1 Develop a Comprehensive Communications and Marketing Plan.

1.2 Establish and schedule quarterly "Meet with the Superintendent" town hall events.

1.3 Create a Community Advisory Council and a Parent, Guardian, Student Advisory Council.

1.4 Create a Transparency Dashboard that includes metrics like budget allocations, student outcomes, recent board-approved actions, and ongoing initiatives.

2: Curriculum & Instruction

2.1 Launch a K–5 STEM-focused charter school within an existing facility, featuring STEM curriculum, foreign language, and Singapore Math, with all planning, staffing, and approvals completed by June 2028.

2.2 Expand use of the SAMR model to promote best practices for technology integration in more elementary classrooms.

2.3 Use the CMSI Artifact Analysis Tool to evaluate work samples for alignment to essential math and literacy standards, Atlas Assessment, and cognitive demand.

2.4 Implement career-focused education in all elementary schools by integrating the PITSCO curriculum in grades K–5, with staff training and pilot units in grades 3–5 aligned to PEAK Career Pathways.

2.5 By July 2025, we will transform the annual “Nuts and Bolts” training into a 2-day interactive summer leadership conference featuring workshops, role-specific sessions, and networking opportunities.

2.6 The district will collaborate, finalize and adopt a comprehensive Portrait of a Graduate framework.

3: Finance

3.1 Expand the use of physical travel/purchasing cards for district use.

3.2 Present demographic trends to inform long-range planning

4: Instructional Technology

4.1 Increase cybersecurity measures as outline in Arkansas Legislation (ACT 754 and ACT 504) (Phase 2)

5: Student Services

5.1 The FSPS district will continue to shift to Student Electronic Cumulative data/files for students enrolling.

6: Facilities, Construction & Maintenance

6.1 Develop a digital marquee, roof, and HVAC standards and life cycle budget program. 

6.2 Present "Right Sizing" recommendation to the school board.