White Hall School District Superintendent Gary Williams was awarded a contract extension through the 2028-29 school year at Tuesday’s board meeting.
Williams, who has been superintendent since July 2022, will work under a new three-year deal starting July 1 of this year. That deal will replace his current three-year contract that started last July, he explained.
“Super excited,” Williams said. “I am thrilled to be at White Hall. I was thrilled three or four years ago when I came, and I’m thrilled again tonight. I appreciate the board’s confidence. This is a great group and a great staff and a wonderful community. I’m blessed, and I’m thankful, so I look forward to the work ahead.”
Under the current contract, Williams is paid $181,500 annually.
The district is looking at ways to improve its C grade from Arkansas’ education accountability formula under the state ACCESS Act of 2025. District officials showed during Tuesday’s meeting how they are using information from a website known as the ATLAS Portal, made only accessible to school officials and parents, to determine what standards each student needs to master to improve scores on the summative battery of the Arkansas Teaching, Learning and Assessment System (ATLAS), which is offered each spring.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Teachers examined the data during a professional development session Jan. 5. Hardin Elementary Principal Jeff Glover said he uses the data to project how his campus will perform on the ATLAS and added parents may request access to the data for their own children and by grade level.
“For the grade level, if they wanted to know I could compile a report and give that to them, but for the student, they have a login for the portal and we’ve given that out to parents,” Glover said.
The ATLAS Portal, Glover added, helps his school align the curriculum with what ATLAS requires.
“It’s also trying to align our assessments to ask similar questions that ATLAS is asking per standard,” he said. “As we said earlier, the achievement level descriptors tell us the depth and kind of the wording students are asked to meet a certain level. We want them to meet that 3 or 4 (Level 3 for demonstrating proficient knowledge of a subject and Level 4 for demonstrating advanced knowledge). We’ve challenged our teachers to create assessments that reflect that. That’s some of the work we’ve been doing this year.”
As an example Glover gave, teachers are trying to develop questions for students about a reading passage similar to those that will be asked on the ATLAS.
Interim testing for the ATLAS is ongoing this week at Hardin, with other elementary campuses to undergo interim testing in the coming weeks.
Assistant superintendent Debbie Jones said the building principals are “on the same page” in communicating with faculty about improving student performance. This is the second year that WHSD teachers have worked on such collaboration, according to Glover.
The presentation, Williams said, is a small example of the hard work in the WHSD.
“I think we’ve accomplished a lot, but we have more to do,” Williams said.
DISTRICT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
High school senior Aubrey Parker was awarded a scholarship from the One Korean Foundation. The scholarship, according to the district, recognizes the importance of community, service and opportunity for all. Parker was recognized at a scholarship banquet Dec. 13.
The Arkansas Activities Association acknowledged senior Meredith Reddin as an All-Star cheerleader. All-State cheerleaders stand out during competition season. Reddin was nominated by her coach and evaluated on skill and performance and is only the second All-State cheerleader in WHSD history, according to the district.
The varsity cheer team competed at the state level for the first time in the 5A co-ed division. Two male athletes have joined the team to support stunting.
The district also recognized each of its board members for School Board Member Recognition Month.
DISTRICT FINANCIALS
The legal balance at the end of December 2025 was $9,515,984.39, according to district finance director Tracy Samples. That was an increase from $9,474,045.79 at the end of December 2024.
PERSONNEL ITEMS
The district approved the hires of middle school choir teacher Taylor Vik and sixth-grade English teacher Michelle Adam, both effective Wednesday. Carol Eagle has been transferred to assistant bookkeeper, effective Wednesday.
