Korillene Flanigan has been selected to serve as the assistant principal of Elementary, Middle and Junior High Alternative Learning Environments for Springdale Public Schools.
Flanigan is currently employed as a Springdale School District counselor and will transition to the newly created ALE position July 1, said Melissa Fink, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and innovation, prekindergarten to seventh grade.
“I have enjoyed serving students and families in my current role and am looking forward to continuing the work in another capacity,” Flanigan said. “I am excited to work alongside Dr. Coby Davis and the K-8 ALE staff. My top priority as a leader is building relationships with parents, students and staff. I believe relationships are the key to a student's success. We can't serve the student and not serve the family.”
Flanigan is a seasoned administrator with a rich background in counseling, said Jared Cleveland, Springdale Public Schools superintendent.
“We all look forward to working with Mrs. Flanigan in her new role developing and connecting students to learning in the K-8 alternative environment,” Cleveland said.
The district will restructure its ALE program by relocating satellite ALE classrooms across the district to a single location in the former pre-K annex on the Linda Childers Knapp Elementary School campus where the Don Tyson School of Innovation's Virtual Innovation Academy is currently housed, he said. The VIA program will share space with the new K-8 Archer connection program.
“Having a dedicated location will enhance the opportunities for appropriate support to significantly improve outcomes of children in need of services,” Cleveland said of the ALE program.
Flanigan has been an educator for 23 years and has previously worked teaching second grade with the Nashville School District, as a sixth-grade reading teacher and junior high school counselor in Ashdown, an elementary school counselor in Blytheville and an elementary assistant principal at Health, Wellness and Environmental Studies Magnet in Jonesboro. This is her first year with Springdale Public Schools.
Flanigan has an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, a Master's in Educational Leadership from Harding University in Searcy and a Master’s in School Counseling from Texas A&M University in Texarkana, Texas. She was raised in Tollette and graduated from Mineral Springs High School in 1993.
She’s married to Dr. Jeff Flanigan, George Junior High School principal. The couple has six children, Teah, 28; Emirra, 20; Elise, 18; Jaden, 19; Jordan, 19, and Jackson, 9.
Flanigan said she believes wholeheartedly in the school district’s vision for the ALE program and is grateful to be part of it.
“I believe all children can and will learn at high levels if we provide a safe and loving environment in which they can grow and learn. As a leader, I will be visible, supportive and encouraging,” Flanigan said. “I will work to empower students and staff, as well as providing support for families. We will hold students to high expectations while being intentional with our focus on social emotional learning.”