Asa Hutchinson Announces Members of Common Core Review Council

Tim Griffin

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday announced the members of his Governor’s Council on Common Core Review, which will be chaired by Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin.

In a news release, the governor’s office said the nominees “come from every corner of the state, representing every Congressional District, and were chosen out of more than 700 applicants.”

The statement said the council includes “teachers, parents, business leaders and students.”

Hutchinson announced the council in February, appointing Griffin as its leader. The panel will review standardized testing and whether Arkansas will remain part of the PARCC consortium, which assesses whether students “are on track to be successful in college and their careers.” 

Members of the council are:

• Kay Giddens, Searcy. Parent Representative.
• Gary Rhinehart, Scranton. Scranton Elementary, Principal.
• Lisa Cooper, Melbourne. Northcentral Arkansas Education Services Cooperative, Teacher. 
• Mike Luttrell, Springdale. Walker Brothers Insurance, President.  
• Jason Williamson, Ozan. Nashville Junior High School, Assistant Principal.
• Theresa Courtney-Ketcher, Little Rock. Forest Park Elementary School, Principal.
• Luke Van De Walle, Helena. Chief Academic Officer, KIPP Delta Public School. 
• Jonathon Guthrie, Bentonville. Lincoln Junior High, Principal.
• Dianna Lowe, Texarkana. Texarkana Arkansas School District, Secondary Curriculum Specialist & Advanced Placement Coordinator.
• Cindy Allen, Fort Smith. Chaffin Junior High, Teacher.
• Jacob Smith, Paragould. University of Arkansas, Student.
• Kalven Trice, Little Rock. Retired.
• Sherry Hicks, Dardanelle. First State Bank.
• Charisse Dean, Little Rock. Parent Representative.
• Kayla Davidson, Jonesboro. Westside Middle School, Teacher.
• Jeanne Gartman, Sheridan. Sheridan High School, Teacher.