Mike Poore was born in Kansas and raised in Colorado, receiving his Bachelor's degree from Colorado State University in 1984, and earning his Master's degree from the University of Colorado in 1995. He currently serves as Superintendent of the Little Rock School District, appointed to the position in June 2016. During his fifth year at the helm in Little Rock, Poore was recognized as 2020-21 Arkansas Superintendent of the Year by the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA), and honored with the inaugural "Educator Award" by Junior Achievement. Both are timely recognitions, as LRSD was also returned to local control during the same year of these prestigious accomplishments.
A veteran educator with more than 37 years of experience as a teacher, coach, athletic director, assistant principal, principal, and executive director, Poore has dedicated his life's work to students. He has served in top administrative roles including deputy superintendent in Colorado Springs, Colorado and superintendent of Sheridan School District in Denver, Colorado. Poore moved to Arkansas in June 2011 to become superintendent of the Bentonville Public Schools. During his leadership in Little Rock, Don Roberts Elementary earned a National Blue Ribbon School distinction, and Central and Parkview Magnet high schools were named among the top 15 best metro Arkansas high schools by US News and World Report. While at Bentonville, that district was recognized for excellence in education. Niche.com ranked Bentonville as the top school district in the state, and the district received over $1.2 million in reward money from the Arkansas School Recognition Program in 2015-16.
Poore has been recognized as a leader in creating post-secondary career options for students, having spearheaded collaborative initiatives to improve student quality of life and enhance postsecondary and career opportunities, especially for underserved students. Continuing those efforts, Poore was instrumental in helping to garner a Ford NGL designation for the Academies of Central Arkansas model in Pulaski County’s four public school districts.
In Little Rock, Poore has leveraged community talent and resources to create the Bright Futures program, which connects student and family needs with existing community resources.
While leading Bentonville, he championed the development of the IGNITE Professional Studies program to advance career and technical education for 11th and 12th grade students.
In February 2017, Poore recognized Little Rock’s need to connect more students with the nation’s fastest growing jobs by kicking-off the EXCEL initiative. Working in partnership with business and industry leaders, EXCEL will connect high school students to local careers and postsecondary education opportunities.
Understanding the importance of helping ensure that each child is reading on grade level, Poore was instrumental in leading the charge to promote family literacy at LRSD during the spring of 2017 while also engaging the entire community. During a district-wide “Lemonade War,” parents became an integral part of supporting their students in simultaneously reading the same book. The books were provided to 13,000 elementary students thanks to ongoing literacy partnerships with the banking community and Rotary Club 99.
An avid user of social media as a forum for discussing education issues, Poore was the only educator among top national executives named to the Social Shake-Up Show’s Movers & Shakers and Rising Stars 2018 Honoree List. Poore is an advocate for school district staff working in service for the community. He serves as president of the board of directors for Economics Arkansas, and was also president in 2014-15. Along with his service on the Arkansas Professional State License Standards board, Poore is an active member of Rotary Club where he was recognized as a distinguished Paul Harris Fellow. He also serves on the National Heart Association of School Executives Council and is on the local Heart Association board.
Poore is married to the former Marianne Woodyear of North Little Rock, and together they share a blended family of five children.
As part of his Entry Plan, Superintendent Poore committed to conducting a self-evaluation regarding accomplishing the targets he has set for himself. That assessment can be found in the following link:
Listen and Learn Entry Plan Report Card