We're progressing at the legislature with making transformational changes in the way our public school districts are governed. But despite positive meetings, no bill has been drafted or filed, and the deadline for filing is Monday, March 7th.
We need an army of motivated parents and citizens from across Arkansas to immediately contact their state representatives and senators and insist on the proposed, good government, common sense, fiscally responsible changes of the proposed Public School District Accountability Act to engage and empower the electorate.
You may find your representative and senator by clicking here. I have reached out to my own representative and senator, but despite my best argument, both have declined to sponsor.
While moving the election and recall are important provisions, the most urgent and important issues are those (below) which will be trumped without action, and therefore, cannot wait for the interim session as they will be moot. If delayed, we will not have another chance to make these changes for another ten years (2020 census). My children graduate from high school that year, and without immediate, radical change, tens of thousands of students will have been failed by a system not accountability to the citizens.
Here's what has to happen this session:
By issue election, the people, not the school board, shall determine how they are to be represented. Since districts with 10% or more minority population must be represented by zones to comply with the Voting Rights Act, the people may determine whether zones will be five or seven, and if the latter, if it will be five zones and two at-large or seven zones. This determination should be made by a vote of the people in the first school election following the posting of results of the 2010 census. Thereafter, changing zone representation may be made by an initiated act of the people.
Justification: Current law only allows incumbent school boards to determine how the district will be represented. In the case of Little Rock, that determination was made by the board, not the people, in the mid-1990s. By all indications, Little Rock is locked into seven zones unless the board decides otherwise. With the 2010 census, the Arkansas State Board of Education and Arkansas School Board Association have issued a memorandum to school boards, superintendents, and co-op directors stating that they must redraw zones (by 6/2012) and determine by resolution (90 days before 9/2011 school elections) if they will be five or seven zones, and if seven, all zones or five zones and two at-large. They then should elect all new board members in the 9/2012 school elections in order to comply with state and federal law. I believe that, after each census, the people should determine how they are to be represented. For more, see my post at www.GaryNewton.org: 'Arkansas School Board Association Calls for All New Board Elections in 2012.’
All school districts shall follow the recommendations of the Arkansas Department of Education and Arkansas School Board Association, prepared in cooperation with the Governor's Office, Attorney General's Office, Secretary of State's Office and the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA), in regard to redrawing school board zones following the census and holding new elections for all board members.
Justification: Despite the current directive from the aforementioned groups, a representative of the Little Rock School Board has said that Little Rock will not hold new elections. For more, see my post at www.GaryNewton.org: 'Arkansas School Board Association Calls for All New Board Elections in 2012.’
Make those calls, and we can make these changes.
You may find your representative and senator by clicking here. I have reached out to my own representative and senator, but despite my best argument, both have declined to sponsor.
While moving the election and recall are important provisions, the most urgent and important issues are those (below) which will be trumped without action, and therefore, cannot wait for the interim session as they will be moot. If delayed, we will not have another chance to make these changes for another ten years (2020 census). My children graduate from high school that year, and without immediate, radical change, tens of thousands of students will have been failed by a system not accountability to the citizens.
Here's what has to happen this session:
By issue election, the people, not the school board, shall determine how they are to be represented. Since districts with 10% or more minority population must be represented by zones to comply with the Voting Rights Act, the people may determine whether zones will be five or seven, and if the latter, if it will be five zones and two at-large or seven zones. This determination should be made by a vote of the people in the first school election following the posting of results of the 2010 census. Thereafter, changing zone representation may be made by an initiated act of the people.
Justification: Current law only allows incumbent school boards to determine how the district will be represented. In the case of Little Rock, that determination was made by the board, not the people, in the mid-1990s. By all indications, Little Rock is locked into seven zones unless the board decides otherwise. With the 2010 census, the Arkansas State Board of Education and Arkansas School Board Association have issued a memorandum to school boards, superintendents, and co-op directors stating that they must redraw zones (by 6/2012) and determine by resolution (90 days before 9/2011 school elections) if they will be five or seven zones, and if seven, all zones or five zones and two at-large. They then should elect all new board members in the 9/2012 school elections in order to comply with state and federal law. I believe that, after each census, the people should determine how they are to be represented. For more, see my post at www.GaryNewton.org: 'Arkansas School Board Association Calls for All New Board Elections in 2012.’
All school districts shall follow the recommendations of the Arkansas Department of Education and Arkansas School Board Association, prepared in cooperation with the Governor's Office, Attorney General's Office, Secretary of State's Office and the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA), in regard to redrawing school board zones following the census and holding new elections for all board members.
Justification: Despite the current directive from the aforementioned groups, a representative of the Little Rock School Board has said that Little Rock will not hold new elections. For more, see my post at www.GaryNewton.org: 'Arkansas School Board Association Calls for All New Board Elections in 2012.’
Make those calls, and we can make these changes.
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