With Apologies to the President and My 7th Grade English Teacher, Change We Can Learn In

Think the dysfunction of our public schools rests solely with the local school board? However poorly, board members are only playing the cards they are dealt by the legislature.

So, every legislator who complains about Little Rock has the power to do something about it.

In the last session, with the leadership of Representative Barry Hyde, we tried to 1) change the date of school elections to the primary; 2) empower the people, not incumbent school boards, to determine how they will be represented in zoned districts - five zones, seven zones, five zones and two at-large; and 3) provide for recall of school board members.

Nos. one and two were unanimously sent to interim study by the Education Committee, and No. 3 couldn't even get a hearing. By the way, it's the interim; where's the study?

If the legislature truly wants to provide excellent education for all students, it can pass and send to the governor for his signature these fifteen reforms:

1. Through individual portability of state per-pupil spending, empower total school choice (public, charter, private) among Pre K – 12 schools;
2.  Change date of school elections to general election;
3. After each census, a nonpartisan demographer shall redraw the zone map equalizing the populations, minimizing the splitting of neighborhoods and voting precincts, and using landmarks and census blocks to define zone boundaries;
4. Through local initiated act, people choose how they will be represented in zoned school districts – five zones, seven zones, five zones – two at-large;
5. Following redrawing of the zones, all board seats shall stand for election;
6. Directly elect school board presidents at-large, and in zoned districts, raise number of board positions to six, eight and six and two-at large, respectively;
7. Provide for recall of school board members;
8. If student is not grade-level proficient in math and literacy by the end of third grade, he/she will attend summer school. If still not proficient, will repeat grade;
9. Require everyone under 18 to be in school, graduate or receive GED; if over 18, require high school graduation or GED to receive public assistance;
10. Strengthen truancy officer/court system to ensure all eligible students are in school;
11. Like other economic development incentives, reform state-sponsored scholarships to performance-based – 50% at enrollment, 50% upon passing grades at semester;
12.  Graduating schools share with colleges and universities 50% of cost of first-year post secondary remediation;
13. Equalize opportunity to join or quit a public service union;
14.  Require public service unions to collect own dues; and
15. Prohibit school districts from paying salaries of employees not performing contracted services for district.

Or not. And not. And not.

Zone 4 Parent Demands Middle School Action from her School Board

The letter which follows is from Kellyann Thornton, Zone 4 parent, to Jody Carreiro (Zone 5), president of the Little Rock School Board. May she persist and prompt others like her to emerge and make their voices heard.

The nearest middle school to West Little Rock is EAST of University.

Zone 4 (Greg Adams), Zone 5 (Jody Carreiro), and Zone 6 (Charles Armstrong) have zero middle schools in their Zones. Nada. That's Spanish for "nothing," Ms. Curry.

Zone 3 (Melanie Fox) has two - less than two miles apart, Zone 1 (Norma Johnson) has two, and Zone 7 (Dianne Curry) has two.

Zone 2 (Michael Nellums) has one.

West Little Rock is not even asking for parity. It's simply asking the board to at least pretend it cares about the people west of I-430 by investing their tax dollars in building a middle school proximate to their neighborhoods instead of having their children bussed or driven eight miles via Cantrell or 11.5 miles via I-630 (from Don Roberts Elementary to Forrest Heights Middle).

The board moves zones to include its members' homes (see map below). One would think it, or at least Messrs. Adams and Carreiro, would move heaven and earth to keep Roberts and Fulbright parents like Kellyann Thornton in the district.

View New Little Rock School Board Zone Map
Note location of homes of board members, which obviously was a top priority. Also, note the disembodied portion of Zone 1, Little Rock's own version of the infamous "Fayetteville Finger." But in this case, it's more like a thumb in the eye of Hispanic voters, who had their neighborhoods divided into thirds, effectively diffusing any voting power. Or, will it actually serve to motivate the electorate to roll out support for a students-first candidate(s)?

Little Rock School District School Board

Mr. Jodi Carreiro, President

Via Email

June 4, 2012

Dear Mr. Carreiro,

The LRSD school budget is $350 million dollars, twice the budget of the City of Little Rock . There are budget planning meetings clearly stating part of the purpose is current and future facility needs; so, where is the line item for funds to buy land in the western side of the city?  Why, after years and years of Board meetings with members making motions, such as “..to direct and instruct the administration to begin the search for property for the construction of a middle school in West Little Rock ..” (that motion carried unanimously), do we still not have any movement in this direction years later?  You are well aware of this history, so I will not repeat the numerous citations to all these empty promises. Why does the Board continue to turn a blind eye towards the West?  Even Dr. Holmes, at a board meeting in February of 2011 during his “interim” time of service, noted that the board had agreed to look for land in the western part of the city for a middle school several years ago.

Apparently, the LRSD School Board continues to rely on the premise that they do not need to accommodate over 50,000 tax paying citizens (2010 Census) with any form of secondary schools in their neighborhoods or community.  This continues to be completely socially irresponsible. Some have surmised it is in the name of “diversity” at select magnet schools.  Punishing and stigmatizing what is perceived to be an “affluent white community” based on decades-old protest identity struggles is not poetic justice; it is just a different enabler of racism, an embodiment that wields the power to contaminate by mere association.  There is no progress in this, for any of our children.

As my own child enters the 5^th grade this August, it is clear to me that the LRSD and the LRSD School Board continue to ignore the children in the western sections of LRSD School Zone 4 and Zone 5, once they are ready to enter secondary education.  My child is a high achiever; participates in the Gifted and Talented program, is a DUKE TIP participant scoring in the 95^th percentile in the country in math and science, won his 4^th grade class science fair, and yet has no secondary school to attend in the section of Little Rock where we live.

We truly value a good public education.  We are actively involved not only in the education of our child at home, but in our school community as well.  I was recently awarded a LRSD ViPs award for my contributions at Don R. Roberts Elementary School .  As a parent volunteer, I have worked tirelessly to bring positive influences into the school.  I personally lead a philanthropic campaign benefiting the LR Zoo, which in turn brought an educational enrichment assembly for all our children to our campus.  I spearheaded a Red Cross Blood Drive on our campus for our parents to give back to our community, in turn the Red Cross provided an educational enrichment assembly to our upper grades.  I facilitated a fundraiser for our school activity fund by collaborating with a local restaurant for a “Parents Date Night”.  I have by myself organized and executed two events for teachers to participate in and enjoy as a show of my appreciation for what they do for our children, with a third event planned for this August.  I also volunteer in the classroom.  As a PTA Board member, I personally raised thousands of dollars for our PTA by going out into our local business community and encouraging business membership in our PTA .

So I must ask myself, are we not exactly who the LRSD want to retain, both a student and his family, within the district?  Why is this District indifferent to losing our child as a student?  Why is this District indifferent to losing parents who are committed and vital volunteers to the public schools?  By this time next year, we will be preparing to enter a private school located in our neighborhood.  My family will make great sacrifices, to the detriment of other aspects of our lives, to allow us to do this for our child.  We will be frustrated and bitter at the injustice that the neglect of this District forces us to pay twice – through high property taxes as well as private school tuition - to assure for our child a quality education in a safe school, located in our own community.  We are not alone in harboring these feelings, hundreds of other families in this area express this same sentiment.

So as I sit and read about your budget workshop, I can’t help feeling that this District never had any real intention to keep the promises, the motions, the amendments, etc., to build what is so terribly needed for the children who happen to live on this side of the 430 Freeway, no matter how much more in per-capita, per-student proportion we parents pay in taxes to support this District.  This District and this School Board are failing my child and all of the other children who reside in this section of Little Rock .  What do you, as President of the LRSD School Board, intend to do about this continued crises of students fleeing this District as they enter their secondary education, due to the lack of a secondary school in their neighborhood?

Sincerely,

Kellyann Thornton.

cc:  Dr. Morris Holmes, Superintendent, LRSD

      Dr. Daniel Whitehorn, Associate Superintendent of Secondary Education, LRSD

      Tom Kimbrill, Commissioner, Arkansas Department of Education

      The Honorable Allen Kerr, Arkansas State Legislator, District 32

      The Honorable Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education