Enough Already! Run for School Board

Three-sevenths of the Little Rock School Board - Zones 3, 6 and 7 - are up for election on September 18th. Considering that all Zones had to be redrawn based on the 2010 census, all seats should be up, but that's what you get for allowing your legislature to let incumbent school board members determine how you will be represented.

While Zone 3's incumbent, Melanie Fox, will not seek re-election, a highly promising candidate, Leslie Fisken, is running for the position.

Zone 6's incumbent Charles Armstrong is running for state representative. Because school elections are nonpartisan, and therefore aren't affected by Tuesday's primary, Mr. Armstrong has not said whether or not he will also seek re-election to the school board.

Zone 7's incumbent Dianne Curry has not said if she will seek re-election. Considering how she and board members Armstrong, Nellums and Johnson so blatantly attempted to disenfranchise our Hispanic citizens by dividing their neighborhoods among three zones, don't be surprised if one or more students-first Hispanic and/or Hispanic-friendly candidates emerge to challenge the gerrymanderers' artificial majority with purity of purpose and voter turnout.

The important thing to keep in mind is that no incumbent or announced candidate has any more right to the offices than anyone else. Board positions belong to the people. Candidates should run for the position, not against anyone.

With a $340 million annual budget, the Little Rock School District is the largest local government entity in Arkansas, almost doubling the City of Little Rock. And yet, its elections are unconscionably held on a date with no other elections (again, thanks Legislature) and decided by tens at the least and hundreds at the most.

I have yet to meet one person who is satisfied with the Little Rock School District. But still, incumbents regularly breeze to re-election without credible opposition - a challenger or challengers who force a legitimate debate on how to best educate our 25,000 students.

So every year, the people are given a chance to elect two or three leaders who will put students first. Nothing is more important to the future of our community than the delivery of excellent public education.

Please - if you truly will put students first ahead of self-interested adult agendas - Run People Run! Here's how (thanks to the Arkansas School Board Association):

• Visit the county clerk's office to get a packet of material about running for office.

• June 10th is the first day candidates may circulate a petition (available from the Secretary of State's Office). Candidates need 20 signatures of qualified registered voters from his/her district on petition.

• July 3rd is the first day a candidate may file a petition of candidacy (available from the Secretary of State's Office), the political practice pledge, and the affidavit of eligibility with the county clerk.

• July 10th at noon is the deadline for a candidate to file a petition of candidacy, the political practice pledge, and the affidavit of eligibility with the county clerk.

• The election is Tuesday, September 18th.

• If needed, runoff will be held three weeks later.

To run for school board, candidates must:

• be a qualified elector of the school district served whose name has been filed and certified by the county clerk of the county in which the school district is domiciled for administrative purposes;
• be a U.S. citizen;
• be an Arkansas resident;
• be a resident of the district and respective electoral zone if elected from zones;
• not be an employee of the district served;
• not claim the right to vote in another county or state;
• not presently be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction;
• never have been convicted of embezzlement of public money, bribery, forgery, or other infamous crime.

So stop being a critic, and get in the arena. Lives, families, and the present and future of your City desperately hunger for your students-first leadership.


Resources
www.arsba.org
www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections
www.votepulaski.net

Gerrymander Rigged

Last night, the Little Rock School Board got busy with one 4 - 3 vote, which:

1. gerrymandered to ensure majority African-American zones even though the district is only 44% black;
2. divided neighborhoods among three zones (1, 6 and 7) to deny Hispanics the opportunity for meaningful representation so zealously guarded by African-Americans; and
3. abandoned its responsibility to balance by population by creating zones as far apart as 2,252 citizens, a difference of 8.5%.

After months of border battles and with just 20 days until deadline, the board voted for the seventh version of a map, originally drawn by the nonpartisan regional planning authority - Metroplan, but bastardized by self-interested board members and their lawyers.

If the races were reversed, and minority whites were preserving majority zones, this would clearly constitute a voting rights issue. Let me rephrase: The issue is exists; but its advocates are frozen in silence.

In another outstanding report by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Cynthia Howell, Zone 7 Board Member Dianne Curry, whose term expires this year, claimed to have talked to Hispanic residents about the boundary-line revisions.

"They understand it was not based on looking at [ethnicity] at all, but strictly by the census numbers, and we didn't even know who was in a particular area."

Disingenuous or disengaged? Either way, disturbing.

According to Ms. Howell's article, Metroplan was asked late last year to draft election-zone plans using specific parameters:

1. equalizing the populations (fair);
2. minimizing changes from the current School Board election zones (self-serving);
3. minimizing the splitting of neighborhoods and voting precincts (fair);
4. using landmarks and census blocks to define zone boundaries (fair); and
5. if possible, avoiding the placement of two incumbent board members in the same election zone to avoid making any board member ineligible to run for re-election (self-serving)

No. 5 clearly took priority.

Charles Armstrong (Zone 6), whose term also expires this year, is also running for State Representative. But with the September school election coming after May's primary, he has not ruled out running for both. According to Ms. Howell, Mr. Armstrong said "Alternative 6 and 7 plans enabled him to keep within his zone some of the neighborhoods with which he is familiar." No. 2? Check.

"The only community that has asked the whole board, 'do not separate us, please,' is the one that we are separating," said Zone 4 Board Member Greg Adams, referring to the division of Hispanic neighborhoods. "What is the compelling reason that trumps that request?"

There is none. The irony is that it took a white man giving voice to Hispanics to challenge the unacceptable hold one race has on the board and district. What he didn't say was the black community knew they didn't have to ask, while the white community gave up its voice in the district years ago, either through apathy, fear of being called racist, or overcompensation for past wrongs.

Lest you think three of our seven board members to be altruistic champions of fairness, the vote was 7 - 0 to deny thousands of citizens the basic right to vote for their representative. Even though Arkansas Code Annotated 6-13-631 calls for the election of all board seats after zone boundaries are redrawn, Attorney Chris Heller advised board members that the district "shall be exempt" because it meets the requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act.

Somebody help me understand. To comply with the Voting Rights Act, zoned districts are required for all districts with minority populations ten percent and above. All districts' zones are required to be redrawn following the decennial census. The law states that all seats should be open for election after zone boundaries are redrawn. According to Mr. Heller's theory, are zoned districts which comply with the law and hold all new elections actually in violation of the law if the district meets the requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act?

What ever happened to doing what's right instead of hiding behind what's potentially exempt. I guess it depends on what the meaning of "shall" shall be.

Once again, the agendas of seven board members and their enabling attorney took priority over the rights of 178,391 citizens (as of 2010).

School Boards should govern public school districts as representatives of the people. They should not, however, tell the people how they will be represented. At the legislature, the people, not incumbent school boards, should should finally be empowered to determine zones and when their representatives "shall" stand for election.

And while we're at it, we have a Mayor, County Judge, Governor and President. It's time we had a directly elected School Board President to represent and be accountable to all the people in the governance of their public school districts.

Meanwhile, a promising candidate, Leslie Fisken, has emerged to replace Melanie Fox (Zone 3). Charles Armstrong (Zone 6) hasn't said if he's running for one office or two. And Dianne Curry (Zone 7) just read in the Democrat-Gazette that she has Hispanics in her district.

May electable candidates emerge, incumbent or not, who will finally put the needs of students above their own.

Perhaps one or more were among the Tiger Tailgate gathering tonight at War Memorial Stadium. With the leadership of Muskie Harris and Leotis Harris, Jr., Little Rock Central High football alumni are organizing to return the Tigers, and by extension the entire school and neighborhood, to its tradition rich place among the state and nation's elite. Go Tigers!

Little Rock School District Demographics: The Majority Myth

Total Population - 178,391

White Population - 84,513 (47%)

Black Population - 78,724 (44%)

Hispanic Population - 12,551 (7%)

Other Population - 2,603 (1.5%)

U.S. News & World Report Names KIPP's 96% Minority High School Arkansas' Second Best

Good news, bad news.

Out of 22,000 high schools evaluated in 49 states, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Helena's KIPP Delta Collegiate High School, an open enrollment public charter, Arkansas' second best.

According to the report, KIPP "students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement coursework and exams. The AP participation rate at KIPP Delta Collegiate High School is 91 percent. The student body makeup is 41 percent male and 59 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 96 percent."

Arkansas's best high school - Farmington's Haas Hall Academy, also a charter - is America's 353rd best (top 1.6% in country). KIPP was 404th (top 1.8%).

Bentonville High School was third in Arkansas and 731st in America (top 3.3%).

For perspective, the 23rd best high school in Arkansas (the last ranked by U.S. News) - West Fork High School - came in at No. 2,003 in the nation (top 9.1%).

No Little Rock, North Little Rock or Pulaski County Special School District high schools or Pulaski County public charters were ranked or recognized.

What's not written is that a large percentage of KIPP's 16 teachers (10:1 student ratio) are from Teach for America.

They, their fellow teachers, students, parents, guardians, the community, Executive Director Scott Shirey, and the KIPP leadership are to be congratulated...and emulated.

By federal definition, Pulaski County is in the Delta. KIPP anyone? At the very least, we should be throwing open our school doors to Teach for America.

Hidden Public School Tuition

Lest home or private school parents think that the performance of the public schools is not their issue, consider the following.

From property taxes on $100,000 assessed valuation, $928.06 (65.82%) goes to the Little Rock School District. That means every $300,000 home is paying $2,784.18 annually in property taxes to the district.

From personal property taxes on $1,000 assessed valuation, $46.72 (65.82%) goes to the Little Rock School District. That means every $300,000 home is paying approximately $116 annually in personal property taxes to the district.

That's $2,900.18 every year for a combined $142,699,808 from local sources. And that doesn't include your contributions from the state's sales and income taxes which total $115,221,936 annually. While we're at it, don't forget your federal income taxes, which provide $80,757,150 a year.

Even if your kids weren't, aren't or won't be in the Little Rock School District, as a citizen, property owner and taxpayer, you have a responsibility to hold our elected officials accountable for their performance (or lack thereof) in the governance and results of the $340,000,000 public school district.

By the way, that equates to $13,600 per student, far higher than most any private school Pre-K through 12 tuition in the region. But in the case of the Little Rock School District, you don't get what you pay for.

Dynasty No More...But Could be Again

Academics and extra-curricular involvement are not an either/or proposition. They are inextricably linked in the education of the whole person.

Just ask Dr. Fitz Hill about the role of athletics in Arkansas Baptist College's miracle turnaround of its school and community.

Think back to your own experience. It was the students who were engaged in sports, band, spirit groups, drama, choir, yearbook, student government, newspaper, clubs and/or any number of out-of-class activities who performed best in school. They were accountable - to their coaches, directors and sponsors and to each other.

Now think to your present. If you want something done, ask a busy person.

Apparently, the Little Rock School District still has athletics - that fundamental source of school and community spirit and support. But the elected and administrative leadership seems loathe to even nominally support it.

It took Dr. Drake Hawkins, Verizon Wireless and the private sector to put a new surface on the home field of the most famous high school in America. And yet, athletes can't even use Quigley Stadium's locker rooms because of mold and abominable disrepair.

Understand, this is the field of the vaunted Central High Tigers and their 32 state championships from 1907 to 2004. Even though it's been eight years since their last one, they're still 11 ahead of second place Pine Bluff and 24 above third place Barton. While recent years have been lean, the Tigers still hold the Arkansas record for most victories with 756 through 2010.

What does it say about priorities when the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau and Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism spend big bucks to market Central High National Historic Site as a major global destination, while its school's students can't even use its facilities?

And if that weren't bad enough, every single game the most storied team in state history from the richest public school district in Arkansas plays outside of Little Rock is at superior facilities.

I was always told, "If you're going to do something, do it well or don't do it at all." The Little Rock School District should decide if it's going to be competitive athletically. If not, admit it, and get out of the business. If so, get in it to win it. They can't blame the charters for this one.

What goes largely unsaid during the constant sports talk radio lament that Arkansas is not producing enough D-1 talent in football is that the state's largest and deepest pool of talent is being squandered by its school district's indifference. As we celebrate Little Rock's private school products Jake Bequette and Joe Adams, where are the public's Keith Jacksons and Marcus Elliotts? They're there. They're just being denied the opportunity.

This is a simple fix. No studies, no consultants, no strategic plan required. All it takes is will, and a little Friday Night Lights competitive spirit from the board and administration. So if you're reading, here are my top ten plays to return Little Rock - Central, J.A. Fair, Hall, McClellan and Parkview - to athletic glory, and thereby engender support and pride among students, parents and the community.

1. Allow athletics, including off-season training, as a class-time elective with PE credit;
2. Convert grades 6 - 8 middle schools to 7 - 9 junior highs;
3. Synch high school athletic programs with feeder middle school/junior high programs;
4. Empower head high school coaches to assemble staffs, including middle school/junior high assistant head coaches, and hold them accountable for performance;
5. Return coaches to the role of campus disciplinarians - in the halls, in the lunch room, on the grounds
6. Partner with City of Little Rock to share, enhance athletic facilities;
7. Seek district-wide uniform sponsor, with consistent design - Little Rock above number, school name below;
8. Host city-wide Homecoming, with all-school parade through downtown Little Rock and Battle of the Bands in War Memorial Stadium;
9. Establish Little Rock Booster Club to raise private sponsorships to provide matching grants to school-specific parent/fan booster clubs; and
10. Create, enhance spirit groups (e.g. marching band, cheerleaders, pom/dance squad, mascot, student booster club), then produce pep rallies before every home football game.

Instead of that next district-financed junket to the latest urban school district du jour, board members should get on a school bus and travel to the location of every Tigers away game outside of Pulaski County scheduled for 2012.  When they get home, they should get in a huddle and raise their seven hands to give their players the tools they need to succeed on the field and in life.

3/8 Planning, 5/8 Instruction and Veto Power

On its surface, I favor the proposed middle school change from block scheduling to eight periods. However, the process for this change begs closer scrutiny.

At the Monday, February 20th meeting at Forest Heights, it was stated by district leadership that in order to move from block to periods, the change must be approved by the Little Rock Education Association (LREA) (teachers' union) then the board.

When asked what happens if the teachers union doesn't approve, LREA President Cathy Koehler answered by saying that she felt that 80% of the teachers supported the change.

That's all good, but it didn't answer the question. The answer is: LREA has the power to effectively veto the will of parents and a policy decision by their elected school board.

A public employee union should represent its members in regard to wages, benefits and work environment. It should not be allowed to dictate the policy decisions of a public body.

Further, of the eight periods, one will be reserved for classroom preparation, one for subject collaboration, and one for grade collaboration. That's 3/8 of the day that teachers will not be instructing, but preparing to instruct.

I strongly agree with the need for dedicated time to prepare and collaborate, but couldn't the latter be consolidated into one period - say three days for grade collaboration and two for subject?

When I asked how the collaboration meetings would be conducted, we were told that there would essentially be a chairman, an agenda and minutes.

Every day?!

2/8 (or 1/4) of each day not in the classroom should be more than enough. One wonders if Ms. Koehler's 80% would be supportive of that change. Until they address the larger issue of the union setting district policy, all parents and their board need is one over 50%.

FOI You Too

I'm not a public official. I've got only nine followers on this blog. But evidently, full-time Joshua intervener and part-time state representative John Walker considers my windmill tilting worthy of his bully time.

I was recently on the receiving end of one of his fabled speaker phone calls, as he peppered me with questions about my alleged support for adding at-large zones to the Little Rock School District. Had he just been the tenth follower of my blog, he could have read for himself what my position is (and has been), instead of making one up and trying to tie me to it.

Here's the truth: School districts with 10% or more minority population must either be: 1) seven zones, 2) five zones, or 3) five zones and two at-large. Currently, incumbent school boards decide how the people will be represented. With Representative Barry Hyde, I proposed at the legislature that the people, not incumbent school board members, should be empowered to determine how their district will be governed.

Little Rock School District Attorney Chris Heller, evidently with carte blanche board authorization to speak for or against any issue he chooses, signed up to speak against it. Representative Walker actually did, and the Education Committee, despite some members' personal assurances of support, unanimously voted to send the issue to the legislative equivalent of Siberia - interim study. By the way, after a year of interim, where's the study?

Anyway, following my repeated clarifications to the speakerfied representative, the call ended. I immediately followed with an email asking him who else was in the room listening to the call, as I like to know my audience, even if after the fact. I received no response.

Later that day, I was told that Representative Walker - a public official - had submitted an FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request to all members of the Little Rock School Board for any correspondence from or with me. Understand, he can't FOIA me. I'm not a public official. So he backdoored it. And man, do some of those school board members jump when he says "Howdy."

I found the entire experience amusing until I considered the larger issue. If a state representative, 30-year intervener in the Little Rock School District federal case, and de-facto leader of the district chooses to use FOIA against a citizen parent communicating with his/her board members, imagine the chilling effect on citizen/parent involvement in the governance of their schools.

For the record, anything I write to an elected official I expect to be in the public record. Further, almost all of my exchanges with board members and Representative Walker are posted on this blog. To be fair, I never post private messages, but when a public official, including Mr. Walker, chooses to cc, I consider their communications public.

It does, however, beg the question: Why hasn't a reporter or reporters sent an FOIA request to Representative Walker and members of the board for release of all their communications over the past three decades? At the very least, I would like to see the one he submitted regarding me. I'm sure I'm not alone.

He's a smart and clever man, so I doubt a paper or digital trail exists on his end. Members of the board, however, could be a different story.