State Board Denies Request For Dove School

— A detailed presentation on the Springdale School District’s academic offerings apparently helped convince the Arkansas State Board of Education that a proposed charter school in that city was unnecessary.

During a Monday meeting in Little Rock, the board voted 5-2 to deny a request from the Dove School of Excellence, which operates four charter schools in Oklahoma, to expand into Springdale. The vote followed a detailed presentation on district demographics, test scores and programs by Superintendent Jim Rollins and others.

The vote was one of two against proposed charter schools in Northwest Arkansas. The board also voted 5-2 to deny proposeda Prism Education Center charter school in Fayetteville at 3162 Martin Luther King Blvd.

“I could not be more impressed by a group of state policy makers,” Rollins said. “We observed the state board in action throughout the afternoon. In my view, they just did an outstanding job in each situation.”

Springdale’s argument against the Dove School was it would not offer a service the district does not already provide.

“The Springdale School District has a very comprehensive curriculum program,” Rollins said. “I think the merits of the proposal itself were the basis for the decision.”

Rollins, assistant superintendents Marsha Jones and Don Love and six of the seven Springdale School Board members attended the meeting in person. Jeff Williams was the only board member to not attend.

Dove School Director Kaan Camuz said he didn’t want to comment on the state’s decision.

The proposed location of the school was 901 W. Robinson Ave. The plan had been to open the school in 2010-11 for kindergarten through eighth-graders, then add a grade each year until it offered four years of high school.

State Board members Jim Cooper and Sherry Burrow cast the dissenting votes on both proposals. Board Chairman Naccaman Williams, a Springdale resident, did not vote.

New charter school initiatives are usually opposed by school officials in the district where they are located. Fayetteville also sent representatives to speak against the Prism proposal.

Open enrollment charter schools receive state funding for each student enrolled in their program.

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