Michael Poore, the Little Rock School District's superintendent-to-be, is preparing an "entry plan" that will inform the public of the work he will be doing through the start of the coming school year in the state-controlled, 24,000-student district.
"It will create a feel for how I hope to use my days through the first day of school," said Poore, who last week gave notice that he will resign from the Bentonville School District superintendent's position in June to take the Little Rock job.
"Firstly, I hope it will reassure the community a little bit," Poore said of the entry plan that he expects to complete and release within the next couple of weeks. "And I hope it gives them something that will cause them to say, 'He wants a fair chance, let's give him a fair chance and see how he does on the entry plan,' because it's a pretty aggressive plan in terms of the actions and steps that are going to be taken before kids arrive to hear the first bell."
Poore made the comments at the end of a tumultuous week that started with the news that Arkansas Education Commissioner Johnny Key was making him the chief executive in the district now headed by Little Rock businessman and attorney Baker Kurrus, and that Kurrus' one-year contract would not be renewed past its June 30 expiration date.
The nonrenewal of Kurrus' $150,000 contract was done without consulting district, city and legislative leaders, and it generated a barrage of phone calls, emails and civic-leader visits last week to the Arkansas Department of Education and to Gov. Asa Hutchinson's office in support of Kurrus and leadership stability in the district.
The Arkansas Public Policy Panel, the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, the Arkansas Education Association and the Arkansas Community Organizations were some of the groups that issued statements in opposition to the leadership change and the state control of the district.
Rich Huddleston, executive director of the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, for example, said the decision against renewing Kurrus' contract could have statewide implications for improving opportunities for students, particularly disadvantaged ones.
"It certainly appears that he was ousted because of his advocacy on behalf of low-income students remaining in the district's traditional public schools," Huddleston wrote, adding that the decision by state leaders "also seems to suggest that privatization and charter schools will be the state's predominant strategy, at least in more urban areas, for turning around poor-performing schools and improving outcomes for low-income students."
State Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, and others met at least twice with Hutchinson and his staff last week about the the issue, most recently Thursday.
"He understands the need to have [Kurrus] involved in what is going forth," Chesterfield said Friday of the governor, adding that Kurrus had reinvigorated the district in recent months.
"Morale was rising, test scores were up, people throughout the totality of this city were rallying together. For once we had somebody who did not cater to just north of Interstate 630. We saw someone who understood we might need some things north of I-630 because it is an extremely growing area. But it is equally important that Kurrus went to Baseline Elementary, he went into the east end and that he was on 12th Street. He was all over this city listening to the citizens, some of whom he had known for a very long time.
"Whatever Mr. Poore's skill set is, he has to start all over again," Chesterfield said. "And once again our children are the losers. You can't do a good job with our children unless you have community buy-in. Just when we think we are on the same page, we get kicked in the teeth."
She said she and others in her group -- a cross section of the community -- conveyed to the governor a hope that Poore as superintendent would be provided support, even training, from someone who is very familiar with the district and city.
On Saturday, Chesterfield and other legislators attended a rally of more than 500 people on the steps of the state Capitol denouncing the decision not to renew Kurrus' contract and deploring state control of the district.
At the rally, speakers called the Kurrus decision a "slap in the face" that took away the stability that Kurrus provided and that the district needed.
City Director Kathy Webb said Kurrus united the school district "in a way I haven't seen in many, many years." Webb toured schools with Kurrus, who knelt down and shook the hands of small children and talked to them, she said.
After the rally, parents of children in the district expressed frustration.
"The problem is we feel like we don't have a voice anymore," said 38-year-old Nathan Pittman, the father of three children in the district.
Pittman said Kurrus had strong support in the community, including the support of teachers. "If you're trying to fix a school district, that's what you want," he said.
J.R. Davis, a spokesman for Hutchinson, said Friday that the public reaction that the governor's office and Education Department received about the change was appreciated.
"That shows us that there is passion for our school district and passion for our children," Davis said. "That is the absolute best-case scenario for this district. If we want to move forward and we want the best for students, then that passion has to be there."
Davis emphasized that the governor's office wants Kurrus to be engaged in the Little Rock district and with Poore, either formally or informally. Davis also said Poore, a career educator, has the academic background needed for the district and has "a tremendous track record" in raising student achievement.
Late Friday, Key issued a statement expressing regret for "poor implementation of a transition in the district's leadership." He reiterated his earlier praise for Kurrus as a "selfless public servant" and "invaluable leader for our community."
But Key stood firm on his appointment of Poore, who will earn an annual salary of $225,000. Poore will manage a district that was taken over by the state in January 2015 because six of its 48 schools were labeled by the state as academically distressed for chronically low student achievement on state exams.
"It is my position that Michael Poore can best move the district forward and maximize the academic progress that is needed to return the Little Rock School District to local control," Key said in the statement.
"Mr. Kurrus is on a previously scheduled vacation and upon his return will meet with Mr. Poore," Key said. "I am confident that together they will determine the best role for Mr. Kurrus to support the district's continued progress."
Key said that "to be more responsive to the community's expectations for public input, I am expediting the appointment of the Community Advisory Board, an important step toward returning the district to local control. The Community Advisory Board will play a key role in the district's success."
State law authorizes the education commissioner and Board of Education to appoint an advisory board in a state-controlled district that has made initial improvements. The advisory board makes recommendations to the commissioner on employee and student disciplinary matters and regularly reports on the district's progress toward correcting issues that led to a state takeover. An advisory board is made up of one volunteer representative from each school board member election zone in a district.
The Pulaski County Special School District and the Helena-West Helena districts, which are in the process this year of exiting state control for being in fiscal distress, both have community advisory boards.
Since its takeover, the Little Rock district has worked with a Civic Advisory Committee. That group -- different from a Community Advisory Board -- was created by the Board of Education when the state took over the Little Rock district, and it is not provided for in state law. It consists of a large group of school board zone representatives, teachers, students and philanthropic organization representatives.
On Friday, Poore said his entry plan will include developing partnerships with Little Rock teachers, the business community and area churches, as well finding ways to provide equitable opportunities for all students. Other provisions will include leadership team training to carry on the work begun by Kurrus and his staff in the district's academically struggling schools.
The entry plan will reflect the "broad-brush-strokes charges" presented to him by Key, Poore said.
"We want to turn this district back towards local control," Poore said. "That is a clear target for Mr. Key. A second target he has given me is what do we do to create all the appropriate support and how do we really know we are moving forward in the schools that have not performed as well. The third [goal] is what can we do to develop world-class career development centers. Those are the three targets, and they will be factored into the entry plan."
Poore said he has been honored by the kindness shown to him this week by Bentonville district employees and residents. He also said he is honored to be given the opportunity to work in Little Rock, a district he has watched over time in news reports and has heard about from his mother-in-law who lives in central Arkansas and keeps him in the loop regarding Pulaski County area districts.
"The opportunity to try to bring people together to do good for every kid is very exciting to me," Poore said, adding that he has begun to reach out to Little Rock leaders -- making about 10 calls a day -- to share a little about himself and answer some questions.
"The big next thing," he said, is to meet with Kurrus.
"In my heart and in my head, the right thing is for Baker to have as much involvement as he wants," Poore said. "He has to be given the opportunity to think that out, and he needs to hear a little bit about how I operate as a leader."
Poore said one part of his approach is taking an "appreciative inquiry" look at leadership and strategic planning.
"What helps me as a person coming in is to look at what is right in the world right now, what is it that you are proud of and what don't you want to lose sight of. Let's think about how we can enhance these things we are doing well."
Combining strengths with aspirations leads to a strategic direction. That makes it possible to seek out and use resources to accomplish goals for students, Poore said.
"I have found in my years of being a leader that that approach gets you farther, faster," he said.
Kurrus in his tenure re-established a chain of command in the district; received pay and workday concessions from employees to build up the district's reserves in anticipation of the loss of state desegregation funding; and initiated plans for a new middle school and a new high school. He has spoken to many civic and parent groups, visited schools and made data analysis a part of decision-making.
The nonrenewal of Kurrus' contract came after Kurrus argued against the state-approved expansion of the LISA Academy and eStem charter-school systems within the Little Rock district boundaries. He presented data that he said showed that the charter schools attract more-affluent and higher-achieving students, leaving the district with a greater proportion of poor, special-needs students and with fewer resources to educate them.
Asked about his views on charter schools, Poore said Friday that all schools have to be accountable for good work in regard to student learning.
He said that when he became principal at Mitchell High School in Colorado Springs District 11 -- where he spent much of his career before moving to Bentonville in 2011 -- the school had a dangerous climate with declining achievement and enrollment. He was challenged by his superintendent to improve the school within a year while a charter school run by the teacher association would operate simultaneously on the same campus. Both schools were successful and had to separate within a couple of years because of their growth, he said.
In later years, Poore said, he played a part in converting an unsuccessful charter school run by an outside charter management organization into a district-run charter school with a specialty curriculum supported by the Space Foundation, an organization based in Colorado Springs that promotes space awareness activities.
"I think I'm a difficult person to box in on charter schools," Poore said.
Information for this article was contributed by Emily Walkenhorst of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Metro on 04/24/2016