The Arkansas Department of Education on Friday released a timeline leading up to school board elections for the Little Rock School District in November 2020, starting with a state review of proposed election zones in two weeks.
The proposed election timeline follows a precedent established by the state Education Board in 2016, when the Pulaski County Special School District and the Helena-West Helena School District held board elections in November the year after the districts marked five years under state control.
State Education Secretary Johnny Key said in a news release that setting a timeline was "yet another" step toward returning the Little Rock district to local governance.
"This timeline provides the patrons of the district with certainty about the process of implementing the nine board zones and when interested citizens can begin filing for positions on the new board," Key said.
When it meets Nov. 14, the state Board of Education will review three draft options for election zone maps for the districts, drawn up by the Arkansas GIS Office.
[ELECTION ZONES: See all three proposals for election zone maps » arkansasonline.com/112maps/]
One, which according to an overview provided by the Education Department most closely appears to meet state requirements and equal representation by district, attempts to cluster Pulaski County election precincts into potential board zones. Other options are based on school attendance and creating low variance of population between zones.
School board election zones, according to state law, must be drawn based on the most recent census data, and redrawn if the data changes significantly in a new census. Because the state-approved framework for a plan to transition the Little Rock district from its control calls for a nine-member board rather than a seven-member one, as was previously in place, new zones must be drawn.
The state took control of the Little Rock district in 2015, citing chronically low test scores at six of the district's then-48 schools. The state Education Board on Oct. 10 approved the framework for a plan that will give the district limited authority to govern itself after school board elections in November 2020. Since the state takeover, Key has acted as the school board, with a Community Advisory Board of state appointees put in place. The elected School Board was disbanded.
In a written statement Friday, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said the state's timeline was provided "in the spirit of full transparency."
"I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of Little Rock residents to move the Little Rock District back to full and local control," the mayor said.
Melanie Fox, a member of the district's Community Advisory Board, said the timeline seemed "pretty straightforward," and that she would suggest that the district, in partnership with the advisory board or the Arkansas School Boards Association, put on casual information sessions for people considering a run for the new board.
For some who were members of the Little Rock School Board at the time of the state takeover, the state's timeline didn't go far enough. When asked about it Friday, C.E. McAdoo and Dianne Curry both said the school board of which they were a part should be reinstated.
"Some members never got a chance to serve," Curry said. "Technically, we are still the elected board by the people. Our people in the city are still upset and concerned."
The state's timeline sets a February deadline for the Community Advisory Board to submit suggested revisions of the proposed board member zones to Key, based on feedback obtained at public comment sessions. The map is scheduled to be approved in March, and school board candidates will be able to begin collecting signatures in May for a Nov. 3 election.
A Section on 11/02/2019