The Little Rock School District is focusing on improving literacy and math programs, increasing student access to quality instruction and improving student attendance in this new school year, the state's leader in working with state controlled-school districts said Thursday.
Mike Hernandez, superintendent in the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education's office of coordinated support and services, highlighted for the state Board of Education the work being done in the state's five school systems that are currently operating under state authority.
That work for each district -- Little Rock, Dollarway, Pine Bluff, Lee County, and Earle -- is described in the latest of the division's quarterly reports submitted to the state Education Board and to the Legislature.
The Education Board voted unanimously to accept each of the reports Thursday after hearing from Hernandez and superintendents of four of the five districts.
The districts are in the position of operating with state-appointed superintendents because of their histories of poor student achievement, fiscal distress and/or violations of the state standards for accrediting schools.
Schools in each of the districts are to have improvement plans that are supposed to be supported by their districts, which in turn are supported by the state agency.
The Little Rock district, the second-largest school system in the state with about 23,000 students, has been under state control for the longest period and is approaching a five-year deadline in January for achieving criteria for exiting state control.
State education leaders in recent weeks have begun exploring ways of either returning the Little Rock district to the management of a locally elected school board or otherwise "reconstituting" the district as required by law for districts that don't meet state-set exit criteria dealing with student test scores, instructional programs and strategies, and finances. Reconstitution, however, is not defined in the law.
In regard to the Little Rock district, Hernandez listed for the Education Board a half a dozen state agency staff members who are providing regular aid in different facets of the district operations, including the systematic use of research-based strategies for teaching reading, the delivery of special education services, and the formation of "professional learning communities" of educators who collaborate on instruction in their schools.
Additionally, a state behavior specialist has been brought in to work with the schools after concerns were raised about discipline at some campuses, Hernandez said. Today, state agency staff will work with the district staff to review how staffing data -- including information on any ineffective teachers -- is collected and reviewed.
Hernandez was complimentary of the district's financial management and of its Feet to the Seat campaign to reduce chronic absenteeism.
He told the Education Board that the state and numerous school districts are working together to find a standardized way to report what are now the inconsistent methods of reporting employee absenteeism, which in excess can hinder student learning.
Education Board Chairman Diane Zook of Melbourne and Little Rock told Hernandez and Superintendent Mike Poore that she was disappointed in the low participation in summer school this summer.
Zook questioned whether the district is doing pre- and post-testing of students who participate in programs or services that are funded with state money targeted specifically to closing the achievement gaps between groups of students. In the Little Rock district, that includes summer school or the corps members from City Year Little Rock who mentor and support students at six of the district's schools.
A former special-education teacher and supervisor, Zook said she continues to get reports of inconsistent special-education services in the district, including services for students who have characteristics of dyslexia. She said she was frustrated by the issues related to serving students who need special-education services in light of the decades-old requirements for those services.
Poore said the numbers of students being screened, identified and provided services is well above previous levels.
The superintendent also highlighted other aspects of the district, including new approaches to student discipline and improving school culture, and the increased academic rigor in the state and district.
He also said he believes that the district's enrollment that dropped by more than 600 students last year is showing an increase of as many as 100 students this year.
The Pine Bluff and Lee County districts are the most recent schools to be taken over by the state.
Hernandez said taking over the Lee County district at the end of the last school year was particularly problematic and that all aspects of the district's operation -- facilities, food service, instruction, curriculum materials and staffing -- have all needed time and attention.
One of the positives is that a graduation coach has been hired for the district that was taken over in large part because large numbers of high school students were not on track to graduate.
Additionally, the superintendent has tapped numerous sources for teacher hires.
The Pine Bluff district, taken over about a year ago for fiscal and student achievement issues, is "more settled" in the aftermath of reducing employee numbers, Hernandez said.
One of the tasks underway in that district is tackling facility needs, including at the aging and sprawling Pine Bluff High School.
A community committee is being formed and will meet for the first time next week to begin determining what the building needs are in the district.
Additionally, state and school district staff members will undertake an evaluation of the roofing, plumbing, electrical and other building systems to be able to have accurate information as the long-range planning gets underway.
Superintendent Jeremy Owoh is beginning to work to identify sources of revenue for any building work, Hernandez also said.
Education Board member Charisse Dean of Little Rock noted that plans are in place to build a casino in Pine Bluff and she questioned Owoh about the district's preparations for the impact of that operation on the district, including the potential for gambling addictions.
Owoh said that while he is looking forward to tax revenue generated by the casino and two new medical-marijuana operations, he is aware of unintended consequences of the facilities. He said he anticipates that topic of excessive gambling and other related issues will be topics addressed in upcoming "parent academies" to be organized by the district's new director of communications and community engagement.
One of the concerns Hernandez expressed Thursday about the Dollarway district is the inability to date to attract community members to serve on an advisory board in lieu of a school board.
Metro on 09/13/2019