Election-zones OK
next step to board
The Pulaski County Election Commission's vote last week approving school board election zones for the Little Rock School District was another step in the process of reestablishing a board for a district that has been without for more than five years.
Nine seats will be up for election Nov. 3. That's one board seat for each of the nine newly created board zones.
People who want to run for election could begin May 3 to collect signatures on their petitions from people in their election zones. The petitions with at least 20 signatures are necessary for a candidate to qualify to be placed on the ballot.
The dates for filing as candidates with the Pulaski County clerk's office are July 27 through Aug. 3.
At least four people -- Ali Noland, Greg Adams, Jeff Wood and Leigh Ann Wilson -- have established social media accounts to publicize their intentions to be candidates.
Vaughn named to
space panel group
Pamela Vaughn, an Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education specialist in the integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, into student learning, has been nominated to the National Space Council Users' Advisory Group.
Vaughn was named to the 27-member panel -- whose members include Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, as well as other astronauts, business executives and government leaders -- by Vice President Mike Pence, who is chairman of the National Space Council.
Vaughn has been a state employee since 2018. She previously worked in the Camden Fairview, Fordyce and Mountain Pine school districts in a variety of science and math teacher and specialist roles.
She has a 1980 bachelor's degree from Henderson State University and holds certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.
"I am very proud and honored to be a part of this administration's era of American leadership in space," Vaughn said last week. "The National Space Council's Users' Advisory Group was relaunched by President Trump to advance and renew American leadership in space by keeping the National Space Council informed."
Advancing and renewing American leadership in space has long been the focus of her teaching career, she said.
"The nation has a promising and enhancing new plan for space exploration with new industry partners, and it is vital that we address recruiting, training and retaining the future workforce for the Artemis generation, in a new, innovative manner," Vaughn said.
Nominees to the panel are pending official appointment by the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Schools' charter
request advances
The Arkansas Charter Authorizing Panel last week approved a request to attach Haas Hall Academy-Bentonville, which currently has its own state-issued charter to operate -- to the charter held by the Haas Hall Academy in Fayetteville.
The change, if ultimately approved by the Arkansas Board of Education, will result in all four Haas Hall campuses -- Fayetteville, Rogers, Springdale and Bentonville -- operating under a single charter.
Martin Schoppmeyer Jr., founder of the nationally acclaimed open-enrollment charter school system, said the consolidation of the campuses under one charter will simplify operations by eliminating duplication in paperwork and reporting.
Amending state-issued charters to add campuses is not at all unusual in Arkansas and typically not controversial.
In this particular case, the Haas-Bentonville charter is due to expire June 30 and, without approval to attach to the Fayetteville charter, the Bentonville campus would not be authorized to operate effective July 1. School system leaders did not meet deadlines last year for submitting a charter renewal application.
Mark Henry, an attorney for the Haas Hall schools, told the Charter Authorizing Panel, that it has long been the intent of the system to seek approval to put the Bentonville campus under the Fayetteville charter umbrella.
This is not a case of the Bentonville school being caught without a renewal application, Henry said.
The Bentonville campus was started with its own charter as a way for the campus to qualify for federal startup funds of as much as $500,000, Schoppmeyer said.
Metro on 05/24/2020