Ignite academies deadline July 15
July 15 is the deadline for Little Rock School District families to enroll their children in the Ignite Digital Academies for the 2021-22 school year.
The academies -- one for kindergarten through sixth grades and the other for seventh through 12th grades -- are the district's only options this coming school year for families who want their students to receive remote, online instruction away from the traditional classroom.
All other students will attend in-person instruction at their regularly assigned school Monday through Friday.
More information is available at this link: https://www.lrsd.org/ignite.
LRSD board faces multiple meetings
The Little Rock School Board has multiple meetings planned for the coming week, starting with a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to consider upgrading the chief financial officer's position to that of chief deputy of finance and operations officer with a commensurate "significant" salary increase.
The School Board has a special meeting on personnel and its regular monthly agenda meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, and then a work session from 10 a.m. to noon Friday to consider a plan for using money that could be raised if a property tax extension is approved by voters during an election later this year.
Little Rock School District Superintendent Mike Poore in documents submitted to the School Board in advance of the Tuesday meeting proposed that Chief Financial Officer Kelsey Bailey become the new chief deputy of finance and operations officer. The plan is an effort to counter efforts by other organizations to recruit Bailey for their employment, Poore said.
"The administration recommends that the Board approve a new position for the District," Poore wrote, "and authorize the Superintendent to engage in a contract with Mr. Bailey for a three-year term and compensate him in a manner that reflects the demands of the position and matches what a business entity would pay for an individual that is running a business that exceeds $350 million, has over 3,400 employees, and has a span of control over the vast majority of operations."
The salary would be determined at the board meeting, Poore also said. Bailey's current salary is $138,486, according to district records.
6 schools honored for reading efforts
Six Arkansas schools are recipients of state awards for incorporating the science behind learning how to read into the student instruction, and for building a culture in the school and community that encourages literacy.
The following schools received the Reading Initiative for Student Excellence or R.I.S.E. awards this year:
Brookland Elementary in the Brookland School District, Eastside Elementary in the Rogers School District, Greenland Elementary in the Greenland School District, Jerry "Pop" Williams Elementary in the Farmington School District in Farmington, Northside Elementary in the Siloam Springs School District and Southside Elementary in the Cabot School District.
Schools applied for the R.I.S.E. School Awards in the spring of 2020, but the process was delayed because of covid-19. This spring, a state Division of Elementary and Secondary Education team scored the applications for the award based on the three goals: Sharpen the focus and strengthen reading instruction, create community collaboration and build a culture of reading.
State officials visited the school sites to look for evidence of school-wide implementation of strategies and practices aligned with reading science. The six schools selected met all of the objectives.
Baseball-complex plans get approval
The Academics Plus charter school system's board of trustees has approved plans for a $2.65 million baseball complex on the new Maumelle Charter High School campus on White Oak Crossing in North Little Rock.
The baseball field will feature artificial turf infield and outfield, home and away dugouts, home and away bullpens, a 6-foot-high outfield berm for spectators and field lights.
"Adding this facility to our school will not only serve our students but provide a much-needed field for area athletes to enjoy for years to come," said Rob McGill, Academics Plus executive director.
The facility will be funded with general revenue and will be completed by the fall of 2022 when the new campus will open for the 2022-23 school year. The field will adjoin the soccer field. The charter system is seeking sponsors to help fund the associated expenses with the field, including scoreboard sponsors and bleachers.
Fill-in head named for charter system
Megan Stitzinger has been named interim executive director of the KIPP: Delta Public Schools, an open-enrollment charter school system based in Helena-West Helena and with campuses in Helena-West Helena and Blytheville.
Stitzinger was named to the post by the charter system's board of directors after the resignation last month of William Hill, who had held the position since July 2020.
Stitzinger is the managing director of talent for the system.