Earle School District released from fiscal distress classification, placed under state authority because of academic concerns

A classroom is shown in this 2015 file photo.
A classroom is shown in this 2015 file photo.


The Arkansas Board of Education on Thursday released the Earle School District from the fiscal distress classification that put the district under state control in 2017, but then placed the Crittenden County system under state authority for at least another year for academic concerns.

The district that has operated with an advisory board will begin operating with a limited-authority School Board that will meet monthly to make decisions that will be submitted to Education Secretary Jacob Oliva for review and final action.

The state Education Board established the plan for the Earle district in a short series of votes at a special meeting held on the Earle campus.

"This is a celebration day," Stacy Smith, a deputy commissioner for the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, told the state Education Board about removing the fiscal distress label from the district.

The Education Board had assumed authority over the school district -- removing the superintendent and suspending the elected school board -- in November 2017 because of findings of financial mismanagement.

Then, in May 2019, the state-controlled district was classified as needing Level 5 -- intensive support -- the most critical level of support in the state's school accountability system -- because of poor student achievement.

Since 2017, Smith said, the district has corrected its budgeting and spending practices. For example, the district is making regular payments on a $650,000 state loan that was necessary because of previous misuse of federal funding. The district also has used a voter-approved millage plan to improve what were once considered dangerous school building conditions.

"They are still operating on very limited cash flow," Smith said. "While things are better, they are still very tight," she said, noting the district has been helped with one-time federal covid-19 relief funds but hindered by an enrollment decline of more than 100 students since 2017. State aid to school districts is based on enrollment.

While the 415-student system has made some improvements in its academic program, the district continues to need Level 5 -- intensive support from the state Division of Elementary and Secondary Education for its academic programs.

Smith recommended the district be retained under state control for that support, but with a limited-authority School Board to replace the advisory board.

Education Board member Lisa Hunter made a multi-part motion authorizing the Education Board to:

Assume authority over the district that is classified as in need of Level 5 -- intensive support.

Appoint the current members of the suspended Earle School District board to act as a limited authority board.

After training organized by the state education division's Office of Coordinated Support Services, the limited authority board will meet monthly to make operating decisions that will be submitted to Arkansas Education Secretary Oliva for final action.

The limited authority board would consider most district-related matters, except for selecting a new superintendent should one be needed and the appointment of a new member to the limited authority board. The selections will remain the prerogative of the state's education secretary.

Tish Knowles is the state-appointed superintendent in the district..

The establishment of a limited authority board in Earle is similar to what the state has set up in Pine Bluff, Smith said. The limited authority board will allow time over the next year not only for improvements to classroom instruction but also for board training and for making decisions on how to set up an election for a board.

The limited authority board will be made up of the four people who served on the school board that was suspended in 2017. A fifth member of that board has since died. Applications for appointment to that seat will be sought and a selection made on the state level by Oliva.

Smith said the district has increased to 70% its percentage of teachers who are state licensed. It has acquired high-quality instructional materials and uses professional learning communities of teachers to confer on how to address student needs.

Earle students have shown academic growth on state exams, Smith said, even as the achievement levels are low. But Smith said the district continues to need state-level support for classroom instruction and student time on task.

This district "is not out of the woods in terms of consolidation and or annexation," she said, adding that she could not recommend that full authority be immediately returned to the board.

One member of the audience questioned the wisdom of retaining the board members who had served at the time of the state takeover of the Earle district.

Other audience members asked that steps be taken to retain teachers at the Earle campus and attract back several teachers who have left the system.

Education board members present for the Earle meeting were Chairman Ouida Newton and board members Hunter, Steve Sutton and Randy Henderson. Board member Sarah Moore participated in the session using the Zoom meeting platform.


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