September 26, 2002
The
Board of Directors of the Little Rock School District held its regularly
scheduled meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 26, 2002, in the
Boardroom of the Administration Building, 810 West Markham Street, Little Rock,
Arkansas. President Baker Kurrus
presided.
MEMBERS
PRESENT:
Baker Kurrus
Judy Magness
Tony
Rose
Larry Berkley
Micheal
Daugherty
Katherine Mitchell
Sue Strickland
MEMBERS
ABSENT:
None
ALSO
PRESENT:
T.
Kenneth James, Superintendent of Schools
Beverly Griffin, Recorder of Minutes
I. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL
Prior to calling the meeting to order,
Judge Chris Piazza administered the oath of office to Board members Katherine
Mitchell, Zone 1, and Larry Berkley, Zone 5, who were recently re-elected to
their positions on the Board.
President Baker Kurrus called the
meeting to order at 6:08 p.m. All
members of the Board were present at roll call. Diane Drilling, from Hall High School, was the student ex officio
representative. The teacher
representative from Fulbright Elementary was not present.
II. PROCEDURAL
MATTERS / WELCOMING COMMENTS
Mr. Kurrus made brief opening remarks
and welcoming comments. He introduced the Dodd Elementary School choir of first
and second grade students, who performed several patriotic songs and led the
audience in reciting the pledge of allegiance.
By consensus, the Board reordered the
agenda to take action on item IX (A), Central High School Baseball Field. Mr. Kurrus introduced Coach Johnny Johnson
who briefly explained plans to build a baseball field at Central High
School. He then introduced Jim Irwin
and Charlie Coleman, who have worked with the Central Baseball Booster Club to
raise the funds necessary to begin this project. The Coleman family contributed $120,000 and an additional $30,000
was provided by Central High School to insure this will be a top-notch baseball
facility. The Board was provided with
information regarding Mr. Buddy Coleman, who graduated from Little Rock High
School in 1946, and they were asked to consider a proposal for naming the
baseball field after Mr. Coleman.
Ms. Magness made a motion to accept the
financial contribution from the Coleman family for the construction of the
baseball field, and to name the field in honor of Mr. Buddy Coleman. Ms. Strickland seconded the motion, and it carried
unanimously.
The Board and public were invited to
attend a press conference and official ground breaking ceremony on Tuesday,
October 1, at 2:00 p.m.
III. REPORTS/RECOGNITIONS/PUBLIC
COMMENTS
Dr. James announced that nineteen LRSD students were named 2003 National Merit Semifinalists. Fifteen of these students attend Central High School and the other four attend Parkview Magnet School. These students and their parents will be invited to attend a reception prior to the October 24 Board meeting.
The Superintendent congratulated Susan Chapman for being selected as the winner of the 2002 Donna Reed award for administrators from the Arkansas Federation Council for Exceptional Children.
The annual Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure will be held on Saturday, October 5, this year. The District has raised $10,263.00, with 630 people signed up to participate. Twenty-five of these participants are “survivors,” who will walk in support of breast cancer research and treatment.
Dr. James announced that the LRSD was recently notified that we had received a U. S. Department of Education grant for Professional Development for Music Educators. $210,000 will be received in the first funding year, with additional funds to be received over a three-year period.
In addition, a Teaching American History Grant proposal has been approved which will provide $995,953.00 for professional development of history teachers in the LRSD. Additional information on this U. S. Department of Education grant will be provided once official notification is received.
The ex-officio student representative to the Board for September, Diane Drilling from Hall High School, was presented with a certificate of appreciation for her service to the Board. The teacher representative was not present.
B.
Partners in Education – New Partnerships
Debbie Milam announced this year’s VIPS reading day on November 19, 2002. All of last year’s readers will be invited
to come back, and additional volunteers will be recruited to read in elementary
school classrooms.
Ms. Milam presented certificates in recognition
of new business / school partnerships as noted below. Mr. Rose made a motion to accept the new partnerships, Ms.
Strickland seconded the motion, and it carried
unanimously.
The new partnerships were:
Carver Magnet Elementary School, represented by Principal Diane Barksdale, Teata Pace and Lakesha
Moore, in partnership with the American Association of University Women,
represented by Dr. Diana Glaze, Barbara Yarnell and Jackie Burnett
Dodd Elementary School, represented
by Martha Lowe in partnership with Pecan Lake Resident’s Association,
represented by Diane Krippendorf
Mabelvale Magnet Middle School, represented by Ann Blaylock and Judge Evans in partnership with Audubon
Arkansas, represented by Mary Smith
C. Remarks from Citizens
Becky Dickson, parent of students at Hall High School
addressed the Board regarding her dissatisfaction with the scheduling process
and other problems at Hall High. She
stated that there was a continuing problem with having a certified teacher in
mathematics classes. She stated that
she had previously visited with school and District level administrators, but
she did not feel that enough had been done to eliminate these problems or to
alleviate her concerns. Mrs. Dickson
asked the Board to take action to improve the conditions at Hall High School
and to ensure the school has a “leader with vision.”
A. G. Krippendorf stated that he was speaking on behalf of
the faculty and parents at Dodd Elementary School, and he presented the Board
with a case of bottled “Dodd Bulldog” water.
He discussed concerns with the mixed first and second grade “split”
class, and stated that there were too many children with learning problems for
one teacher to be effective. He asked
the Board to consider hiring an additional teacher for these children, so that
none of them would be “left behind.”
Maryann Hansen asked the Board to review information
she provided last month on the War Memorial Fitness Center. District employees could receive a discount
if a significant number of employees joined.
Frank Martin discussed the reinstatement of
two LRSD coaches who were reassigned to non-coaching positions following a
hearing before an independent arbitrator.
He said that it was important that we learn how to live with decisions
that we do not like and move on.
He also announced the CTA membership’s
decision to withdraw a grievance on salary issues that were related to a
mathematical error from previous contract negotiations. He noted that bargaining will begin in the
spring and that it is best to build bridges now in order to go into that
process in a positive and forthright manner.
E.
Joshua Intervenors
No report.
F.
Office of
Desegregation Monitoring
Melissa
Gulden from the Office of Desegregation Monitoring congratulated Dr. Mitchell
and Mr. Berkley on their reelection to the Board and thanked them for the
service they provide to the District, the community, and the children. She also congratulated the Board, Superintendent,
and District staff for the recently announced release from the Desegregation
Plan. She noted that it had been a long
process and that everyone had worked very hard to get to this point. Ms. Gulden then announced that she would be
taking early retirement and that this was her last week at ODM.
IV. REPORTS
AND COMMUNICATIONS
Dr. Mitchell thanked the
voters of zone 1 for giving her the opportunity to serve again. She stated that she enjoyed working with and
for the children of the LRSD, and that she enjoyed serving with her fellow
Board members.
Mr. Berkley thanked his
zone 5 electors for giving him the opportunity to run unopposed. He congratulated all the people in the
District who have worked hard to achieve the goal of “unitary.” He made brief comments to those individuals
who have expressed fear or concern about what the court ruling will mean for
their children. He encouraged these
citizens to address and confront the Board members individually or as a group
if they have any questions or doubts.
Members of the Board and District staff members will be happy to discuss
their concerns to deliberately and peacefully help us deal with issues that
cause their concern.
Ms. Magness congratulated
Dr. Mitchell and Mr. Berkley on their reelection, and stated that she was happy
that the “team” would remain intact.
She congratulated Mann’s performing groups on their September 11
assembly and stated that the band, orchestra, dance groups, and EAST lab students
did a wonderful job in this performance.
Ms. Magness also stated that she was
very excited about the court’s ruling that confirmed for our community that we
have met the standards, that we are doing a good job of educating our students,
and that we will be allowed to put the major focus of our efforts on the
kids. She invited those patrons in our
community who are apprehensive, to come to us with their concerns.
Mr. Rose also
congratulated Mr. Berkley and Dr. Mitchell on their reelections. He thanked both of them for helping him
learn how to be a good Board member.
Mr. Rose also stated affirmation that the Board is committed to a
covenant with our community that we will do the right thing for all our
students.
He reviewed issues relating to a
controversy last spring with the basketball team at Central high School and the
resulting decision to reassign some of the staff members involved in the
situation. He stated that the actions
taken at that time were made with the best interest of the children in
mind. As a result of these employees’
grievance rights, an arbitrator’s ruling reversed that action.
Mr. Kurrus thanked Dr.
Mitchell and Mr. Berkley for their service and he thanked Mr. Blevins for
stepping up and running for the zone 1 seat on the school Board.
Mr. Kurrus then read from paragraph 10
on page 143 of Judge Wilson’s ruling in the desegregation case: “ . . .
I find from the testimony of LRSD’s current administrators and Board
members that the school district has, in fact, committed itself to do all that
it can to improve the academic achievement of African-American students. I further find from the testimony of LRSD’s
top administrators and Board members that LRSD accepts, as a matter of basic
equity and fairness, the obligation to improve the academic achievement of
African-American students, regardless of how long that task may take. Finally, and most importantly, I find that
the LRSD can be trusted to discharge that obligation, without the need for
supervision by the Court.”
Mr. Kurrus affirmed that the Board and
Administrators are about trust, goodwill, and good faith. He directed the audience to the Abraham
Lincoln website, and Lincoln’s second inaugural address in March 1865. He gave Dr. James a 1957-nickel and
displayed a nickel that he carries as a reminder of the 1957 crisis at Central
High School.
Dr. Daugherty stated that all of the
students in the District have benefited from the years of the desegregation
case and by all of the hard work that has gone into preparing us for
achievement of unitary status. He
commended Dr. Lesley for the work she has done in focusing on improving
achievement of the “middle” group of students.
He noted that the community fears that
we will abandon the needs of African American students without the court’s
supervision. He stated the most
effective way of dealing with their concerns is to put our best foot forward
and continue our efforts to help all our students achieve.
Vicki Saviers, Director of the Little Rock Public Education Foundation, and Lisa
Black, Director of Development, were present to provide an update on
the progress of establishing the Foundation.
Ms. Saviers provided a brief background and history of the concept of
developing the Foundation and discussed the steps involved in bringing the
concept to reality. She stated that the
organization is a community-based, non-profit and is dedicated to making the
LRSD the best it can be. The focus will
be on improving teacher quality by providing funding for grants, innovative
classroom strategy, professional development opportunities and the recruitment
of excellent teachers. Mr. Berkley
serves as the Board’s representative on the Foundation Board.
Dr. James thanked Ms. Saviers and Ms. Black for their high
level of energy and enthusiasm. He
noted that the Foundation Board members were listed in the information
provided, and that we are extremely fortunate to have a Board of such high
caliber working to benefit our District.
Mr. Babbs reported that the Compliance Committee was working to develop
the transition plan as required by the Judges recent ruling. This process is being coordinated by our
attorneys, and will be presented for the Board’s review and adoption prior to
submission to the court.
In addition, Mr. Babbs provided the 10-day enrollment counts, and noted
that the District’s official enrollment must be provided to the ADE by October
15.
Dr. Stewart reported that there was no significant financial news to report. The budget was filed with the State by the September 14 deadline. He briefly reviewed the effect of the recent court ruling on the funding for magnet and M-M budgets; that there should be no effort on the part of the state to reduce funding in these areas for a period of seven years. He stated there was no reason to believe that these programs won’t continue at the same funding levels.
The Board took a brief recess at 7:30
p.m. They reconvened at 7:44 p.m.
Mr. Goodman reviewed highlights from the written
report provided in the Board’s agenda.
He also reported that the bids for the Mann Magnet School construction
project would begin with advertising in Sunday’s newspaper. The projected completion date for Mann is
December of 2003. Regarding Wakefield,
Mr. Goodman reported that we are still awaiting word from the insurance
adjusters on the settlement of the claim before we can move ahead with clearing
the property and preparing to rebuild.
Dr. Mitchell asked about the prioritizing of the
construction projects and whether the campus leadership teams were kept up to
date as to their school’s status. Mr.
Goodman promised to provide a copy of the list that was prepared after approval
of the millage / bond issue. He
explained briefly the manner in which the funds were allocated to each school
according to most critical need.
The Internal Auditors’ Report was printed as part of the Board’s
agenda.
Mr. Becker was present, and reported on the United Way Day of Caring
activities. Community groups
participated in improvement on several LRSD campuses, including basketball and
tennis courts improvements at Henderson Middle School and landscaping and
playground construction projects at Geyer Springs Elementary School.
Ms. Neal reported that only ten sites remain to
complete the installation of the telephone system. IK Electric is nearing the end of cabling projects at our
campuses, and it is projected that all will be finished by the end of
October. She reported that the new
servers have begun to arrive and that as they are installed, we will switch
over to new e-mail addresses. As soon
as all of the servers are on-line, the new classroom computers - - five per
classroom - - will be installed.
A.
Minutes
Minutes from the regular meeting of the
Board of Directors held on August 22, and from a special meeting held on
September 12, 2002 were presented for review and approval. Mr. Rose made a motion to approve the
minutes as presented. Mr. Berkley
seconded the motion and it carried
unanimously.
B.
Election of Officers
Mr. Kurrus opened the floor for
nominations for the office of President of the Board. Ms. Strickland nominated Judy Magness; Mr. Rose seconded the
nomination. Mr. Rose then moved that
the nominations cease. Mr. Berkley made
a motion that Ms. Magness be elected by acclamation, Dr. Mitchell seconded the
motion and it carried unanimously.
Mr. Kurrus passed the gavel to Ms.
Magness who opened the floor for nominations for the office of Vice President.
Dr. Mitchell nominated Tony Rose for
the office of Vice President. There
being no other nominations, Mr. Berkley moved that the nominations cease, and
that Mr. Rose be elected Vice President by acclamation. Dr. Mitchell seconded the motion and it carried
unanimously.
For the office of Secretary of the
Board, Ms. Strickland nominated Larry Berkley.
There being no other nominations, Mr. Rose moved that the nominations cease
and that Mr. Berkley be elected by acclamation. Ms. Strickland seconded the motion and it passed
unanimously.
C.
Reappointment of District Officials
The Board is asked annually to appoint
or reappoint the persons who serve as representatives of the Board in their
official capacity as employees of the LRSD.
Dr. Don Stewart serves as the chief financial officer and treasurer;
Mark Milhollen serves as the manager of financial services and as the ex
officio financial secretary. Mr. Rose
made a motion to approve these reappointments.
Ms. Strickland seconded the motion, and it carried 7-0.
Dr. Lesley presented a proposal to revise the District’s overall assessment plan. Four modifications were proposed:
1. Eliminate the ALT at all grade levels;
2. Select another test for grade 2 in language arts and mathematics, to be used for gifted/talented screening and to measure student performance against the standards;
3. Administer the SAT-9 in grades 5, 7, and 10 in the spring, instead of the fall testing window previously required by the state; and
4. Reallocate the money saved by these changes to fund additional teacher training in the development, use, scoring and application of standards-aligned classroom assessments.
Dr. Lesley responded to questions from the Board and reviewed these changes as they relate to the No Child Left Behind legislation. Mr. Berkley made a motion to approve the revisions as requested by the administration. Mr. Kurrus seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Regulations governing the District’s implementation of the testing program
were modified to reflect the current tests and appropriate grade levels
required to take the state-mandated Benchmark exams. Dr. Lesley reviewed the changes and responded to questions from
the Board. No official action was
required to modify these regulations.
Dr. Lesley reported on mandates legislated by the No Child Left Behind initiative. She noted that since we have not received test results from grades 4, 6, and 8, there is no way for us to assess our current status. The schools that will be placed on the improvement list will be identified by the results of the Benchmark exams. Although there is no way for us to know exactly where we stand, District officials are discussing preliminary choice options, supplemental services, and restructuring schools to best be able to meet the requirements of NCLB. It is known that offering “choice” is not an educationally sound way to deal with low performing schools, and that moving students in the middle of the school year will disrupt the learning process of low-performing students and impact their ability to improve.
Policy CHCA, Handbooks, Manuals and Directives, was presented for the Board’s review and first reading approval. This policy will provide guidance in the development of all publications so that they are aligned with laws, Board policy, and regulations. Mr. Berkley made a motion to approve the policy on first reading. Dr. Mitchell seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Dr. Smith presented the 2002-03
application for special education funding through the consolidated VI-B budget
of the Arkansas Department of Education.
The total allocation reflected in the application is $3.2 million.
Mr. Kurrus made a motion to approve the application for submission to the ADE;
Dr. Mitchell seconded the motion and it carried 7-0.
A grant application to the Arkansas Community Health and Education Foundation was prepared and presented by Dr. Smith. The funding, if granted, would provide $10,000 to enhance the learning environment in self-contained classrooms at 12 LRSD elementary schools, and an additional $20,000 for the purchase of software for use by all students who receive IDEA services. Dr. Mitchell moved to approve the application as submitted. Mr. Rose seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
A.
Personnel Changes
Routine personnel items were printed in the
agenda and were submitted for the Board’s review and approval. Mr. Berkley made a motion to approve the
personnel items as presented; Mr. Rose seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.
A.
Donations of Property
The Board was asked to approve acceptance of
recent donations to the District. Diane Drilling, the student representative,
read the listed donations. Mr. Rose
made a motion to accept the donations as listed; Ms. Strickland seconded the
motion, and it carried unanimously.
Donations are listed in the
following chart:
DONATIONS
|
SCHOOL/DEPARTMENT |
ITEM |
DONOR |
|
Dodd
Elementary School |
Cement,
paint, brushes, rollers and cleaner / $300.00 value |
Danny
Alford / Home Depot |
|
SCHOOL/DEPARTMENT |
ITEM |
DONOR |
|
Dodd
Elementary School |
Bottled
water / $100.00 value Refrigerator
/ $150.00 value, for use in the teachers’ lounge |
Sherry
Polzin / Clear Mountain Water Dodd
Elementary PTA |
|
Fair
Park Elementary |
$866.80
cash to be used to purchase student assignment books |
Pastor
Ben Jones / Woodlawn Baptist Church |
|
Henderson
Health Sciences Magnet School |
Plants
/ valued at $100.00 |
Home
Depot |
|
McClellan
Community High School |
$100.00
cash to the football program |
Stone
Container Corporation |
|
Romine
Elementary School |
$500.00
cash to be used to purchase technology equipment and computer software to
support instruction School
supplies, valued at $500.00 to be distributed to students with specific needs
identified by the “Success For All” Family support team |
Wal-Mart
Foundation E D S
Arkansas Solution Center |
|
Little
Rock School District |
Gateway
TB3 MT PC complete with 10 GB hard drive, read-only CD drive, network card,
56K modem, monitor and keyboard valued at $200.00 |
Robert
Weaver |
Mr. Milhollen was present, but had no additional information to present
other than the routine budget reports provided in the agenda. Mr. Berkley moved to approve the reports as
presented. Mr. Rose seconded the
motion, and it carried unanimously.
IX.
SCHOOL SERVICES DIVISION
A.
Proposal for Central High School Baseball Field
A proposal for construction of a baseball field
at Central High was presented and approved earlier in this agenda.
X.
DISTRICT OPERATIONS
No report.
XI.
CLOSING REMARKS
Dr. James congratulated Mr. Berkley and Dr. Mitchell on their reelection and expressed appreciation to all Board members for their dedicated service to the LRSD. He made brief remarks regarding the Judge’s ruling of September 13, and noted the historical significance of this event in the long-running desegregation litigation in the LRSD. This ruling has validated our hard work and commitment to bring to reality a vision of a better school community for our children. He stated his commitment to diligently working to fulfill our commitment to the compliance plan.
The Board will be asked to approve the new compliance plan at the October agenda meeting so that we can begin to move forward, put processes in place, and reassure the community that there will be no retreat from our commitments to the children in this District.
XII.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the Board,
Mr. Berkley moved to adjourn at 9:00 p.m.
Mr. Kurrus seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
APPROVED:
_10-24-02 __ Original documents
signed by:
Judy
Magness, President
Larry
Berkley, Secretary