The
Board of Directors of the Little Rock School District held a special meeting in
conjunction with the regularly scheduled agenda meeting on Thursday, March 10,
2005, in the Boardroom of the Administration Building, 810 West Markham Street,
Little Rock, Arkansas. Vice-president
Mike Daugherty presided.
MEMBERS
PRESENT:
Larry Berkley
Micheal Daugherty
Katherine Mitchell
Bryan Day
Baker Kurrus
Tony Rose
Sue Strickland
MEMBERS
ABSENT:
None
ALSO
PRESENT:
Roy G. Brooks,
Superintendent of Schools
Beverly Griffin, Recorder of Minutes
I. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL
Mr. Berkley
called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
All members of the board were present at roll call. In addition, Jeff Carr, teacher ex officio
representative from Forest Heights Middle School, was also present.
II. PURPOSE
OF THE MEETING
The agenda for the special meeting listed two
items for the Board’s review and consideration.
A.
Personnel: Appointment of Assistant Principal
B.
Presentation: Organizational Audit / Review of
Recommendations
C.
Student Hearing
III. ACTION
AGENDA
A. Appointment of Assistant Principal – Forest Heights Middle School
The superintendent presented a recommendation to appoint Betty Mosley as the assistant principal at Forest Heights Middle School. Ms. Strickland made a motion to approve the recommendation. Dr. Daugherty seconded the motion and it carried 6-1, with Dr. Mitchell casting the “no” vote.
B.
Presentation:
Organizational Audit / Review of Recommendations
Dr. Brooks introduced Mr. Bob Klempen, Dr. Dennis Smith and Dr. Leland Newcomer,
members of the organizational audit team that compiled the recommendations for
restructuring the LRSD.
Dr. Smith provided a PowerPoint overview of their
report and described the process used to determine how to best consolidate the District’s
administrative staff and reduce the number of positions at the central office
level.
The District’s internal audit team provided
information during the process that was used by the auditors to develop the
blueprint for change. Dr. Smith thanked
them for the time they dedicated to this endeavor, and introduced them to the
audience: Dr. Sadie Mitchell, Mark Milhollen,
Beverly Williams, Olivine Roberts, Karen DeJarnette, and Suellen Vann.
Board members were provided an opportunity to ask
questions and state their concerns. Mr.
Berkley then asked the Board for a motion to suspend the rules in order to hear
public comment. Mr. Rose made the
motion, Dr. Daugherty seconded, and it carried unanimously.
Dr. Mary Good from UALR, Donaghey College, addressed
the board in support of the organizational audit. She noted that it was healthy to have outside eyes to review what
is being done in an organization in order to gain the proper perspective for
change. In her view, the restructuring
would provide additional resources for students.
Daniel Smythe, J. A. Fair Band Director, stated that
discipline is a problem at Fair and that the assistant principals at that
school are not taking responsibility consistently to make improvements. He noted that these individuals do not
follow the student handbook when sanctioning students for misbehavior.
Russ Carter introduced himself as a parent. He stated that he was pleased that the Board
is making positive changes and would appreciate the opportunity to provide
input once he has had a chance to see the plan in greater detail.
Tracy Smith addressed the Board regarding problems
she had experienced when trying to get an instructional aide assigned to her
child’s classroom. She thanked James
Washington, District’s Ombudsman, for assisting her with problems at Henderson
Middle School.
Sharon Nelson spoke in support of Tracy Smith, and
problems experienced with the special education classroom at Henderson. She stated that it had become an extreme
problem trying to have the students’ IEP implemented.
Annie Abrams cautioned the Board that “Corporate
America” had come to the LRSD. She
stated that she would pray for Dr. Brooks and that he had become a victim of
the system.
Phillip Wilson, teacher at Parkview, asked the Board
to take a look at the support structures for teachers during the upcoming
reorganization and to maintain the assistance provided by the Math and Science specialists. He stated specific support for Marcelline
Carr and Vanessa Cleaver.
Dale Lamotte stated concerns regarding the resources
and programs at Parkview Magnet School.
His student has been diagnosed with ADD and was retained without proper
notifications. He felt that his child’s
rights had been violated and he thanked James Washington, Linda Watson, and
Katherine Mitchell for their assistance in getting his son assigned to the ACC
program. Through that assistance, he
would be able to catch up and graduate with his class.
Merrily Low stated that she didn’t quite understand
how the reorganization would help student achievement and that she and others
still had a lot of questions.
Lillie Teague expressed concerns regarding middle
school students who are assigned to the ALC.
Parents are having trouble understanding what the system has to offer
their children and what they can do to help.
The
board recessed at 7:15 p.m. to conduct the agenda meeting, and reconvened at
7:45 p.m. for a student disciplinary hearing.
C.
Student Hearing
Dr. Watson provided background information related
to an expulsion recommendation for a student.
The student and his father appeared before the Board to appeal the
hearing officer’s recommendation for placement at the Alternative Learning
Center.
The student attended Hall High School and was
recommended for expulsion on January 19, 2005, for physically assaulting a
staff member. The teacher attended the
appeal hearing and provided responses to questions from the Board. In addition, the assistant principal who
filed the administrative report regarding the incident was also present.
The student admitted to having radio headphones on
during class, and admitted that he refused to turn the headphones over to the
teacher when requested. He admitted
shoving the teacher from the doorway of the classroom when the teacher was
attempting to keep him in the room until security arrived.
Dr. Watson recommended placement at the ALC for the
remainder of the 2004-05 school year and the first semester of the 2005-06
school year. Based on his grades and
behavior, he would be eligible for placement in a regular school at semester of
the 2005-06 school year.
Mr. Kurrus moved to approve the administration’s
recommendation for placement and services through the Alternative Learning
Center. Ms. Strickland seconded the
motion and it carried unanimously.
IV.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the Board,
the meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m. on a motion by Mr. Day, seconded by Mr. Rose.
APPROVED:
03-24-05 Originals
Signed by:
Larry
Berkley, President
Katherine P. Mitchell, Secretary