The
Board of Directors of the Little Rock School District held a special meeting in
conjunction with the regularly scheduled agenda meeting on Thursday, October
14, 2004, in the Boardroom of the Administration Building, 810 West Markham
Street, Little Rock, Arkansas.
President Larry Berkley 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 5:35 p.m.
All members of the Board were present at roll call. Ex officio representatives for the month of
October were also present: Tonya
Johnson, English teacher at Hall High School, and Cassandra Carter, Hall High
School student.
II. PURPOSE
OF THE MEETING
The agenda for the special meeting listed two
items for the Board’s review and consideration:
A.
West Little Rock
School
B.
Memorandum of
Understanding – LRSD/LRCTA
III. ACTION
AGENDA
A. West Little Rock School
Dr. Brooks presented a recommendation for construction of a new school in the western part of the city of Little Rock. The recommendation was based on the commitment made to the community in the Revised Desegregation and Education Plan of 1998 and the millage campaign in May 2000. The submission included a rationale for building this school to support the population growth for the westernmost part of the city.
The Superintendent recommended construction of a Pre-K through eighth grade educational facility, designed and built to meet the highest technical trends and to provide challenging academic standards. In addition, collaboration with community and public entities would be pursued to provide a school based on a partnership with the community.
Mr. Kurrus moved to approve the
Superintendent’s recommendation to build a Pre-K through Grade 8 school in west
Little Rock. Ms. Strickland seconded
the motion.
The Board comments were positive and focused on the importance of building a
school of the future. Efforts to
incorporate energy efficiency and high technology were encouraged. Mr. Rose asked that the administration
investigate ways to subsidize the construction by vendors who are looking for a
showcase for energy efficient, environmentally and ecologically friendly construction
practices.
Dr. Mitchell requested additional research and statistics to ensure that the Pre-K – 8th grade configuration was appropriate. Mr. Kurrus offered to amend the motion to incorporate Dr. Mitchell’s request that the grade configuration be based on research and projected enrollment. He noted the importance of providing “best use” of the facility, with the grade configuration to be determined in the planning phase of the project.
The amended motion stated commitment to build a school, a minimum of an elementary level school, with the appropriate grade configuration to be determined during planning. Dr. Daugherty seconded the amendment to the motion.
The amended motion to construct a
school of the future in West Little Rock carried
unanimously.
B.
Memorandum of Understanding
Beverly Williams, Director of Human Resources, and Grainger Ledbetter, Executive Director of the Classroom Teachers Association, presented a Memorandum of Understanding that would revise Article 5 and amend Article 38 of the Professional Negotiations Agreement. The revision to Article 5 would insure the District’s ability to recruit and hire the most qualified candidates for instructional positions. The amendment will allow teachers to be paid for teaching at the college level, provided that their work experience was in the area they were being hired to teach.
The addition of Article 38 would allow the CTA access to the LRSD e-mail system. The agreement stipulated that the District’s existing policies and procedures regulating use of the computer networks (EDCA-R) would be followed. All costs associated with the installation and maintenance of the system would be paid by the CTA.
Dr. Daugherty moved to approve the Memorandum of Understanding as presented. Ms. Strickland seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
V.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the Board,
the meeting adjourned at 6:10 p.m.
APPROVED:
_ 10-28-04 __ Originals Signed by:
Larry Berkley, President
Katherine P. Mitchell, Secretary