The Board of Directors of
the Little Rock School District held a special session immediately following the
regular agenda meeting on Thursday, September 12, 2002, in the Boardroom of the
Administration Building, 810 West Markham Street, Little Rock, Arkansas. President Baker Kurrus
presided.
MEMBERS
PRESENT:
Baker Kurrus
Mike Daugherty
Katherine
Mitchell
MEMBERS
ABSENT:
None
ALSO
PRESENT:
T. Kenneth James,
Superintendent of Schools
Beverly Griffin,
Recorder of the Minutes
I.
CALL TO ORDER
President Baker Kurrus called the special meeting to
order at 5:50 p.m. All members of
the Board were present at roll call.
In addition, the ex officio representatives to the Board were
present: Diane Drilling, student
from Hall High School and Steve Robinson, teacher at Fulbright Elementary
School.
II.
PURPOSE OF THE MEETING
The agenda for the special meeting included the
following action items:
A.
Proposed Budget
2002-2003
B.
Focus Learning Academy
- - Open Enrollment Charter School
C.
Avigation Easement
Request
D.
Student Reinstatement
Petitions
III.
ACTION
A. Proposed Budget - -
2002-03
The Board received
a copy of the annual proposed budget for 2002-03. Dr. Stewart reviewed the summary data
and asked for the Board’s approval to submit it to the State. Mr. Berkley made a motion to approve the
budget document as submitted. Dr.
Daugherty seconded the motion, and it carried
unanimously.
FOCUS Learning
Academy Charter School has submitted an application to the Arkansas Department
of Education to become an open-enrollment charter school in 2002-03. Since this school could have a potential
impact on the LRSD, Dr. Linda Watson presented a letter for the Board’s review
and endorsement. The letter,
addressed to Randle Greenway at the ADE, states that “the operation of the
FOCUS Learning Academy in Conway, Arkansas, could have a negative fiscal impact
on the Little Rock School District and could potentially adversely affect our
future desegregation efforts.”
Mr. Berkley moved
to approve the submission of the fiscal impact letter; Dr. Mitchell seconded the
motion and it carried unanimously.
Mr. Eaton presented
a request from the Little Rock National Airport to allow the continued use of
the air space above Gilliam Elementary School in the flight pattern to the
Little Rock airport. Sound
insulation renovations will begin in October, and have been funded by a grant
from the federal government. This
facility has not been used as a school for several years and is currently leased
to The Watershed, which operates human services and community outreach program
at this location.
Mr. Rose made a
motion to approve the request as submitted, Ms. Magness seconded the motion and
it carried 7-0.
D. Student
Reinstatement Petitions
Dr. Watson
presented recommendations from the administration for the reinstatement of three
students:
A student was
enrolled at McClellan High School during the 2001-02 school year. In September of 2001, a pistol was found
in the trunk of her car. Although
it was proven that the weapon did not belong to her, it was determined that she
allowed another student to place the gun in her vehicle.
The student was expelled
from the LRSD for a full calendar year.
During that time, she attended the Juvenile Justice Center Step-One
Alternative Program and has earned an 84% g.p.a. She petitioned for reinstatement, and
asked for placement at her attendance zone school.
Dr. Watson
recommended reinstatement and placement in the proper grade level at the
attendance zone school or an alternate site to be determined by the
administration. Ms. Strickland
moved to approve the recommended reinstatement. Mr. Berkley seconded the motion and it
carried unanimously.
Another student was
the one who placed the pistol in the other student's vehicle. He admitted that he had been involved
in a fight the previous day, and that he had brought the gun to school.
He was expelled from the
LRSD for a full calendar year.
During that time, he attended the Juvenile Justice Center Step-One
Alternative Program and has earned an 81% g.p.a. He petitioned for reinstatement and
asked for placement at his attendance zone school.
Dr. Watson
recommended reinstatement and placement in the proper grade level at the
attendance zone school or an alternate site to be determined by the
administration. Mr. Berkley moved
to approve the recommended reinstatement.
Ms. Magness seconded the motion and it carried
unanimously.
Another student was
enrolled at McClellan High School during the 2000-01 school term. He was brought to school by the LRPD for
a curfew violation and was picked up from the school by his father. Later that same day, his father brought
him back to school because he had a gun.
According to the student, some other students were involved in an
altercation, and that they had actually brought the gun on campus. He alleged that these other students
gave him the gun to hold for them.
He was expelled from the
LRSD for a full calendar year.
During that time, he attended the Juvenile Justice Center Step-One
Alternative Program and has earned a 2.0 g.p.a. He petitioned for reinstatement and
asked for placement at his attendance zone school.
Dr. Watson
recommended reinstatement and placement in the proper grade level at the
attendance zone school or an alternate site to be determined by the
administration. Ms. Magness moved
to approve the recommended reinstatement.
Ms. Strickland seconded the motion and it carried
unanimously.
IV.
ADJOURNMENT
There
being no further business before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 6:15 p.m.
on a motion by Mr. Berkley, seconded by Ms. Magness.
APPROVED:
_09-26-02__
Original documents signed by:
H. Baker Kurrus, President
Tony Rose, Secretary