Little Rock's Public Schools: A Plan for Success by Little Rock Alliance for Public Schools to the Little Rock School District, the Office of Desegregation Monitoring, and the Little Rock, Community

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Little Rock's Public Schools: "A Plan For Success" Submitted By: FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS To The Little Rock School District, The Office Of Desegregation Monitoring, And The Little Rock Community LITTlE ROCK FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD OF DIRECTORS LET A JO ANlHONY The Leadership Roundtable 515 Pershing Boulevard. Fourth Floor North Little Rock. AR ROBIN ARMSTRONG Former Little Rock School Board Member Arkansas Children's Hospital 800 Marshall Street Little Rock. AR 72202 REV. STEVEN MARCUS ARNOLD Pastor. St. Mark's Baptist Church 5722 W. 12th Street Little Rock, AR 72204 DEBORAH FRAZIER Division of Child and Adolescent Health Arkansas Department of Health 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 17 Little Rock, AR 72205-3865 BILL HAMIL TON Former Little Rock School Board Member Director. Division of Reproductive Health Arkansas Department of Health 306 Arthur Drive Little Rock, AR 72204 JIM HATHAWAY The Hathaway Group 100 Morgan Keegan Drive Little Rock, AR 72202 DR. REX M. HORNE, JR. Pastor. Immanuel Baptist Church 1000 Bishop Street Little Rock. AR 72202 JANET JONES The Janet Jones Company 7915 Cantrell Road Little Rock, AR 72207-2493 BAKER KURRUS Shults, Ray & Kurrus 1600 Worthen Bank Building Little Rock, AR 72201 MARY MANNING Vice President & General Manager. Arkansas Division Southwestern Bell Telephone Company 1111 W. Capitol Street, Room 1070 Little Rock, AR 72201 VIRGIL MILLER Director of Community Development Boatmen's National Bank of Arkansas 200 West Capitol Avenue Little Rock. AR 72201 DELIA MOORE Pulaski County United Way 615 West Markham Street Little Rock. AR 72201 JOHN STEURI Chairman & CEO (Retired) ALLTEL Information Services, Inc. 4001 Rodney Parham Road Little Rock. AR 72212 SHERMAN TA TE Vice President - Arkansas Division ARKLA Gas Company 400 E. Capitol Avenue Little Rock. AR 72201 RETT lUCKER Flake, Tabor. Tucker. Wells & Kelley. Inc. 425 W. Capitol - TCBY Tower Little Rock. AR 72201 ODIES WILSON Executive Assistant Office of the Governor State Capitol Building Little Rock, AR 72201 Page 2: "A Plan For Success" EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This paper, entitled "A Plan for Success," contains the following recommendations by the Alliance for Our Public Schools: Increased enrollmem is critical. Our school leaders must recognize the relationship between enrollment and school finances. - Enrollment can be increased through aggressive marketing of the Little Rock public schools system as an education system superior to schools anywhere in the state of Arkansas. School enrollment registration or pre-registration should be available throughout the year, instead of a narrow period of time. Children in satellite zones should be allowed to attend neighborhood schools if they choose. This would increase parental involvement in the schools. Relax racial balance ratios, which would relieve the over-capacity area schools. Construct a new area elementary school in Little Rock west of Interstate 430. Rebuild Stephens Elementary School as an area school in central Little Rock. Close under-utilized schools that are below acceptable structural and engineering standards. Create criteria for dosing outdated and under-used school buildings. Create alternative schools at every level. Achieve financial stability through increased enrollment. Concentrate budget cuts on operational costs, not classroom costs. Adopt a new accounting method called Finance Analysis Model, which allows for understandable school budgeting. Devote all resources necessary to reduce class size in racially identifiable schools. Create a workable combination of community-based programs and school-based programs. The District's administration and Board of Education should seek a mediation service to help them overcome personality conflict and strive for unity, teamwork and true leadership. The District should recruit the highest quality principals and give them the authority and support to create stability and promote educational success in their schools. Page 3: "A Plan For Success" INTRODUCTION The Little Rock School District again finds itself at a crossroads. Continued declines in enrollment. increased financial pressures. and the seeming inability by the District's leadership to work together have created an unstable environment that has reached crisis proportions. Out of this crisis atmosphere have come major initiatives by parents. business leaders. community leaders and others who share a deep concern for the District's future and the Little Rock community as a whole. Their concern for and commitment to the Little Rock School District have led to the creation of such groups as the Little Rock Alliance for Our Public Schools, Parents for Public Schools. and the African-American Fact Finding Committee. It is a result of this concern and commitment that the Little Rock Alliance for our Public Schools submits to the Office of Desegregation Monitoring and the Little Rock School District the attached "Plan For Success." which addresses the issues facing Little Rock's public schools and lists recommendations that can provide greater opportunities for the children of the District as well as the community as a whole. The District is seeking relief from federal court monitoring. Because we are an organization composed of parents. grandparents and business and community leaders - not school employees - it would be inappropriate for the Alliance to comment on the status of the obligations outlined in the Desegregation Plan. However, we do believe that even if the federal court were to find unitary status today or ask for Plan modifications, our recommendations would be the same. These recommendations are based on shared goals - that the Little Rock School District strive for a high quality. integrated educational system with strong community support. Our recommendations build on the strengths of the existing Desegregation Plan. The Alliance believes the recommendations foster and advance the ultimate goals of the Plan. namely quality integrated education for all students. With that in mind. the Little Rock Alliance for Our Public Schools submits the following case statement. This problem analysis and included recommendations are offered with the intent of working with the Little Rock School District in any possible way to help identify problems as well as serve as problem solvers ourselves. We hope that the School Administration. members of the LRSD School Board, the litigants and other members of the Little Rock community will find new energy and a renewed sense of hope as we strive to help bring about an even more excellent public school system equipped to provide the highest quality education to every student in our District. It shou'ld be noted that school budget data and census information regarding school population were provided by the School Administration and the Office of Desegregation Monitoring. unless otherwise noted. IDENTIFYING OUR BARRIERS Decreasing Enrollment in little Rock's Public Schools Since 1991, the Little Rock School District has continued to see students and patrons depart our public school system. In fact, the following chart speaks for itself in terms of the enrollment trends that have become anticipated and commonplace within our public school district. Page 4: "A Plan For Success" Year Total Pop. Blacks Whites Others 1986-87 19,437 71% 27% 1% 1987-88 26,867 61% 38% - 1% 1988-89 26,633 63% 36% 1% 1989-90 26,042 64% 34% 1% 1990-91 25.749 65% 34% 1% 1991-92 26.301 64% 34% 1% 1992-93 26,212 64% 34% 1% 1993-94 25.594 65% 33% 1% 1994-95 25,231 65% 32% 2% 1995-96 24,922 67% 30% 2% The huge increase in enrollment between the years 1986-87 and 1987-88 was caused by the LRSD's expansion of its boundaries to the Little Rock city limits, as required by the Federal Court. - At that time, the LRSD took in a number of schools that had been part of the Pulaski County Special School District. Thus we are using the population of 26,867 as our benchmark figure for the Little Rock School District. A population decline over the next eight years is clearly evident. Projections by 3D Internacional. a Houston consulting firm, tell us that by the year 2005, the Little Rock School Discrkc could have as few as 21.000 students. These numbers are alarming for those who see a direct link between the public schools and the well-being of our community as a whole (See Addendum). Increasing Private School Enrollment A cursory review of private schools shows chat affluent and advantaged students, both white and black. are leaving the District and entering the private system. As enrollment decreases, discussions increase regarding the closing of our public school buildings. The private schools in Little Rock continue co add enrollment and expand their physical plant facilities. Recent reports indicate that a third of all school-age children in Little Rock attend private schools. In fact, in 1992-93 (the latest year for which we have figures), enrollment in private schools increased by 1,000 students from the previous school year. for a total enrollment of 10.787. Pulaski Academy has expanded co approximately 1.300 students. and has no more room at its current site to grow. The Arkansas Baptist Schools have constructed a new high school campus in west Little Rock. Christ Lutheran Schools recently acquired additional property and announced the intention to construct a new high school. Two new private elementary schools were announced for completion in the next six months. Christ the King Catholic Church has recently acquired additional property. Walnut Valley Academy has announced its intention to construct a new K-12 school on the western limits of Little Rock. Word of Outreach, Heritage Christian Schools, Agape School and many ochers are expanding. It is no secret that the children and families who are enrolling in the private education system are the citizens we should be attracting co the Little Rock School District. Page 5: "A Plan For Success" It is important to point out that the Alliance directs no criticism. toward private schools for the problems faced by the Little Rock School District. Instead, the current public education situation in Little Rock has directly resulted in a demand for alternative choices, namely schools that are perceived as safe, friendly, convenient, excellent in their instruction, and free from relentless controversy. In turn, the District has not outlined a plan for aggressively marketing the outstanding education it has to offer. Major demographic changes are occurring in Little Rock .. The City has experienced explosive growth in the western part of the City, but the District has not constructed a new school in that part of the city since 1979. The central city has lost school-aged population, while the south and southwest parts of the City have continued to increase their student population. In 1987, 51 percent of the high school students who attended LRSD high schools were African-American. In 1995, 67 percent of these students are African-American. If present trends continue, the LRSD high schools will be 80 percent black within five years. Any discussion of ratios and the related need to attract white students should not be misconstrued. One-race education institutions are not, in and of themselves, necessarily bad or inferior educationally. In a community that is multiracial, however, one-race institutions - of either kind - are indicative of a dual system that may not be funded appropriately or may not be equal in the quality of education provided. In a multiracial community such as Little Rock, a one-race public education system will inevitably result from a dwindling student population:.. ln addition, a dwindling student population ultimately results in funding deficiencies, which could ultimately lead to, again, educational inequities. Unless the challenges facing the District are met with bold action, current trends indicate the City will find itself embroiled in a dual system of education, one public and one private. The private system will serve those who can afford to pay, while the public system will be left to primarily serve those who cannot pay or cannot relocate into surrounding areas. Meeting the Challenges of Demographic Change Just as we witness the flight to private schools, Little Rock is also witnessing family flight to surrounding communities. Surrounding suburban schools are burgeoning. It is difficult to quantify the exact number of families who have relocated to surrounding communities or those who have chosen not to move to Little Rock. But we do know that while the Little Rock School District loses student enrollment, communities such as Conway, Cabot, Sheridan, Bryant, Benton and other surrounding towns are all experiencing substantial growth. Below are 1984 and 1994 enrollment figures for some of these surrounding school districts: 1984 Enrollment 1994 Enrollment 10-Year Gain Conway 4,888 7,160 2,272 Cabot 3,686 5,873 2,187 Benton 3,765 4,424 659 Bryant 4,521 5,530 1,009 TOTAL 16,860 22,987 6,127 This growth is also reflected in the issues facing each of these school districts. While the Little Rock School District has languished over the issue of closing several of its school facilities, the Cabot School District recently approved numerous construction projects as a result of growth last year of about 150 students (5.6 percent). Little Rock's city officials and the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce representatives have not scientifically proven the reason for this suburban flight. But anecdotal evidence certainly assumes that urban flight is a direct result of issues surrounding crime and the perception of the public school system. Page 6: MA Plan For Success" Financial Pressures on the Little Rock School District The Little Rock School District has received from the state, by virtue of the desegregation case settlement, $59 million for compensatory education and other desegregation expenses. These payments have, for all practical purposes, dwindled to an insignificant amount and will soon be limited to Majority-to-Minority transfer funding and Magnet School funding. Without these desegregation funds, the Little Rock School District must adjust its budget and begin to operate on the normal funds allocated by the state and by the taxpayers of Little Rock. The Little Rock School District faces dwindling financial resources from the State. Every time we lose a child from our District, the schools eventually lose money that is allocated on a per pupil basis. Because of the four-year enrollment decline, it is no surprise each spring when District administrators and school board members begin discussing programs that must be cut and school buildings that must be closed. This financial squeeze is not just a result of inflation or increased expenses for employees but is also a result of ongoing enrollment declines that translate into decreased funds from the state and the city, loss of desegregation funds, and failure to fully adjust to changing conditions. School and community leaders must begin to look at enrollment in terms of its economic impact on the Little Rock School District. Take for example the current funding formula for students in the Little Rock public schools. For every student who attends the Little Rock School District, the District receives approximately $4,600 in combined taxpayer money to pay for the education of that child over a nine month period of time. I The following information provided by the LRSD Food Service Department indicates that with each year of decreasing enrollment, the District has also experienced an increasing number of children eligible for the free and reduced price meal programs. School Year Enrollment Free/Reduced Eligible Percent 1991-92 26,070 11.574 44.40% 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 26,139 25,840 25,285 24,844 12,051 12.300 12,792 12.577 46.10% 47.60% 50.59% 50.62% As the private schools and suburban communities continue to attract predominately middle and upper socioeconomic patrons, the Little Rock School District is left with a larger percentage of lower socioeconomic students - both white and black - who have special educational and social needs. OUR FUTURE: Educating a District of Children with Greater Learning Challenges Many elements of the current Desegregation Plan have resulted in positive programs and achievements for many students in the Little Rock School District. Yet, the philosophical basis for the original Plan is rooted in old educational ideas. Unfortunately. the school district has not kept up with recent educational developments. Page 7: "A Plan For Success" Although the Desegregation Plan set out to desegregate the school system, it is clear that the present trends, if not changed, will result in resegregation of the children. Little Rock will again have a dual system of education - much like the one that was declared unconstitutional by the Brown v. Board of Education decision - except worse, because the public half of this new dual system will cons,ist primarily of those economically disadvantaged students, white and black, who lack the ability to leave or pay for a private education. These students have special needs that cannot be met by a district with dwindling financial resources, directly attributable to dwindling student enrollment. We must have the resources to educate children with special needs. children who have failed in the regular classroom and children who have no learning support at home. The fundamental task of the Little Rock School District is to provide a quality education to all students. However, the fundamental question is whether the Little Rock School District can achieve its goals if present enrollment trends continue. Lost revenue reduces the per capita program resources actually available for each remaining student because the r~maining administrative and facilities costs are spread over a decreasing_number of students. Real solutions to real problems - such as excess facilities and staffing - must be identified and implemented by the leadership if we are to adequately address these challenges. MEETING lHE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE It takes a well-planned and well-managed effort to create an environment of learning that challenges and unleashes the potential of every student in the classroom. Schools with that kind of reputation are in high demand by today's demanding parent. And we can look at successful public and private schools within our community - some of which have not enjoyed an abundance of financial resources - and see that one obvious key to success is leadership within the school. A key component of leadership is the ability to work well together as a team. If the Little Rock School District is to create a strong sense of support and faith by the community. it is imperative that the community has leaders who are vigorously addressing the needs of the District and the children that it serves. It is apparent that there is too much unproductive discourse among administrators and school board members. News media reports abqut the public school system oftentimes focus on the i_nfighting between school board members and District administrators. As the District's leadership continues to prolong its disagreements. patrons of the District grow weary of the lack of focus on the important issues facing the Little Rock schools. The current conflicts are perceived as power struggles and personality disputes rather than disagreements over school facilities. educational programs. or school assignments. It is time that District administrators and school board members recognize that their inability to work together plays a key role in how the public perceives the stability of the Little Rock School District. The key focus of the Little Rock School District should be on providing quality education for our children. The District must also recognize the important leadership role of the school principals. It is the principal who can provide an environment of learning, a sense of stability. and productive relationships with students. teachers and parents. This type of leadership can ultimately lead to the success of an individual school. The Little Rock School District needs to continue to attract and train the highest quality principals and administrators. And once attracted. recruited or promoted. they should be empowered to accomplish their objectives while being assigned to a school with the goai of staying for a significant length of time so that they can help create stability and promote success. Page 8: "A Plan For Success" "A PLAN FOR SUCCESS" An Introduction In order to recover students who are now attending private schools or who are not coming into the District at all. the LRSD must begin to "Plan For Success" by addressing six fundamental and interrelated issues: Increasing Enrollment. Marketing the Schools. Creating Financial Stability, Addressing the Facility Needs of Our Community. Decreasing the Achievement Disparity Among Students. and Building Effective Leadership. This "Plan For Success" is a road map for improvement that requires fundamental adjustments in the basic attitudes of every person who works with or for the District. The initial actions are designed to build enrollment, ensure financial stability and place educational "capacity" where it. is needed. At all times, and without fail. every step should be toward a district that is broad-base~
L fair and committed to quality education. The simple objective should be the delivery of a full measure of resources to every student in the District so that all students reach their full potential. The focus needs to be returned to meeting the educational needs of children. whatever those needs may be. We can all benefit from a "Plan For Success." There is nothing more important to this city. We must not settle for anything less than success. If we work together. we can achieve it. Marketing Our Schools In spite of its current problems. the Little Rock School District provides one of the best educational experiences in Arkansas. The Little Rock School District offers more foreign languages and more advanced placement courses than any district in the state. LRSD is operating two nationally recognized programs on a trial basis - "Great Expectations" and "Reading Recovery" - that go beyond remediation and instead bring children to the appropriate level of learning and performance. The LRSD offers more school choices, including vocational/technical training. than any district in the state. And our high school graduates continue to score high on college entrance exams. positioning them for scholarships and acceptance to some of the country's finest institutions of higher education. With all of that said, why, is it that the Little Rock School District continues to see decreasing enrollment? The answer is simple - LRSD does not adequately communicate its message to the families who have the opportunity to be a part of public education in Little Rock. or provide persuasive information to potential families at "the point of sale." Now is the time for the Little Rock School District to be assertive and competitive. Whether we like it or not, an "education marketplace" has been created - a marketplace of abundant private competition. Page 9: "A Plan For Success" I / I Information is becoming available that explains why people choose cine school over another. Some of these characteristics are: high expectations of students results oriented special programs offered to meet students' needs good curriculum for their students open. warm atmosphere accessible staff positive communications academic and athletic achievement involved parents safe schools safe neighborhoods location convenient for parents parents and alumni speak favorably about the school. The good news is that the Little Rock School District can already claim most of these accomplishments from among our current student/parent body. So why do parents in Little Rock not know about it? Because, again, the District is not adequately telling its story. For example. the current line-item budget by the LRSD for general advertising is $1,500. Advertising for incentive schools currently has a budget of $9,500. Private schools spend much more to advertise their product to parents looking for alternative choices. The Little Rock School District should do the same. Marketing and advertising the product need not be expensive, but adequate funds should be allocated. The Alliance strongl3/ recommends that the Administration and the School Board give serious consideration to developing a comprehensive marketing plan that establishes a warm. friendly and personal relationship with families who might choose to enroll their children in the Uttle Rock public schools. This plan should be aggressive, creative and should welcome the advice and participation of as many grnups as possible - groups like the Little Rock PTA Council. Parents for Public Schools, The African-American Fact Finding Committee, neighborhood associations, and marketing professionals from the private sector. These representatives should be asked to assist with developing and implementing the plan. Once the plan is put into place. adequate funds should be allocated for effective implementation. When the plan is formulated and funded. the next step is to communicate the marketing mission to every employee in the Little Rock School District. All District employees must understand their important role as ambassadors of public education and how they can influence student enrollment/ recruitment in our public schools. Every District employee must consider himself or herself to be a member of the LRSD Marketing Team. Another change that should be made is to make registration/pre-registration available throughout the year. At the present time. we have imposed restrictive time periods on families who seek to register their children into the District (other than those who relocate into the area). The District should eliminate any time restrictions and never send away a prospective family because the day they decide to enroll in public schools is not convenient for the school district. The Little Rock School District should also give strong consideration to working with the private sector in providing marketing training to those employees who have frequent contact with prospective LRSD families. No private sector organization places employees in marketing positions without giving Page 1 O: "A Plan For Success" them adequate tools and adequate training. Such should be the case for public schools, as well. The City of Little Rock has an abundance of marketing experts who would lend their expertise to our schodls. Due to the successful private sector partnerships created by the Volunteers in Public Schools program, the Little Rock School District has enjoyed increased volunteer hours. additional professional resources. and abundant in-kind contributions for the fifty schools the programs serves. The private sector partnerships are also successful at the District level and should be utilized in any organized marketing effort. The Little Rock Alliance for Our Public Schools and the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce recently organized a two-day open house for the community called "Show and Tell." Because the campaign was communicated to the public through public service announcements, the only cost to the Alliance and the Little Rock Chamber \.,Vas a minimal amount for printing and postage. The results of this two-day event included over 350 visitors inside the LRSD school buildings. Many schools reported recruiting families who were not previously aware of the District's extensive computer labs. curriculum and library resources. the high caliber of teaching staff, the level of parental involvement, the strong tutoring and mentoring programs, enhanced playgrounds, extracurricular programs and numerous other advantages. "Show and Tell" proves that if the public can be brought into the school buildings, they can witness the high-quality educational system LRSD has to offer. The Alliance is currently working with the District in hopes that we can continue this campaign and conduct it next year at an earlier date. The Little Rock School District also needs to make area Realtors, Little Rock CEOs and human resource managers high priority partners. Without the support of those business interests, families who relocate into the city may not find out the good news about Little Rock's public schools. It is imperative that the District. with community support, produce a comprehensive and up-to-date communications package that clearly tells the story of the great things happening in the Little Rock public schools, school-by-school. Again, a package such as this could use the assistance of the private sector. In order to survive in today's competitive market, the District must change into a friendly, accessible, service-oriented organization. It muse adopt the same marketing principles that make or break the American business community today. And it must aggressively and actively seek to meet the needs of every student and parent - current or prospective. But with careful planning. adequate funds and community participation. the Little Rock School District can position itself to be "the school of choice" in the Little Rock community. STEP2 Increasing Enrollment Under the current student assignment plan, area schools in majority white neighborhoods have attendance zones that surround each school. In order to provide the source of minority students for schools in majority white areas, satellite zones were established in majority black neighborhoods. Some of these zones are fairly distant from the schools. Children in satellite zones are not given a neighborhood alternative. The use of out-of-neighborhood attendance zones has also increased the - burden on parents who have found it more difficult to attend school meetings outside of their neighborhoods. Parental involvement in a child's school confirms to the child that school is important. The issue of increasing parental involvement should not be ignored. Page 11: A Plan For Success" The use of satellite zones has had a positive desegregative effect in some schools, but has also filled some neighborhood schools to capacity. forcing many children on to waiting lists and then to private schools. This is demonstrated by the attendance patterns at Otter, Creek, Terry, Fulbright, Jefferson and McDermott schools. The District also generally has vacant seats in schools close to most of the satellite zones. while the District has a shortage of seats in western and northern Little Rock schools. Children in satellite zones should at least be afforded the opportunity to attend a neighborhood school if they choose. To the extent that children in satellite zones attend a neighborhood school and if racial ratios are relaxed to allow neighborhood children to attend, regardless of race, additional seats would be freed for children in schools - such as Terry Elementary - that are presently over capacity. We recognize that this could have a negative impact on desegregation at the elementary school level. However, we also _recognize that if additional white children are brought into the system at the elementary level. it is more likely that these students will be available to desegregate junior and senior high schools. In order to make room for students in over-capacity area schools. racial balance ratios should be relaxed. The present ratio effectively caps white enrollment in some schools that are sixty percent white and over-capacity. The strict adherence to the ratio in a few schools. when it is not being met elsewhere, is causing overall enrollment to d~cline at the elementary level. This decline is inhibiting desegregation efforts in secondary schools. while also eroding community support and reducing financial resources. Reports prepared by the Office of Desegregation Monitoring indicate that the racial balance guidelines are becoming statistically unachievable given the population of the Little Rock School District. White enrollment has dropped substantially at Forest Heights. Henderson, Cloverdale. Mabelvale, and Southwest, which means those schools will probably be greater than 80% black next year. This will leave Pulaski Heights as the only area junior high school with a balanced enrollment. Dunbar and Mann, which have magnet characteristics. are maintaining balanced enrollments. Likewise. area high schools such as Fair and Hall are moving toward all-black enrollments and will have greater than 80% black enrollments within several years. Some action must be taken or all but a very few of the schools in the District will become fully resegregated. A resegregated district will lack financial resources (due to decreasing enrollment) and will ultimately be unable to deliver its students the kinds of programs necessary in today's competitive enviroament. STEP3 Addressing The Facilities Needs Of Our Community ADDRESSING lHE POPULATION DEMANDS OF WESTERN LITTI.E ROCK An out-of-state firm - 3D International of San Antonio - recently conducted a facilities study for the District. The study offers a number of plans for phasing out or closing schools to accommodate projected decreases in enrollment. It is important to match our current needs with our existing resources. but we believe the facilities study is a plan for failure rather than a plan for success. The school board and District administrators should be aggressively putting into place a plan to increase enrollment at these "under capacity" school buildings and to expand the seating where additional capacity is needed. Page 12: "A Plan For Success" The following diagram shows the six elementary schools that are over capacity. Four of these schools are in the western and northern corridors of the city. School Capacity Pulaski Heights 109% Forest Park 109% Terry 104% Carver 103% Jefferson 102% Gibbs Magnet 101% The District must give strong consideration to constructing a new area elementary school in Little Rock west of Interstate 430. This school should be in a growth area such as the area near Kanis and Bowman Roads. Although there has been explosive growth in west Little Rock, the District has not constructed a new school in this area since 1979. For example, in School District Zone 4. an area that has approximately 25.000 residents, there are two public elementary schools and no public secondary schools. In this same area there are more than half a d9zen private elementary schools and at least three private secondary schools. The private schools have rapidly grown since 1979. If the Little Rock District is going co be successful in its desegregation efforts, it must build a strong enrollment base at the elementary level. Unless immediate steps are taken to meet the needs of patrons in gi:_owth areas, the District will continue to lose students to private schools and Little Rock will chart its course to return to a dual system of education. This is stifling to middle class growth and frequently results in the development of a typical urban pattern of inner-city decay and suburban sprawl. This type of pattern does not foster student achievement and does not promote desegregation. It has the opposite result. REBUILD STEPHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL The District has discussed rebuilding Stephens Elementary in the past. and the reconstruction of Stephens was an integral part of a proposal to construct a community center adjacent to the school during a recent bond election. There are several older inner-city schools that. from a structural and engineering point of view. are below acceptable standards. These schools should be closed and the students at those schools should attend central city schools such as King and Washington. which have vacancies. Stephens should be reconstructed in south-central Little Rock, and the school should absolutely be the best that it can be. The District should consider the reconstruction of Stephens as the first step in a demonstrated commitment to deliver everything that is needed to be certain that all children. regardless of where they live. have the resources and programs available to them that will allow them to maximize their potential. Stephens should be an area school. and it will probably be majority black. The legacy of Mrs. Stephens should be the foundation on which the New Little Rock School District is built. By constructing a new school in a growth area. and by building a new Stephens Elementary School. the District will demonstrate by its actions that it intends cq meet the needs of everyone it is charged to serve. CREA TING CRITERIA FOR SCHOOL CLOSINGS School closings are inevitable in a dynamic environment. especially if overall enrollment is declining. Balanced criteria for consideration of school closings must be developed. If objective criteria are used. the closing of out-dated and under-utilized facilities can be foreseen and accomplished when necessary. Page 13: "A Plan For Success~ PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS FOR lliOSE IN NEED The Little Rock School District does not have a program of sufficient size to meet the needs of students who find it difficult to achieve satisfactory progress in the regular classroom. Many of these students have special educational and social needs chat. when not met, result in disciplinary problems. Other districts in the nation - and even in the Pulaski County area - are responding by addressing qiese disciplinary and special educational needs through an alternative environment - an environment that is created to better serve these students by utilizing different educational methodologies that address the individual needs of the student. An alternative learning environment will reduce disruption in the regular classroom and allow for a better educational experience for the students who_ remain in the traditional classroom setting. At the present time, the LRSD only provides this type of educational setting at the junior high level. Prjncipals, teachers, parents, and even some students agree chat some of our school-age children would do better in a setting chat addresses their specific needs. It is time to address these special children's needs by reallocating resources to incorporate this type of specialized training into a school-wide plan. However, in addressing chis concept, we muse be sensitive co the concerns of many in our community that a separate alternative school facility has the undesirable effect of racial segregation. Alternative learning environments can be. but are not required co be, separate school facilities. Whatever method is used, the important thing is chat we create a District-wide alternative learning method for chose students who can benefit most from it. STEP4 Creating Financial Stability FINANCIAL ST ABILITY DEPENDS ON ENROLLMENT ST ABILITY Enrollment declines decrease the LRSD revenue base - which works against chose children with the lease opportunity. For the most pare, it is less expensive to teach a child from a supportive and educationally enriched home than it is to teach a child from a home where education is not supported and emphasized. Empey seats are costly co the District. Money comes in on a per student basis. Goes out on a per teacher basis. Administrative coses, while not fixed, are not proportionally reduced as enrollment dee.lines. In chis respect, the District is similar co an airline. le coses almost as much co fly a plane at half its capacity as it coses co fly the same plane when it is full. Administrative coses for such an undercapacity airline are also not directly reduced, or increased, by passenger load factors. Under-capacity schools have high per-pupil coses. These high-cost schools cause the District co have fewer resources available for actual program coses. The District has been slow co make the difficult cues in staff and facilities. The primary focus of the school administration and board of directors muse be increasing our student enrollment and using available resources wisely. If Little Rock can build enrollment. it will attain financial stability. Every new student brings additional funding. If existing empty seats are filled, the new revenues will not be offset by increased coses. "Low cost" students provide the resources necessary co educate higher cost students. In many of the over-capacity schools, the cost per pupil is less than the revenue amibucable co each student. For example, the District receives $4,600 for every enrolled student. However, the average cost co educate a student at Pulaski Page 14: A Plan For Success" Heights Elementary School is only about $2,300. The District must increase its low-cost enrollment if it is to meet the special needs of many of its students. FINANCIAL ST ABILITY Because we have too many teachers, too many s~hool buildings and not enough students, the District's financial resources are spread too thin. Today the District must strive to rebuild its enrollment while also balancing its present resources and needs. The Board and administrators have been unable to make some tough decisions. Failure of the school board to close schools that are significantly below capacity has forced budget cuts in other areas. We must work aggressively to increase enrollment by providing school facilities in areas of the citywhere there is population growth, while also matching existing facilities with current enrollment and eliminating under-utilized and outdated facilities. At the same time, any decisions to cut the budget should be focused on operational costs, not classroom costs. Budget cuts should never water-down the excell~nce of programs and curriculum. BUDGETING FOR PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING - COOPERS & LYBRAND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS , MODEL For the past three decades, Americans have continued to address the issue of school reform. Our attempts to achieve sound, basic education and increased student achievement have been a goal of every American dedicated to the success of the public schools. However, continual increases in funding for education have led to Ol'le conclusion - more funding does not always guarantee enhanced student performance. In fact, even though communities may begin to run out of increased funding options, school districts are still required to provide more programs with fewer resources. It has become increasingly critical for school districts across our country to find and apply comprehensive solutions to allocating scarce education dollars more efficiently. A new technology called the Finance Analysis Model - developed by Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P. and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Center for_ Workforce Preparation - supports community efforts to redefine education. The product organizes school financial records into one report that can be easily understood by teachers, parents, business leaders and students alike. Tbe model in and of itself will not solve a school district's problems, but in the hands of citizens, school and business leaders, teachers and parents, the process assures that all members of the community can make informed decisions to improve education for the community's children. If the budget process is open and understandable, the difficult decisions can be explained. Once the problems and solutions are understood, the hard choices can be supported. We recommend that the LRSD adopt the Finance Analysis Model. STEPS Refocus Curriculum and Resources to Decrease the Achievement Disparity Among a Diverse Student Population When the existing Desegregation Plan was implemented, it was anticipated that seven schools (Franklin, Carland, lsh, Mitchell, Rightsell, Rockefeller and Stephens) would have predominately black enrollments and that these schools would be designated as incentive_schools. The incentive schools would receive double funding to ensure that the children who were in racially isolated settings were provided with meaningful opportunities for desegregated experiences and activities. Page 15: "A Plan For Success" These schools were designed to accommodate a sufficient number of black students who, by attending these schools, would make it easier to achieve a student population in the remaining elementary area schools of 55 percent black and 45 percent whfte wit:h a variance of 5 percent. It was also the intent of the incentive schools to desegregate themselves in phases through a plan of white recruitment by offering special programs that would attract out-of-neighborhood white children. With the exception of Rockefeller. the incentive schools have not become desegregated. In addition. the additional funds have not resulted in higher achievement for incentive school students when compared to students in area schools. In the period since the plan was implemented. a number of other elementary schools have attained the same enrollment and demographic characteristics of the original incentive schools. These are area schools that do not have funds for compensatory education nor funds to pay for incentive programs to foster desegregation. It should not go without notice the recent expert testimony provided to District Judge Susan Webber-Wright. The testimony given by all three experts reiterated the fact that racial balance in schools does not nec~ssarily lead to closing the achievement gap. By eliminating the focus of racial balance and getting back to the basics of providing a quality educational product for all students. the Little Rock School District can then begin to aggressivery address the needs of the students. This will ultimately broaden the enrollment base of the District and foster the goal of desegregation. Based on current enrollment trends and characteristics. double-funding of the five remaining incentive schools is probably not justified. All of these double-funding resources. and any other necessary funds. should be devoted to meeting the needs of students in schools that have the same enrollment characteristics of an incentive school. All of the resources available should be devoted to reduce class sizes in those schools. provide economic incentives for the teachers and principals to stay in those schools. and to implement educational programs in those schools that meet the needs of the children who are actually there. Programs such as Great Expectations and Reading Recovery should be carefully examined with the idea that children in all schools, including students in schools with characteristics similar to incentive schools, should be achieving all that is possible. This should involve a combination of communitybased programs in addition to school-based programs. The District should not bear all the burden for the community-based programs, but the District should be actively involved in proposing and then pursuing a plan that allows children to succeed. Success will require energetic and imaginative efforts to face the changing needs and conditions. , The educational programs in the Desegregation Plan are static prescriptions that exist in a very dynamic environment. The educational goals should be elevated, and the plans should grow and change as necessary to meet the goals that remain constant. Successful plans that meet goals should be expanded. Unsuccessful plans should be discontinued in favor of new plans and ideas that have a reasonable likelihood to meet goals. In fact, the District has a number of one-race schools, and this will not change, in the short term. One-race schools are not inevitably inferior or unworkable. One of the goals of the original plan was, by definition, desegregation. This goal must not be forsaken, but we must also recast our expectations based on our experience. As a community, we must be especially vigilant. in light of the existing one-race schools, to be certain that these schools are successful for the children who are there. Page 16: A Plan For Success" STEP& Building Effective leadership TEAMWORK BY ADMINISlRA TORS AND SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS: True success will depend in large measure on the leadership of the District. It is essential that we strive for a school board and superintendent who can work together. We need fifty strong principals, and the ability of these leaders to be open to community participation in school development. Our own strategy for success wm require the District leadership to coalesce and cooperate in order to implement and achieve basic improvements. The school board and District administrators must take prominent and decisive public action in order to demonstrate unity and leadership. Several community leaders, parents and media commentators have often lamented the problems we face as a result of a lack of teamwork by our District leaders. These cries for cooperation have been to no avail. It is the recommendation of the Alliance that the LRSD board and District officials seek some type of mediation service that can help guide them to an increased sense of purpose in addressing not the issues of "who is in charge," but rather the important issues facing the children of Little Rock. Even as office-holders come and go, the Little Rock School District suffers from a reputation for conflict and lack of teamwork. It is imperative that this change immediately. BUILDING LEADERSHIP Equally important is the leadership that we place in our schools. It is the responsibility of the Little Rock School District to strive for stability of leadership in each of our schools in an effort to build a sense of continuity and increased trust by students, parents and visiting community melnbers. Although some circumstances arise that require reassignment, school officials should strive to promote the highest quality leaders while also providing an environment of minimal turnover in principals. There is a direct correlation supporting the belief that LRSD's most successful schools are also the schools with the least amount of leadership turnover. Page 17: A Plan For Success" SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS There is a great sense of urgency for District leaders to respond to these critical problems. It is fundamentally undeniable that a continuatiol} of existing policies and programs will ultimately result in the Little Rock School District becoming a typical urban district that lacks community support and serves only those who do not have the resources co choose other educational means. The potential for the "Plan for Success" will be enhanced if every major player in the District completely commits co a strategy of success for every student., This will require every party to place past differences aside and to begin planning for success. We must press forward without besitation and work diligently until we can say that the Little Rock School District is held in high esteem by the community, that the Little Rock School District recognizes the needs of its students and meets them. and that the Little Rock School District will never settle for anything less than the best for all of its students. Increasing our enrollment is critical. Our school leaders must recognize the relationship between enrollment and school finances. If satellite-zone busing is made voluntary, and if plans are made for alternative educational environments. Stephens, and the west Little Rock school. the District could begin to increase enrollment at the elementary level. If a west Little Rock school .yere to be constructed, the enrollment gains at the elementary level would ultimately be used to desegregate junior high schools, which are becoming one-race schools. Student recruitment can also happen through building and maintaining effective and responsive school leadership - leadership that is responsive to parent-driven marketing campaigns that attempt to bring more families into the District. We can begin today. We must begin today. The leadership must recognize that the current course of negative publicity without aggressive marketing and communications will only lead us in a defensive public stance rather than creating the Little Rock School Distri~t as "The School of Choice" in the Little Rock community. Page 18: NA Plan For Success" ADDENDUM: An Historical Picture of Enrollment In order to understand the true picture of the current enrollment problems, it is important that we take a look at enrollment at the time of the desegregation plan. Following the settlement reached by the LRSD and the U.S. Courts in 1989, the District did, in fact, see an increase in student enrollment between 1990 and 1991. This disproves the theory that the implementation of the desegregation plan is the cause of our decreasing enrollment. In fact, it was quite the contrary. In some ways the desegregation settlement was instrumental in adding enrollment and in promoting desegregation by guaranteeing student assignment that allowed parents to know where their children would attend school from kindergarten th'rough twelfth grade. This stability promoted enrollme)lt. A good example of this beneficial effect can be seen by an examination of the enrollment figures at western and northern Little Rock's area ~lementary schools. These schools had a higher enrollment of black students, a result of complex student assignment plans. Each of these schools attained stable or increasing enrollments when neighborhood children were allowed to attend there. Terry Fulbright Jefferson % Black (1988-89) 59% 55% 56% Forest Park 59% Pulaski Heights 69% % Black (1995-96) 45% 49% 42% 47% 47% When the settlement was reached in 1990. there were eleven elementary schools that were predominately (over 75%) black. Although magnet and incentive schools have been desegregated in some instances, these schools have not slowed the exodus from the Little Rock School District. There are now seats available in many magnet and inter-District schools, such as Washington (180 seats available), Booker (52 seats available), Gibbs (46 seats available), Romine (185 seats available) and King (197 seats available). It is clear that new schools like King are not stemming the growth of the private system or amacting children in sufficient numbers to allow the District to continue to be desegregated. Two of these incentive schools have been closed, yet now there are fifteen elementary schools with the same enrollment characteristics. In light of current enrollment and financial trends, it is probably an accurate assumption that the District cannot afford to fund incentive programs for all of these children attending "racially identifiable schools." The initial goals of the desegregation lawsuit were financial stability and integrated education. The District made a commitment to educate disadvantaged youth when the case was settled. These goals can only be reached when the LRSD immediately begins to recover the students it has already lost and continues to lose at an alarming rate. If the District fails to recover these students, the District will not be able to support itself financially and it will be financially burdened by the task of educating a large number of students who require specialized programs and services in order to adequately meet their educational and social needs. Page 19: "A Plan For Success" FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS 101 South Spring Street. Suite 401 Little Rock. Arkansas 72201-2486 (SOI) 370-9300 Fax (SOI) 375-8774
This project was supported in part by a Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives project grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Council on Library and Information Resources.

<dcterms_creator>Little Rock School District</dcterms_creator>