Alternative Learning Center

OFFICE OF THE METROPOLITAN SUPERVISOR 201 EAST MARKHAM, SUITE 510 HERITAGE WEST BUILDING LITTLE ROCK, AR 72202 December 4, 1990 Mr. Sanford Tollette Route 3, Box 424 Little Rock, AR 72211 Dear Sanford: I very much enjoyed talking with you today. Your fine work with children in the Camp Pheifer project is so important to all of us. I am distressed that funding uncertainties seem to be looming for the project. However, since your program is an integral part of the alternative learning program which is described in the Tri-District Desegregation Plan, there should be no question that the districts are responsible for ensuring that the program continues, and that it continues at least at the level described in the plan. (You may remember that Judge Woods called the Tri-District Plan minimal: the districts cannot do less than the plan prescribes.) The program at Camp Pheifer can be underwritten, entirely or in part, by the school districts' desegregation funding, program. If the districts choose to apply for grant monies to help finance the that is their prerogative
however, I do not believe that it is necessarily incumbent upon you to pursue that funding. Enclosed are copies of the Security Section of the desegregation plan (which contains the provisions regarding alternative learning) along with a copy of the Operational Proposal on Tri-District Alternative Learning Programs submitted to this office in accordance with provisions of the plan. You'll be able to see from these documents that the Camp Pheifer project is intended to continue on as a part of the desegregation effort in Pulaski County. Perhaps a meeting between you, leaders from the Downtown Kiwanis, and the three superintendents will provide an opportunity to discuss your concerns in plenty of time for the districts to make plans for the financial support of the Camp Pheifer project so it continues desegregation plan. to operate fully. as described in the Please keep us posted on how things are coming along. you and your work, so many children. We care very much about Thank you for the difference you are making in the lives of Sincerely, Ann S. Brown Associate Metropolitan Supervisor Enc. To
From
I s J I' f r LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT 810 WEST MARKHAM STREET LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS February 28, 1991 Board of Directors }^ZAngela M. Sewall, Special Assistant - Accountability Through
Subject
a M. Ruth S. Steele, Superintendent Herb Cleek, Deputy Superintendent Update on the Alternative Learning Center The Alternative Learning Center (ALC) ] students in September, 1990. Student referral principals through the Pupil Services te high schools and the Board of Directors, schools is accomplished by which is included with this 1990. began receiving s are made by teams at the junior Referral from the means of completion of the report Referral is based foina Characteristics of students which wouW nSSj? p?::^ at risk of failure in the regular school setting. A Placement and Referral Committee -4. . , , --------wconsiders all referrals at meetings which are held on a regular basis and placement on the basis of cf principals, counselors, need. recommends The committee is composed c?'^nselors, and the New Futures Liaison. The Student Hearing Officer also attends meetings. The school, which can serve up to 60 students in grades 7, has a staff of six teachers (English, MaLhcu.ai.iu o Studies, Vocational Education and Health/ P.E.), one counselor, two aides, u secretary/bookkeeper and an administrator. are provided by means of a cooperative program among the nurses assigned to the eight junior high schools and the Supervisor of Health Services. Science, Mathematics, a campus supervisor, a Nursing services Food Service is provided by means of a Satellite Lunch Program. udents serve on a committee with representatives of the ood Service Department in order to help select school menus. The District also transports the students to and from school. menus. Parents play an important role in student placement at the ALC. A parental consent form is completed before the student can enter the ALC. Additionally, an entrance conference is scheduled with the parent and student on the day of entry into the school program. The conference i held by the school administrator and details tions. Students typically remain at the ALC until recommended for return to the home school by the ALC staff. ALC. program. school expects- i I s, t. I S'-- l: Ai'CP.RAL FCi When such a recommendation is given, ' ^^^^^Gnce is .. with the student, the principal/counselor from the school and the ALC staff. The purpose of the confere to discuss expectations on return to the home school effective strategies for success of the student. attend these conferences as well. hone Parents a student referrals and enrollment at the ALC have been follows during this year: as Student Referral: I Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 17 BM 27 BM 14 BM 3 WM 7 WM 4 WM 2 BF 13 BF 5 BF - WF 1 WF 1 WF Students Placed at ALC: Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 11 BM 15 BM 10 BM 2 WM 7 WM 4 WM 1 BF 8 BF 4 BF - WF 1 WF 1 WF Students Exited to Home Schools: I I 1 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 2 BM 2 WM 3 WM 1 WM 1 BF 1 BF I Students Exited for (Non-Attendance)
Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 1 BM 2 WM (non-attendance) (non-attendance) Students Scheduled to Enter ALC the week of February 18 : I Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 1 BF Fifty-one students are currently enrolled. One student will report the week of February 18 for a total of 52 students. Arrangements have been made with the Data Processing Department to flag these students on the database so that their achievement, attendance and behavior can be monitored for the two students following their return to the home school to ascertain whether or not the ALC interventions were effective in assisting the students to be more successful in a regular school setting.ttemativc little rock enter ---------- SCHOOL district 8QP,^person 7J2202 ^'324-2370 RECEIVED J ,2993 MJ 2 1993 To Members of the Little Rock Sch^,^Bj^ ^8
ePt Desegregation tenitoring From Othello 0. Faison, Principal Alternative Learning Center It has been brought to my attention that NO provisions have been made for inclolsion of ALC in the promised renovation process. I am distressed, not bust for myself, but moreso for those parents and students to whom it was promised. If we are to receive students , who for all practical purposes have been dumped from their home schools, for whatever reason. then we ought to at least prepare to receive them in a building that reflects dis trict pride
or are they not consedered trworld class students"? In 1990, August, the Friday before I was to report back to Central High 1 was called to the central office and verbally assigned to the old Carver building to open an alternative school for junior high school students who are being suspended from their home school or who just generally n eed smaller classes and more Individual attention. I really was not given an opportunity to refuse. However, I usually accept challenges when it comes to children. and so I came. With the help of a committed staff, I built a quality program. Students and parents were encouraged to the point that many asked to be reassigned to us. Last SEptember, I made a report to the board at the request of the then associate superintendent. I did spell out our needs, and made the observation that these students don't need less, they need more. I did not have a clue at that time that we were about to be excluded altogether. I understood that the board pledged its support, but again, we were placed on a back burner, with the possible hope that we would go away. Well, we're not going away. We are prepared to work harder than ever to assure both your support and community support. We are seriously in need of a new floor for the cafeteria. a place wher we eat and where we also present our programs. It was placed on a priority list by Mr. Stueart, Mrs. Bernard, Mr. Vernon Smith and Mr. Doug Eaton. The Health Department has cited us because of the floor, and it must be done. Another major concern is the lack of accoustical ceiling in the halls. We need this for noise control. Presently, the floor is concrete, the walls are concrete block, and the ceiling is sheet rock. Accoustical ceiling tile,PLEASE! As the members of the Deseg team walked through our building, it was noted by all that we had no science equipment. We did order science equipment last fall, with guidance from Dennis Glasgow, but the requisition never got past Charlie Neal whose idea it was that we had no plumbing, so there was no need for science tables at that time. I need not remind you that there are projects that can be carried out on science tables that do not require plumbing. In addition, the purchase was from my budget, and we would not have been overspent. Our annual budget was only 13,000 dollars. Each year I have tried to continue to build, because I am aware of what is needed for these students to continue their education. IT IS EVERY BIT AS IMPORTANT TO MAKE OUR SCHOOL SAFE AND ATTRACTIVE AS TO DO IT FOR THE MAGNET AND INCENTIVE SCHOOLS. We get White students too. In order to continue services for the ninth graders, we must add a foreign language, I chose Spanish
Art. Each could be a .5 position. Industrial Arts HOme Economics WE have the equipment. .5 co w H H Pi O W Pi Pl. A realistic budget which will allow us to continue to purchase library books. Carpet in offices, since I see nice carpet in most other offices. It is important that parents and students see an attractive building. A nurse , even on loan from the Health Department. I have begun work on this. A mental Health Professional. I have talked with Dr. Elders about this. One good riding mower and a new lawn mower. WITH YOUR SUPPORT, MORAL AND FINANCIAL, WE HAVE PLANS TO BUILD A WORLD CLASS MODEL. I HAVE TALKED WITH PERSONS WHO CAN HELP TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. MY SALARY AND TRAVEL MUST BE BROUGHT INTO COMPLIANCE WITH THE SALARY SCHEDULE. NOT TO DO SO IS DISCRIMINATORY. THE DISTRICT IS THREE YEARS BEHIND. Copies: all board members Office of Deseg.ALTERNATIVE LEARNING CENTER Date: January 27, 1995 We were pleased to find: 1. 1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. The parking lot was newly resurfaced, lending a very neat and professional appearance. The exterior grounds looked well-tended and were almost litter-free. Sidewalks, which during our last visit had been covered with grass and brush, were clean and visible. The grass was neatly mowed and edged, American and Arkansas flags were in place on the pole. The courtyard and walkways were free of litter and looked well-tended. The three huge trees in the courtyard served to beautify the area and will provide welcome shade in the summer. A large eagle-adorned red. white, and blue banner was draped handsomely in the entrance way, bidding "Welcome" to all who entered. In the entryway, a neat bulletin board announced the schools mission. The reception area was spacious, allowing visitors and students to be in the area without feeling overcrowded. The hallways were very clean. The walls looked freshly painted and, although few in number, the bulletin boards in the halls were attractive. Plenty of strategically-placed large trash barrels helped to keep litter off the floors throughout the building. The kitchen area was clean and smelled of freshly baked cookies and bleach. The brightly painted lockers were somewhat age-battered, with some dents, scratched and chipped paint, and a few apparently sprung doors, but all were padlocked and free of graffiti. 11. On the cold, misty day we visited, the temperature throughout the building was comfortable. 12. Most of the girls bathrooms were free of litter and had paper towels. 13. The few students we encountered were friendly and well-behaved. 14. From classroom door windows, we could see most students participating in class discussions or 15. 16. 17. otherwise focused on learning tasks. During class changes, students moved swiftly and with a minimum of noise. Teachers were present in the hallways and a security guard at the end of the hallway monitored the time for students to get to their classrooms. The principal and other staff we encountered were welcoming, friendly, and eager to answer questions and share information. The principal clearly takes pride in the building, its appearance, and its mission. Security personnel were on duty. Areas Needing Attention: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Only one of the two drinking fountains in the cafeteria worked, and only one of the twin fountains in the main hallway was operable. Most of the interior and exterior doors had chipped paint. Most of the windows on the classroom doors had tape residue. The cafeteria had two bulletin boards, but one was bare except for a tattered construction paper backing. The other contained only one or two few visuals, also on a slightly tattered and faded paper background. Both appeared to have been untended for some time. The library was locked and our observations were limited to those that could be made at the door windows. The carpeted room was tidy and clean. It contained only books and magazines. Page 16. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. and had no audio-visual, computer, or other technical equipment. In addition to the printed matter, the room contained only three small tables and a total of nine chairs. Four skimpy plants on the window ledge and a few posters were the rooms only decorative touches. An instructional aide served as the librarian/media clerk, and also doubled as the attendance clerk. According to the aide, the books, which were donations, were old and did not appeal to todays youth. The only current publications available to the students were through sporadic deliveries of some magazines. In parts of the building interior, sheaves of wires have been bundled and openly run overiiead. The only recreational equipment we saw was a ping-pong table on the stage of the cafetorium and an exterior basketball goal. The principal explained that the school had no physical education program. During the school day, the students have access only to unorganized recreation during the recess time. A desk, apparently used by security personnel in the entrance was unattended when we arrived. The nearby counselors office was dark and locked. One set of double doors to the rear of the building was not locked from the outside. The principal said the locks were broken and could not be secured without also preventing exit. Another set of twin exit doors was also accessible from the exterior, but these doors opened to an interior courtyard which also served the Hearing Office. One of these doors was propped slightly open by a chain, apparently to allow staff to enter and exit at will. One entire wing of the school is empty, except for the Hearing Office. This space could be used to expand the services of the ALC. 12. The Hearing Office, located in the otherwise unused wing, appears newly constructed to 13. 14. 15. accommodate the district hearing officer, who recently moved to the building from the LRSD Annex. Another office area in that same wing sits empty and unused. The door to the computer room had a hole in it. Paint on the exterior window frames was cracked, faded, and peeling. The floor of the cafeteria was well-swept, but bore many scuff marks and looked as though it had not been scrubbed or waxed in quite some time. Girls Restrooms 16. 17. One restroom, marked for the use of faculty women, contained five stalls, but only one had a roU of toilet paper. This seemed to be a regular pattern in the restrooms. Inadequate amounts of toilet paper, one bar of soap, if any, and skimpy supplies of paper towels were common in the restrooms for both students and faculty. None of the taps provided hot water, and some restrooms had no hot water taps at all. Other problems noted were burned out light bulbs, inoperable faucets, and graffiti on stall doors or mirrors. The floor in one restroom needed mopping and waxing. The room had no stall for handicapped students. The wall in one restroom was marred by a large dark area that apparently once contained a heating or air conditioning unit. Boys Restrooms 18. The restrooms were relatively clean and odor free, but dimly lit. The rooms were stocked with paper goods, and e toilets were clean. The faucets were working, and soap was furnished. Page 2<?c: Office of Desegregation Monitoring United States District Court Eastern District of Arkansas Ann S. Brown, Federal Monitor 201 East Markham, Suite 510 Heritage West Building Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 (501)376.6200 Fax (501) 371-0100 January 30, 1995 Dr. Walter Marshaleck, Principal Alternative Learning Center 800 Apperson Street Little Rock, AR 72202 Dear Walter: We enjoyed visiting the Alternative Learning Center last week and appreciated your gracious welcome. You obviously care very much about your school and its students and staff. As promised, enclosed is a copy of our December 1992 monitoring report on the alternative schools in the three county districts. 1 know youll be interested in our observations and recommendations, particularly concerning the school you now lead. We hope this information will be helpful to you and your staff. 1 encourage you to contact the other alternative school directors and also to visit their facilities, particularly e one at Scott in the Pulaski County Special School District. Youll enjoy getting to know Joni Turner, the schools principal. Joni is warm and enthusiastic, and, as a fellow alternative educator, she understands the unique challenges you face. 1 have taken the liberty of contacting Joni and she will call you (or you can call her at 961-1518). Later this year, ODM will again monitor the alternative schools in all three districts to access the progress they have made since 1992. Well notify you in advance of our visit. If you should have any questions or need information, please dont hesitate to contact me or Margie Powell, my colleague who takes a special interest in alternative education. Well be glad to hear from you at any time. Sincerely yours, Ann S. Brown Enc. CC.' Office of Desegregation Monitoring United States District Court Eastern District of Arkansas Ann S. Brown, Federal Monitor 201 East Markham, Suite 510 Heritage West Building Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 (501)376-6200 Fax (501) 371-0100 November 22, 1995 The Honorable Jim Dailey City Hall, Room 203 500 West Markham Little Rock, AR 72201 Dear Mayor Dailey: I have been pleased to read about the current public dialogue, in which you and other community leaders are engaging, concerning alternative schools in our local school districts. For some time, I have shared a number of the concerns about alternative education which I now hear being addressed in your discussion. Well-run alternative schools are an important intervention that can serve to positively redirect both student behavior and academic achievement. Alternative education should be a valued, integral, and strongly supported part of our public school system. For your information. I'm enclosing a report which my staff and I issued in December 1992 on the alternative schools in the Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Pulaski County Special School Districts. Although this report is now three years old, most of the observations we made at that time still hold true today. The Conclusions and Recommendations sections (which are organized by individual school district on pages 12-17, 25-31, and 38-42), will provide you with a comprehensive summary of our findings about the schools and our recommendations for improving them. We are in the process of publishing a follow-up report on the alternative schools in the three county districts. I will send you the report when it is issued within the next few weeks. Meanwhile, if you should have any questions or need further information, please feel free to contact me or my associate, Margie Powell, who has primary responsibility for monitoring the alternative schools. Sincerely yours, Ann S. Brown Enc. cc: Judge William Watt Board of Directors for the City of Little RockBusiness Case Alternative School For Senior High Students * T Office EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The LRSD began operation of the Evening School on March 16, 1996 for a limited number of District students who require an alternative learning environment in grades ten through twelve. Approximately forty-five students are served through the program which is located at Metropolitan Vocational Center. However, this site cannot meet the demand for alternative educational programming required by a number of District students with behavioral and or adjustment problems. To meet this need, a collaborative arrangement with the Little Rock Job Corps Center to provide an alternative education program for seventy-five tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students is being proposed. As an option to a longterm suspension or expulsion, LRSD senior high students would be referred for enrollment in the LR Job Corps Program to restructure their learning habits, social habits, and to develop a commitment to positive educational outcomes before returning to the regular school program. The financial commitment of the LRSD program would be minimal as the Job Corps would absorb the major costs for the education of these students. In addition to a self-paced academic curriculum, students will receive health sen/ices, social skills training, and vocational curricula which are competencybased and require students to demonstrate specific competencies that are tracked and reinforced for mastery. Program Benefits: 1. 2. 3. Program is open-entry, open-exit. That is, students continuously enter and exit classes which will allow for enrollment throughout the school year. Instruction is individualized/self-paced based on academic assessment at entry. Students will have the option of pursuing a GED or a regular curriculum that will prepare them for re-entry into the LRSD.4. Students will receive financial benefits: 5. a. b. c. d. e. f. bi-weekly pay checks a bonus of $250.00 for completing a vocational trade a bonus of $250.00 if GED is authorized and completed financial incentives for improving reading and math skills a bonus of $100 to $350 for placement back into the regular school program $25.00 to $80.00 bonus for positive school performance every 60 days. Clothing allowance 6. 7. Three free meals provided daily Free medical, dental and optical care An expansion of the Alternative Learning Center to include sixty (60) senior high school students was considered, but at a total cost of $465,110.00, was determined to be beyond what the LRSD can afford at this time. The impact of this proposal will be to provide a sound academic and vocational program to students who require behavior modification and a more structured, non-traditional educational environment at a cost that the LRSD can afford. Supporters of this proposal will be the parents and students at-risk of long term suspension or expulsion who need an educational alternative to being out of school from a semester to a full academic school year. Detractors to this proposal may be individuals who feel that separate alternative programs are convenient "dumping ground" for the school district's failure to adequately meet the education needs of all its students. a 2BACKGROUND On March 16, 1996, the LRSD began operating the first Alternative Educational Program in the system for senior high school Students in 20 years. The LRSD Evening High School, located at Metropolitan Vocational Center, provides classes for about forty-five students in grades ten through twelve, four days a week from 5:00 p.m. until 9:15 p.m. The students enrolled in this progrom generolly toll into one or more of the following categories: (1) (2) (3) (4) students who cannot attend regular day school because of economic, personal, and/or family problems students who have dropped out of school or are potential dropouts I teen parents who cannot attend regular day school because of child care obligations students who are enrolled in day school but need to make up credits lost through various circumstances. The Evening High School appears to be adequately meeting the needs of students in these categories, but senior high students with disruptive behavioral problems within the traditional school setting or are at risk of suspension or expulsion create another group of students whose educational needs are not being addressed. As a result of exploratory discussions with the staff of LR Job Corps Center located at 2020 Vance Street, an opportunity is available to partner with the Center in providing an alternative school environment for seventy-five 10th, 11 th, and 12th grade students beginning July 1,1996. Aside from funding one teacher position to provide a credit course in English and supplementary transportation for students needing this service, all other costs for this program will be borne by the Job Corps Center. Generally, students will enter the program on an open entry system which will allow us to refer students as needed. The goal will be to return students to their respective schools with improved motivation and academic functioning. However, a student and parent may elect to enter and prepare for a GED. iThe Center will provide both a residential or non-residentiol option. According to Job Corps Center Staff, about fifteen percent of students live off campus. Course work includes academic, vocational and social skills training on the basis of student needs. Academic classes are designed to increase basic reading and mathematics competencies and support the vocational program. Courses in which high school social studies credit may be earned are also offered. The World of Work Program prepares students for jobs by emphasizing appropriate job attitudes, job search techniques, interview techniques and consumer education. The Social Skills Training (SST) Program is a structured program consisting of 50 skills which all students must master. Skills such as teamwork, anger management, conflict resolution and questioning are examples of skills taught in SST. After careful review of the benefits to students and the extremely modest financial commitment that the LRSD would be required to make, it was concluded that entering a partnership with the LR Job Corps Center to provide an alternative education program for LRSD Senior High Students would be the most prudent and fiscally responsible path to take for the 1996-97 school year. PROBLEM DEFINITION The number of LRSD senior high students requiring an alternative educational program currently exceeds our internal capacity and financial resources to address their needs. Three alternatives were considered. The first option was to expand the Alternative Learning Center program at the Apperson Street site to include sixty 10th, 11th & 12th grade students beginning in the 1996-1997 school year. The second option considered was to increase capacity for senior high students by opening an alternative program in one of the vacant school buildings in the District. The third option is to maintain the status quo and add no new capacity for the 1996-97 school year. The fourth option is to enter into a partnership with the LR Job Corps Center to provide alternative schooling for approximately seventy -five LRSD students at the Job Corps Center located at 2020 Vance Street, L.R. 4ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES Several strategies were considered to expand educational alternatives for senior high students who lack motivation, are disruptive to the learning environment or are at risk of long term suspension/expulsion. These options include: 1. 2, Expand the Alternative Learning Center capacity at the Apperson Street facility to accommodate sixty senior high school students. Increase the enrollment capacity by providing services at the school campuses or facilities in the District. 3. Maintain the status quo. 4. Develop partnership with the Little Rock Job Corps to provide alternative schooling for seventy-five LRSD students who are at risk of Long Term suspension or expulsion. Alternative one is not feasible at this time since the two possible vacant facilities within the District, Ish and Oakhurst schools, have now been occupied by other District programs. Alternative two was extensively studied and initially recommended but, because of the projected cost of $465,110.00 to add 60 high school students to that program, it was determined to be cost prohibitive in view of the District's looming operational budget deficit for the 1996-97 school year. Alternate three is unacceptable because the list of students who need alternative educational services continues to grow and feed the ranks of dropouts, pushouts and the increasing numbers of disruptive students within schools who jeopardize the learning and safety of other students and staff. our Alternative four would enable the District to partner with the LR Job Corps Center and provide alternative schooling for seventy-five LRSD students at a much smaller cost to the District than trying to provide these sen/ices in the district. RECOMMENDATION Due to the critical need to expand alternative schooling for disruptive senior high school students, it is recommended that the District enter into a partnership with the LR Job Corps Center to provide an alternative educational program for LRSD senior high students at the Job Corps Center located at 2020 Vance Street in Little Rock. 5This proposal would enable the District to provide a quality educational experience to seventy-five senior high students at a fraction of the cost of providing this service internally. The Job Corps is a federally funded program that has established Centers throughout the U.S. and has operated successfully for over thirty years The LR Center is fully accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Schools Students accepted into the program would benefit from competency-based academic and vocational curricula that require students to demonstrate specific competencies and skills as they progress through the program. Additionally, students will receive: a. social skills training b. optional GED program format c. extensive health, dental, optical and counseling services d. financial benefits e. optional residential or non-residential placement f. clothing allowance g. three free meals daily h. vocational certificate upon completion of a vocational trade that is the equivalent of a GED in vocation. This open-entry/ open-exit program format will allow us to refer students at any time throughout the school year. Students may elect to move to a GED program or maintain courses that complement LRSD curriculum at their respective grade level in preparation for returning to the regular school program. The District would incur modest expenses in two areas: 1. 2. The cost of a certified classroom teacher, preferably in English since this is the only subject that the Job Corps does not provide its students that would be needed by returning LRSD students. Transportation of some LRSD students would also need to be considered. The Job Corps provides tokens to its students for CTA transportation. However, if we want neighborhood pick-ups we will need to provide these services at cost to the District. 6OBJECTIVES 1. To increase the number of senior high school students being sen/ed, through alternative educational options, who are at-risk of long term suspension or expulsion. 2. To decrease classroom/school disruptions and increase student motivation for learning, school attendance and academic achievement. Providing alternative educational schooling supports LRSD goals, 1 & 5 which state: Goal one: Implement integrated educational programs that will ensure that all students grow academically, socially and emotionally with an emphasis on basis skills and academic enrichment while closing disparities in achievement. Goal Five: Provide a safe and orderly climate that is conducive to learning for all students. EVALUATION CRITERIA Criteria for evaluation of this proposal will include: 1. A decrease in the number of senior high students who are out of school because of disruptive behavior or due to long term suspension or expulsions. 2. Increased student motivation as measured by improved attendance, academic achievement improved behavior, improved classroom/school learning climate. 3. Increased number of students successfully completing a GED or earning a high school diploma. Formative and summative evaluation data will be collected and compiled during the first and second semesters of the 1996-97 school year. Baseline data will include pre and post assessment data, report cards, progress reports, attendance records, disciplinary data and a survey of students, parents, and school administrators' satisfaction with the program. 7Expected Benefits The benefits of these objectives are to continue the educational progress of these young people in a setting that will address their need for an academic and vocational program, while providing for behavior modification. These benefits will be realized at the beginning of the 1996- 97 school year and will continue throughout the year for each student facing a long term suspension or expulsion and who is recommended for enrollment by the LRSD Hearing Officer. Resource Analysis The only personnel to be added to the payroll of the Little Rock School District as a result of this proposal is a language arts teacher. Financial Analysis The approximate salary for the program personnel will be $36,000 for the 1996-97 school year. The costs will be expected to increase by 3% over each of the next five years. The other program cost will be for transportation to the site at 2020 Vance. The approximate cost per bus will be$31,150.00 for the 1996-97 school year. In the first year of operation two busses are expected to be needed for a total transportation cost of $62,300.00. The costs for transportation are expected to rise by 3% during each of the next five years. The source of revenue to operate this proposal will be the operating budget of the Little Rock School District. This proposal will not result in a cost savings to the district. The total anticipated costs for this proposal in the rirst year of operation are estimated to be $98,300.00. Force Field Analysis The primary supporters of this proposal will be patrons of the school district who seek alternative placements for students who demonstrate behaviors that disrupt the learning climate in the schools. Other supporters will be teachers, administrators, students in the schools, and parties who / 8 ffrequently criticize district for not having alternatives for students facing long term suspension or expulsion from the district. Forces who will be against the proposal have not been identified. General Implementation Plan Milestones Timeline Tasking Approval of the proposal June 1996 School Board Advertise for personnel July 1996 Human Resources Arrange for transportation July 1996 Laidlaw Transit Assign Students August-May 1996-67 Hearing Officer- School Board Periodic review of the program August-May 1996-97 Assistant Superintendent- Secondary and Director of Pupil Personnel Program evaluation June 1997 Assistant Superintendent- Secondary and Director of Pupil Personnell 9? JOHN W. WALKER RALPH WASHINGTON NLARK BURNETTE AUSTIN PORTER. JR. JOHN w. Walker, p.a. Attorney At Law 1723 Broadway Little Rock, Arkansas 72206 Telephone (501) 374-3758 FAX (501) 374-4187 received December 16, 1997 Dr. Leslie Carnine Superintendent of Schools Little Rock School District OFFICE Of O^SEGHEBAJIOfiUOfllWaiNS 810 West Markham Little Rock, AR 72201 Dear Dr. Carnine: In reading today's newspaper, I note that the Little Rock School District is being investigated by the United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights with respect to its alternative education programs. I am writing because of the quote attributed to you: "I think they got us by mistake". [Carnine] said the District's disciplinary policies and student records are already subject to federal review through the court system. It went on to indicate that your office has made the OCR aware of the federal court monitoring underway in this district. If this quote is properly attributable to you, you may be unaware that for the past eighteen months there has been no monitoring of the Little Rock School District's programs by the Office of Desegregation Monitoring. To represent otherwise is incorrect and probably should be corrected if you are to maintain your presumptive credibility regarding providing informed opinions. There simply is no monitoring by ODM of these programs at this time by order of the Court, you inform OCR of this fact at once. I, therefore, request the 1 8 1997 Thank you for your attention to this matter. sincerely, ORIGINAL SIGNED
BV UNDERSIGNED COUNSEL John W. Walker JWW:j s cc: Judge Susan Webber Wright Ms. Ann Brown Mr. Chris Heller1 it \.a Little Rock School District MAY 5 139, OFFICE OF ^^SESREGATlOflMd^liOPjl^^ May 6, 1998 Ms Margie Powell Office of Desegregation & Monitoring 201 East Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72201 Dear Ms. Powell: Please attend a meeting on Wednesday, May 13, 1998 to discuss the planning of an Elementary Alternative Learning Environment for the 1999-2000 school year. The meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m., in the Districts Board Room, which is located at 810 West Markham Street. Sanford Tollette, who is the Director of Phiefer Camp, will serve as the consultant to assist us with this endeavor. If you are interested in serving on this committee but can not attend this meeting, please call me at 324-2170. Sincerely, Dr. Linda Watson, Assistant Superintendent Student Discipline 810 West Markham Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 (501)824-2000OS-13-98 11:05 AM r RuM FER i Mr TO 5013710100 IS PiW August 12, 1998 Dr. Les Carnine, Superintendent Little Rock School District 810 W. Markham Little Rock, AR 72201 Dear Dr. Carnine
I am pleased to endorse and support the Residential Alternative Elementary School for at-risk 3rd, 4th, and Sth graders. Prevention and intervention at the elementary level is crucial if we hope to see less academic and behavioral failure at the junior high and high school levels. The fact that you are taking such innovative steps while not under court order speaks highly of the Little Rock School District. I am familiar with the Pfeifer Kiwanis Camp program on which the school will be modeled. The staff of this office have observed the Camp's alternative classroom since 1988 and believe that children In Pulaski County have been well served by this unique and innovative effort, Students in Pulaski County who appeared to have been on the verge of failure In school as well as in life have received from the Pfeifer Camp experience a remarkable chance to reconsider their values and to turn their Ilves around. Time after time, students with behavior problems in their regular classrooms have come to the Pfeifer Camp classroom and learned to take direction, commit themselves to school work, and to take responsibility for their actions. I look forward to seeing the results of a longer, more extensive program. This potential for success with students, coupled witht he Influence of Pfeifer Camp's methods, makes the Residential Alternative Elementary School worthy of support from everyone associated with educating children. Sincerely yours, Ann S. Brown Federal Monitor pat ol pays* I Fro* phOl'^Office of Desegregation Monitoring United States District Court Eastern District of Arkansas Ann S. Brown, Federal Monitor 201 East Markham. Suite 510 Heritage West Building Little Rock. Arkansas 72201 (501)376-6200 Fax (501) 371-0100 August 14, 1998 Dr. Les Gamine Little Rock School District 810 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72201 Dear Dr. Gamine: One of the joys of working with the Little Rock School District is supporting district initiatives that are designed as both prevention and intervention programs attuned to the special needs of students. Thats why Im pleased to endorse the Residential Alternative Elementary School for at-risk 3"*, 4*, and 5* graders. The optimal application of the charter school concept is to develop innovative, break-the-mold schools that venture beyond the constraints of traditionally structured institutions. The Residential Alternative Elementary School will apply fresh but proven ideas and approaches to meet the unique needs of at-risk children where other schools have fallen short. Since 1988,1 have been well-acquainted with the Pfeifer Kiwanis Camp program on which the new school will be modeled. My staflf and I have closely observed the Camps alternative program and know that it -works: children who were on the verge of failure in schoolas well as lifelearn how to learn, expand and hone their academic skills, relinquish self-defeating behaviors, and take responsibility for their actions. These children leave the Camp with new-found direction, capabilities, and confidence. The Pfeifer Camp methods deserve to be applied in a school designed specifically to turn at-risk children around while their malleable minds and moldable character can be reshaped and redirected. The Residential Alternative Elementary School is worthy of support by everyone who cares about making a difference for all children. Sincerely yours, r Ann S. Brown^AansasPemo^ C^azettg THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1994 Copyright Utile Rock Newspapers. Inc. T ibi QM MrI b-K-1 SI Arkansas Damocral-OazeNe/Brlan Phelps LEADING THE WAY Community volunteers and leaders stand by in support Wednesday al City Hall as Dr. Henry Williams. Little Rock School District superintendent, announces a new youth leadership program. New leadership institute targets at-risk students BY CHRIS REINOLDS Democrat-Gazette Staff Writer At-risk high school students will be trained as leaders in a new program announced Wednesday by Little Rock community leaders. "There are plenty of bright, ambitious young people in our schools who, for reasons beyond their control, like economics and broken homes, have been overlooked in the past for this type of program, said Henry Williams, Little Rock School District superintendent. The Youth Leadership Institute will provide leadership development and mentors for students not in such traditional programs as student councils, Williams said at a news conference on the steps of Little Rock City Hall. The institute is a cooperative effort by Leadership Greater Little Rock, the Qua-paw Area Council of Boy Scouts of America and the Little Rock School District. The program will include monthly leadership sessions and community service projects, as well as a mentor program. The institute's main goal is to find students jobs that will develop leadership skills, said Cathy Rodgers, cochairman of the institute. Mayor Jim Dailey lauded the program as a big step toward developing our citys future leaders. State Rep. Jim Argue and Pulaski County Chancellor Vann Smith have already signed up to be mentors, Rodgers said. Parents, teachers and other adults can nominate students for the 40 spots in the program. Students must be sophomores or juniors in 1994-95 and enrolled in McClellan Community, Central, Parkview, Hall or J.A. Fair high schools. The deadline for nominations is May 10. Students are required to pay a $20 enrollment fee, though scholarships are available, Rodgers said. A panel of faculty and Youth Leadership Institute Committee members will review applicants and select eight to 10 students from each high school. The program will run from August through May 1995. The institute has received about $6,000 in donation.s to start the program, which is being financed by the three sponsoring groups, Rodgers said. Arkansas Democrat ^C^azctk SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 1994 Copyright Little Rock Newspapers, Inc. LRSD task force urges more guards, alternative clasjes -- ----------ex- programs. _____dations calls for anti-violence and conflict-resolution training to extend to the school faculty, bus drivers and parents, as well as to the students. The recommendations also call for expanding the alternative education program beyond the one junior high alternative school that serves 75 to 100 students. There are no alternative programs available for elementary or senior high students who do not function well in the traditional class- BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Democral-Gazette Educallon Writer The Little Rock School District could strengthen safety and security on its campuses with more alternative-education classes for disruptive students, more police and security guards, and training in violence prevention. Those suggestions are among 16 broad recommendations sent to district Superintendent Henry Williams and the Little Rock School Board this week bv a districtwide Safely and Security Task Force. Williams appointed the task force in December 1993 in response to security concerns raised by parents and staff at a series of public hearings. The task force did not try to determine the costs. T. Kevin OMalley, a school board member and a member of the task force, said the group realized that there were costs associated with the proposals and that decisions about spending money on the recontmen- dations have to be made by the school board. The recommendations oi the task force repeat or pand on many of the proposals made by a similar group in 1989. The earlier committee s work led to a school security department, a dramatic increase in the number of security guards at the secondary schools, strengthened school rules and an improved communications system by way of repairing school intercoms and providing staff members with two-way radios. Both sets of recommendations stressed the need for teaching violence-prevention programs. . Bill Barnhouse, the district s director of safety and security who worked with both committees, said the district has some anti-violence programs, but they are not standardized throughout the district. We're in the teaching profession and we should be teaching this thing in pre-kinder- earten through 12th grades. Barnhouse said. Successful programs exist elsewhere in the country and could be adopted by the Little Rock district. he said. room.Arkansas Democrat W'C^azettc FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1994 LR superintendent wants to expand districts alternative learning services BY CYNTHIA HOWELL DemocratGazette Education Writer The Little Rock School District is seeking ways to expand its alternative education program for students unsuccessful in a regular school program, the districts superintendent said Tuesday. Speaking to about 250 members of the Downtown Little Rock Rotary Club, Dr. Henry Williams said he would recommend to the school board that the existing Alternative Learning Center program at Eighth and Apperson streets be enlarged this year to accommodate as many as 125 junior high students. The program now serves about 60 students, he said. The district would have to increase the number of teachers assigned to the building to work with the increased number of students, he said. The district doesnt have an alternative school for senior high school students. Williams said he was exploring the possibility of incorporating an alternative school program into the program at Metropolitan Vocational Technical Skills Center. Students having problems at their regular schools could be assigned to Metropolitan to take academic courses half the day and occupational courses for the rest of the day. No final decisions have been made about the idea, Williams said. Currently, students from all over Central Arkansas can choose to take vocational and technical courses at Metropolitan, but they take their academic course.s at their home high schools. That program isnt expected to change. The alternative school proposals are the latest in a series of efforts by Williams and his staff to improve school security. Last week, he announced plans to create a mobile security response team of 10 officers. The trained team would report as needed to schools. assist emergencies at in weapons searches or ride school buses. The district has added police resource officers to secondary school campuses this year. Last year, Williams formed a task force to review safety and security needs.Arkansas Democrat (gazette FRIDAY, SEPTEMBE.q 30, 1994 Truant problem child gets mom arrested, fined A Little Rock woman was - She came into court with- fined and arrested Thursday out her paperwork, and she in Little Rock Traffic Court has done that before," Watt when she failed to tell Judge Bill Watt why her son has been picked up for four curfew violations and attended school only one week this semester. said. She started arguing with me and when we noticed she had warrants from Sherwood. we just sent her on her way." Watt smd he fined Sheila She came into court Newsom Robinson $750 and offered her a work-release without her paperwork, '""o'""- M ^he has done that said Robinsons 12-year-old , - , son. a student at Garland El- oejore. She Started chifd problem arguing with me and The boy didnt start school when we noticed she had a problem until Sept. 6, two weeks after classes began. Watt said. Robinsons son faces warrants from a Sherwood, we just sent school district hearing today her on her way to determine if he will be sus- , I pended or expelled for bring- Judge Bill Watt mg cocaine onto campus. A Garland teacher found the A Sherwood police officer wouldnt say Thursday night what warrants had been issued for Robinson or if she was being held in the Sherwood jail. Shes eligible for boy in a comatose state two weeks ago, and paramedics found cocaine and a large amount of cash pinned inside his pants. Watt said. Robinson told Watt her son work release when Sherwood has been seeking counseling is through with her. Watt and but she said. She doesnt need to stay couldnt back that up in court, in lockup. treatment, Arkansas Democrat (gazette WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1994 Alternative schools Stricter discipline get parents approval BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Water Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Stodola thinks the Little Rock School District should expand its alternative school program to accommodate more disruptive students. And Skip Rutherford, former Little Rock School Board member, proposes that the district toughen its student disciplinary code and judge each case individually. Those Stodola sentiments and by Rutherford, whose children attend Little Rock public schools, elicited applause by many of the 60 parents attending a forum on the citys schools Tuesday at Pulaski Heights Junior High School, Student safety and security dominated questions at the town forum, one in a series the district scheduled for this fall. The next one is Tuesday at Fulbright Elementary School, Stodola said special programs to help disruptive students are a better alternative I than kicking them out into I the streets, ! I believe no kid should be expelled or suspended. Period. Because then it becomes a community problem, he said. The districts single alternative school can accept fewer than 100 stu- dents, though some schools also reserve classrooms to accommodate problem students. The prosecutor suggested that designating more classrooms and schools for disruptive students would be a speedy remedy that should prove popular with the public. He said teachers ought to get combat pay for working in those surroundings and that students might be offered a chance to earn rewards as an incentive to return to a regular classroom. Stodola suggested that the district modify its curriculum to include lessons on the law and the consequences of breaking it. .\nd he suggested that the district make schools follow its rules on checking students for weapons, which wasnt always the case during the last school year. Principals who disobey district policy should be reprimanded or fired, he said, The schools get an F in compliance. Rutherford, an advocate of school safety and security during his school board tenure, said the district had watered down the student disciplinary code. He said he viewed sexual harassment, verbal abuse, obscene language and gestures, and violating school rules as major offenses. Look at putting some teeth in the discipline program, and judge cases on an individual basis, Rutherford suggested.[^Arkansas Democrat ^Q^azcttc [ biOyEMBER 7, 1994 State students gravitating to alternatives Enrollment in Arkansas public universities Figures, for full-time equivalencies, are In thousands 4-yfeitr colleges UmbM-griMlutit* CkvdlMto t-yeaccolteffes BY SUSAN ROTH Oemocral-Gazette Education Wriler Arkansas students increasingly are choosing two-year public colleges over four-year universities with the addition of 12 HBW Itit'hfiitMil tidllngnn throughout the state. The higher education system enrolled fewer full-time students last year than the year before, but the total number of public college students, including part timers, continues to increase. A small but unprecedented 40 '89-'9O 93-'94 5.0 89-90 '93-'94 10.0 89-90 93--9< SOUnCE: AihnnsRs Ospl. ol mghof Edticntlon 1993-94 occurred at the four-year universities. Two-year colleges and graduate schools continued -------------------- trends toward higher enroll- (Jpcrease between 1992-93 and ments in 1993-94. Colleges Conlinued from Page 1A ."T? ^'^boojs will increas- 3TEVE SCALLION/ArtcsnMa Derr'oc'Rl.Qaietlo Higher education officials say the Arkansas numbers reflect a national shift toward two- year institutions because of .j See COLLEGES, Page 2A loKer costs, greater accessibili , ...... avvesSIDin- ty and greater fiexibility for working students. Ed Crowe, the Higher Education Departments senior a.ssoci- Arkansas or gmal stable of community colleges was already growing more rapidly than its universi ties when the Legislature creat- 199l' ''"'eal colleges in ii. T will increas- tiigl) become feeders to the hnir-year schools," Crowe predicted. At the universities, we growth in numbers of third and fourth-year students. rather than in freshmen and sophomore.s. less because they employ i part time faculty than the versifies. more ! uni- In a plan to trim future fac- in Well see the technical colleges continue to grow at a rapid pace." said Charles Dunn president of Henderson State' University in Arkadelphia, deni^''ri' ? .bsorb the new students. But in a couple of vears I 11. utpauii asked all institutions to faculty workloads with an eye toward increasing them. examine Older students changing "When the state is able to support the system, tuition be- u^s of a concern." Crowe L he department IS concerned now about the fate of the soft-drink tax. the last referendum issue remaining on Tuesday s statewide ballots r "'bleh funds V d 'hledicaid program to provide health insurance to low-income people. is repealed, offi- ciaLs have said they will have to look elsewhere in the state bud- , , ......auraciive """ey. And 70 per- to local business and industry j! "/ he state budget funds Dunn noled, education, Crowe said. oneges t ents. of years the four-year schools will re- who are nerve the benefits of these pro rmproving grams in transfers, and there ?nllo(lo frav Will ho .. .... . c--.g careers, i wfii-be"be
:nS' rue Iirst lime tend to choose Iwo- agreed ^we*"Sid''"%iy 'LbP .echnical colleges, the ggSSig o slight leveling off in the number of high school graduates, and that r-- isssSssgs to remain steaSy roVthVn"e?ew lutes' Um S?caiYcho'rshat issaf f se If a new industry comes into the '-in- As far as the universities are concerned, all the two-year colleges. including the technical schools, represent a growing group of potential customers. "At Henderson, we'll market hiipc Ilr-V '.w'vi man insti- bose students, mn^'i /r'b"''^=''eboolshave 'b.? ewt the high more to nff^r *1.. . schools. Dunn said They good students. We do not get many from community colleges w^7i7i"."'' prepped. And wed like to have them." I The Higher Education Department plans to track the movement of students between nstitutions beginning this year hold'll 'f ransfer -theory holds true. Crowe said the department also is looking for an area, the school could devel- part op a new curriculum for the are more of Deleee" ? wt-year cob h!f
"bey'll dip their toes in Io see if they can "'P" '"'''er those ^""bit hours Io a four-year -a - I,, lion of state funding. Crowe said the Higher Edu- mil?-''"''"'"* '"luest 510 million next j- - year in a new , .......... III a new * ....... ow looKing tor fl nd both kinds of That's the theoiy. Higher-ed- to Ih^e ^^^1! 8 thudents transfer, ucation officials believe the grown encourage sue- boom in the two-year school! S iofh. r be last few oess. not just enrollment," he eventually will lead to growth at lochnicol o some of the last decade, 1110 iiniira,.,.:*:____... ,1 III di leLonicai and commiiniHr we ve sp^n . 'We want to rhrunSyis'aTw ano conimunilv col- ^'niversityofCen- l.rSlI soid "n ooi'ollment," he said. Over the s.ci HoonRc tremendous in- mh' m bigher edu- cation. Now -- - fered oriiy'dipromaDro'Br!.,^l !'b" future, the depart- 3-----------.-...s ,e , Now. their students can riceiie it critina !" .'i'"' ""'"'"""I oal.' associate's degrees alter com 1, Pas. funding pletion of technical courses anti 7 ^ 0?? ""ruHment Ihe same general-ed!!!uon cr ?hat ihev a- P b'>"' riculuni offered at other two- b"y ""e rel.iin.nv year contmiinity colleges. 'Hie program began in 1991 hut fho <i, - cAams. schools had no degree.'grantt dent, "the su- authority until the spring of h f S "w anymore." Crowe year. i ring oi mis said Now we want to know how If students wish Io transfer to nl """' ' a public four-year school for a Iwn ' "eknowledged that the bachelor's degree afier earning stae^hio'i
''p?'i be an associate's degree their tidfion n 5y^"'" credits are all transferable '' ' ------------- ' programs. can receive com- that tt, IO snow two and retaining students wo- and graduating ntrtro -----...6 a.uucin& more people fidrlrtrn. U_>a__ . iiiuie peon P.PPf better on exams. " !
onoy. But Crowe said those colleges also cost the state we want to make sye students are meeting their ' educational enak Alkalis as Democrat 'grtfsazettc * * WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1995 : EDITORIALS The Dailey Planner Link Rock gels a leader T here was something refreshing about Jim Daileys swearing-in a few days ago. Maybe it was the mayors boyishness in (he presence of Monsignor George 'nibou, who once taught Mr. Dailey at Catholic High School. Maybe it was the mayors attempt to hold the speech to no more than 12 minutes. (He didn't.) Or maybe it was the sight of a politician with a detailed plan and die knowledge, patience, and business sense to carry it out. Here was Lillie Rocks first elected mayor in 37 years niilliniricr Iho rifv'c J eas will continue to get new street lights first, and the city will hire an- otlier 45 police ofllcers this year. He plans to work more closely with Hen- ly Williams, the superintendent of the Little Rock School District The mayor is particularly interested in helping Dr. Williams and the district set up alternative schools for the kind of student who needs special attention, and who may only disrupt Oie classroom without it. (Good! Alternative schools are needed to relieve pressure on the regular schools.) One day each montli the mayor, the outlining the citys agenda with the experience of a city manager, and '''V Kiuiiagci, aiiu k^mir . rApInrc nian rectors plan to man who had done this before and with the enthusiasm of someone new to the job, Nice combination. Jim Dailey started with the good news about Little Rock: Hnemploy- inenl has dipped hold a neighborhood City Hall somewhere in Little Rock. As the mayor puts it: Its important to visit and first hand. Notice a see things tern? patSpecific, to 3.5 percent, following a downward trend statewide. Crime has dropped from the record high for violence set in 1993. And the number of tourists has gone up. lliere was also some go(xl news that isn't news: Little R(X2k remains a bastion of civility and friendliness. Alter that pep talk, the once and future mayor got down to specifics. Here are some of his new years resolutions for Lillie Rock in 1995: I*ut economic development and industrial recruitment at the top of his priorities. It's a good way to build a city acquiring more Southwest Airlines booking centers and R&G Sloanes. More Jobs mean a broader tax base, a stable economy, less crime, and more prosperous people. ~ Tliink Arkansas. 'Tins state needs a strong capital city. We need to work togetlier on issues of common interest, says Jim Dailey, even (ougli issues like a multi puiposc arena. And it help if the go(xl folks in Jonesboro, Pine Bluff, and Fayelle- ville would support a multi-purpose arena in Little Rock. Please don't think of it as competition. Tliink of it as another reason for businesses and events to conic to Aikansas. Expand tlie Statehouse Convention Center. 'This could turn out to be the Dailey Ixjgacy. We cant wait any longer, he wams. And the may- manageable goals. A vision that aims high but remains within reach. A concentration on the basics like figlit- ing crime and cooperating with tlie superintendent of schools. No going crazy over every new fad that comes down Uie pike. And the underpinning realization that a mayor must represent the whole city and keep it together. c |ould it be that Little Rocks mayor will turn out to be that rarest of public servants, one who admits and leanis from his mistakes? Jim Dailey seems to understand dial Public Servant is a term to be taken literally. Ofien the best official is like the best butler, or the kind of waiter who is best when least noticed. Strip away the vestments of the mayor's ofiice visibility, ego, power and one gets the feeling Uiat Jim Dailey would still want the job. Hes called it his "peisonal mission to do something for his home town. Back in the mid-SOs, Mr. Dailey sold one of his companies and got, in his words, a good chunk of money. He sat down with his wife to map out their future. Part of Jim Dailey wanted to move to Colorado, climb the mountains, ski, and live the good life. But a bi^er part of him wanted to stay awhile to pitch in right here. I _ . ......................have roots, friends, family here, Jim or backed up his tougli talk witli hard Dailey once said. I grew up here. I facts: He said that the city lost about ' .............................. 70 major conventions in 1994 worth about $68 million to the local economy. He said tlie lack of convention facilities is making Arkansas-based companies hold their gatherings out of slate. For example, Stephens Inc. felt that maybe I have something to contribute. If being mayor were just has planned its investment conference outside Little Rock because an ego trip, hey. Ive already done it for two years. Some still might think that an elected mayor is only a ceremonial position. Except for perfonning a few more administrative duties and pre- ...... senting an annual city budget, they enough space is just not available in might have a case. But they may also its home town. What a shame. But a correctable shame. A bigger Statehouse Convention Center would go well with the proposed entertainment district along (he river. But the reality behind (he rhetoric is that any expansion of the convention center would probably mean a new tax. Thats right, T-A-X. Il's going to be a tough sell. 'llie mayor has some other things in mind, too: He says high-crime ar- underestimate the importance of ceremony. It can hold us together, concentrate our attention, conclude old efforts and begin new ones. Illis capital city had a leadership vacuum for about as long as (lie four decades between mayoral elections. Little Rock needs a public servant with the integrity and vision to put Uie (leople fii-st, and one willing to be held accountable for his ideas good and bad. Jim Dailey, is that you?4B FRIDAY. MAY 19, 1995 Arkansas Democrat "^(Bazctte City board favors helping LRSD fund alternative school Police arrested 23 students in BY JULIAN E. SARNES Democrat-Gazette Staff Writer crime and education," City directors would be wUl- ing to help fund an alternative school program with the Little Rock School District to fight discipline problems in school and crime on the street, officials said Thursday. City Dean Kumpuris said helping the public understand that the schools are aggressively tackling crime and discipline problems was vital to improving the Director school districts image, especially if district officials ask voters to approve a property tax increase this year. These are the two major problems in our community, Kumpuris said. We have to show the public that the city board and school board are coming together to deal with this problem. Municipal Judge Bill Watt, present to brief elected officials on his anti-truancy efforts, said alternative school programs backed with the threat of more serious criminal justice could benefit potential delinquents and control juvenile crime. Mayor Jim Dailey named a joint committee to study city support for expanding the alternative school program, either as an in-school program for elementary students or as a separate facility for junior high students. The committees members include Kumpuris and his fellow city director, Michael Keck, school board members Stephanie Johnson and Judy Magness. Superintendent Henry Williams and Watt. Little Rocks alternative school for junior high students has room for 88 students. A facility that would serve 200 students a year would cost at least $500,000, Williams said. Kumpuris and Watt said any alternative school program should focus on elementary school students. Williams said he would support an in-school behavior-mod- ifying program for elementary school students. He didnt discuss possible costs for such aprograms Directors and school board members also discussed the effect of the citys recent get-tough policies Watts war against truancy and Williams zero-tolerance program toward violence. Watt said truancy reports to his court had dramatically increased. Last school year, 120 truants were reported. This year, that number has risen to 1,000. Even so, 14 of the citys 36 elementary schools havent reported any truants, Watt said. Those schools must report chil- dren who skip class if authorities are to have time to help such students. Watt said. Under the schools' zero-tolerance policy toward violence, suspensions nearly doubled in the third semester, to more than 1,000, Williams said. Expulsions have risen from four to about 25, he said. But earlier in the meeting, school board member Kevin O'Malley said he was concerned that police were too quick to arrest students involved in school fights, which prompted the zero-tolerance policy. I went to Catholic High. We had fights at Catholic, but we didnt get arrested, OMalley said. four fights at McClellan Community, J.A. Fair and Hall high schools and Mabelvale Junior High this year after school resource officers called in patrol units. School resource officers are police officers stationed at each school and paid by both the school and the city. OMalley wondered whether the resource officers were too quick to make arrests. Are they there to be a big brother, or are they there to be Big Brother? he asked. Williams said the district recently reviewed the resource officers role and training with police officials and drafted a new handbook for the officers.SATURDAY. MAY 27,1995 School parking lot scene of armed threat 1 Ai'aer in a blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo threatened to Shoot a student Thursday afternoon in the parking lot at Lit- ue Rock s Alternative Learning Center, police said. A school employee told police the Monte Carlo drove into Ir! 0" the north side at 800 Apperson SL about 1
15 p.m. and stopped ne.xt to a student. ^ars occupants called out to the student and waved a 9mm handgun while s^id P^^icej Arkansas Democrat'^ (i^azcttc [ TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21,1995 City, school officials skirmish over alternative education effort BY SUSAN ROTH Democrat-Gazette Education Writer City directors on Monday called again for expanded alternative programs in the Little Rock School District, but city and school board members have dropped the ball in their joint effort. The issue of alternative education programming for students who cannot function in regular schools came up again and again at a joint meeting of the two boards held at school tees six members were present district headquarters. City directors raised the is- sue six months ago in a similar groups last meeting was or meeting. They offered to help fund a program to help the district meeting, Dailey said. fight discipline and image problems as well as the citys crime Jesse Mason and Jeff Sharp problem. Serving about 60 junior high districts new strategic plan proschool students, the Little Rock districts alternative program is the smallest of the three Pulaski County districts. Little Rock school officials have acknowledged that the district also needs alternative programs at elementary and high school levels. Six months ago. Mayor Jim Dailey named a joint committee to study city support for expanding the program. Three of the joint commit- Monday. But no one knew when the what it had done. I think they had at least one Dailey and City Directors questioned whether the school vides for more alternative pro^ grams. The queries prompted defensive responses from Superintendent Henry Williams and Linda Pondexter, the school board president.
Most people in the cit^ would think this is the answer to our problems, Sharp said'. They want to get these kids out of regular classes. a misperception, Thats Williams said. Weve had 1,300 suspensions from school this quarter, and 800 were first-tim^ offenders. ' You think alternative edu^ cation will get rid of kids forever, Pondexter added. We have to start talking to the public about what alternative educa^ tion can and cannot do. ... ItS time to start talking about how to save kids.yUkaiisas Democrat gazette ) MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1996 In LR schools, hall monitors have electronic eyes these days I BY JIM K.ORDSMEIER I ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Teachers at Little Rocks Alter- | native Learning Center grew eyes
behind their backs last week. Ten video camera eyes. The schools three security guards started using a video ciiiii era surveillance system to monitor students in the halls and classrooms at 800 Apperson St. in east Little Rock. Wiring for a similar system is being installed at Central High, and other high schools could follow, said Bobby Jones, the districts director of safety and security. Its like having nine or 10 new people in the building working security, Jones said Wednesday. All we used to have in a school was some typewriters and a safe in the office. Now weve got expensive computer equipment, and thousands of dollars worth of computer software. There are about 90 students at the Alternative School, a school for students who dont respond to a traditional school environment, Cameras Continued from Page 1A cover at one time, Jones said. Arkansas DemocratXaazette/STATON BREIDENTHAL Bobby Jones, director of safety and security for the Little Rock School District, checks a new surveillance system Wednesday at the Alternative Learning Center. Jones said. Aging schools, built long before educators even thought about security, make the cameras a necessity, Jones said. A new school building in Little Bock, excluding King Elementary and a few others, is about 25 years old, Jones said. These older buildings werent designed for security. They were made for easy access, in and out. There are too many rooms and exits at the Alternative School for the three-member security staff to See CAMERAS, Page 7A The problem is multiplied at Central High School, where there are several entrances and exits that are impossible to monitor at all times. On Wednesday morning, security guards at the Alternative School sat silently watching a 27- a while, said district spokesman Suellen Vann. Funding for the camera system is coming out of the districts safety and security budget, Vann said. The cameras sit in tamperproof boxes in the ceiling and look much like video cameras installed in department stores. Cameras at the Alternative . School cover the cafeteria and a room used for in-school suspension. Boxes designed to carry and inch television screen filled with images from each of the schools ,----------- r------
- . , . 10 cameras. were installed in district buses Twisted black video cables several years ago. The cameras snake along hallway ceilings to are alternated amoiig buses as two television monitors and problems warrant, officials said, equipment that lets the guards Students never know if the box in peer down on the cafeteria, main nneratins entrances and hallways. protect portable video cameras were two television monitors their bus contains an operating camera. But the new camera system at the Alternative School is station- The system, including installation, cost the district a little less than $10,000, Jones said. The equipment is guaranteed for a ----------------- .___ year and is expected to work for years ago, and now schools are seven to 10 years without mainte- >* ""e' a'd ary, and always operating. Businesses went this way 20 starting to go to it, Jones said, nance or replacement. "Most large school districts have That's not a bad price, Jones installed video systems. The Alternative School sclass- said, considering it costs us at bUlU, VUllolUCl III& VWOOM WM V.V ------------- least $16,000 to pay a single em- . rooms are across a grassy court- --3 yard from Jones ofTice. The proximity of his office was no deterrent for the 30 students ployee who can only watch one door or classroom at a time. Schools around the country are installing video cameras for added security especially on involved in a fight in the cafeteria April 11. The fight started after a morning weapons search conducted just as students got off their larger campuses. But a new study by Emory Universitys Center for Injury Control suggests that money to buy securi- -------------------= ty devices like metal detectors again, we can see exactly what and video cameras is better spent happened, Jones added, on security personnel. Videotape of fights and other Georgia school officials told re- incidents can be used as evidence bus, police said. If something like that occurs Georgia school officials told researchers al the Atlanta universi- ... -w- ---------- .J - ty that such equipment deters vio- security guards and faculty, Jones lence and crime, but that students said. Every school in the district has audio and motion alarms to alert or as a valuable training tool for were likely to see the cameras as an intrusion. ocnuoi sia.i a.ou .. police of intruders, Jones said, searchers that most violence and The cameras give security and po- vandalism happens outside lice another tool to battle bur- school buildings - but that most glars, Jones said. cameras cover only the inside. The tape records toreight School staff also told the reoutside hours before it ha.s to be changed, The Little Rock School District --------------------------------------- has been planning to install video so we can leave it on overnight, cameras on the two campuses for Jones said. Arkansas Democrat WO>rtzd(c I MOMOAV ncrrunn-. ------- * MONDW, DECEMBER 2, 39QR School program aims to help single parents BY LINDA FR1F.DL1EB ARK.ASSAS OIMCX RAI -liAZEri 1- Single parenting will be the focus of the next Super Saturday" an opportunity for parents from 36 Little Rock schools to hone their skills. A lot of times we have parents who say they don't know what to do with their children." said Catherine J. Gill, the school district's parent involvement coordinator. "This is an opportunity for them to learn how to help them. Jn 11 Super Saturdays. " educators will help parents improve their children's attendance, acad- T * f.. 'y- 7J?.
- emic achievement, discipline record and more. The first session for the 1996-97 school year. Nov. 23. drew M parents to discus.s The Family Atmosphere" at the Instructional Resource Center. Parents did an assessment of their family life. "We have to look at how we can strengthen the family, because the family is the key thing for our children right now." Gill said. "We know there are many diverse things out there, like gangs, that tend to break down the family, but we can't let that happen." While the parents are learning, their children can attend workshops on activities from drama to academic skills. The next Super Saturday program will be at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Instructional Resource Cen-ter. 30th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Transportation will be provided on request. More information is available at 324-052,5. This workshop is .'il ^v' 4 .> I Sft i1'hj C5. s t X:ft Rv Jean Rouse, a counselor at Bale Elementary School and counselor of the year in Arkansas, uses a diagram to r / 4 " '5 W9W Arkansas Democrat-GazettezMORRlS RtCHARDSON It make her point during a parent-teacher workshop Nov. 23 in Little Rock. starts out with an overview, then breaks into smaller discussion groups. "We have children who are low-achieving in 36 schools." Gill said. V/e've got to grab those children. They cannot fall through the cracks." The program is funded through Title I. the largest federally fund-er Springs. King Magnet. Meadowcliff. RRiigghhttsseellbl, Rockefeller. ed education program which targets underprivileged children. All uiDuiviopcv.i... .........o___ parents of students at Baseline, children alone. Each workshop (^hicot. Cloverdale. Garland. Gey-important. Gill said, because between 40 and 50 percent of the districts parents are raising their Romine. Wakefield. Washington. Watson and Woodruff elemen-taries qualify for the program. Badgett. Brady. Fair Park. Franklin. Jefferson. McDermott. Mitchell, Pulaski Heights, Wilson. Bale. Dodd. Forest Park. Fulbright. Mabelvale, Otter Creek and Western Hills elementaries. and Dunbar. Mabelvale. Southwest, Cloverdale, Henderson, and Forest Heights junior high.s quali-fy for targeted assistance. Parents at those schools should consult with teachers and administrators. Gill said, to see whether they qualify for the program. Gill said the school district has run parent training sessions for three years, and only wants to expand parental involvement. We're talking about involving the parents to the max. setting meetings so the parents will not feel alienated from the schools. Gill said. Arkansas Democrat ^Q)jxzclLc WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 1996 Teacher to pursue cast against student A teacher at the Little Rock ociiooi Districts Alternative Learning Center told police he wouiu pursue charges against a lo-yeai -old student who hit him in the a^e during a classroom fight 1 uesaay, police said. Ko Hudson, 24, told police lit ,,a3 oreaking up a fight between two boys in his classroom i aocut 9:45 a.m. when one of them hit nun in the nose. i rhe student wa,) taken to po- I lite headquarters for questioning I and charged as a juvenile with I single counts of second-and third- degree battery. Hudson told police he saw the arrested youth bite a 14-year-old student on the arm during the fight.Arkansas Democrat T^Ojazctte FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1996 About 30 students take part in melee Employees and a seciuity guard at the Little Rock School Districts Alternative Learning Center broke up a fight involving about 30 students in the cafeteria Thursday morning, police said. Police reported no serious injuries in the brawl. The fight began while several students were in a conference room being searched after a bus driver told officials a student might be carrying a weapon, police said. When one of the students in line for the search refused to stay in the room, Principal Walter Marschaleck stepped in front of him to keep him from going into the cafeteria, police said. and As the student 15, Marschaleck stru^led, the teenager threw the principal against a wall and threatened him._ I Aikansas Demcxrat igS (gazette . FRIDAY, JANUARY 12. 1996 Night school on agenda for LRSD $166,440 from state would fund program BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Oemocra<<3azetle Educadoo Witter An after-hours high school program for Little Rock students in Sphger of dropping out or being: kicked out of their regular I sclK^s could be in operation as eariy as next month. The Little Rock School Board will vote Jan. 25 on a proposal to spend $166,440 in state money to operate an evening high school. it-would start with about 40 teen-agers and operate out of Metropolitan Vocational Technical Skills Center at 7701 Scott Hamilton Drive. District administrators intro- ' duced the idea to the school beard during an agenda meeting Thursday. Jo Evelyn Elston, director of pupil services, said the program would be the first of its kind in the district. It would be open to students ages 16 through 19, in grades 10, 11 and 12, who are seekihg a high school diploma but are not succeeding. Candidates for the alternative program include truants, including those who have stopped attending school to work or take care, of their small children. Also eligible are students who have bebayior, academic and attendance problems in the regular high schools. Elston said she did not believe the-flistrict would have any trouble identifying enough students for
the program. Parents frequently call the district seeking an alternative program for their high school-age children, she said. The district has operated a daytime alternative school for tropbled junior high students for several years the Alternative Learning Center at 800 Apperson St. Elementary children who need special help are assigned to the alternative education program at Camp Pfeifer in west Pulaski , County for a few weeks. Elston said the evening high school will be staffed with teach- See NIGHTS, Page 4B Nights Continued from Page 2B ers certified in the core academic subjects, as well as with support stair, including a counselor and administrator. The faculty positions will be advertised. Current employees seeking second jobs will be among those eligible to work in the program. Also Thursday, the school board: ' Invited members of the public interested in school finance to apply for open positions on the districts Adviso^ Committee for Financial Stability. The committee is an outgrowth of the strategic planning process the district used last year to develop a five- year plan of operation. 'The committee already has 16 members, only one of whom is a woman. Learned that John Walker, the civil rights lawyer who represents black families in the Pulaski Counfy school desegregation lawsuit is interested in reaching an out-of-court settlement with the district on his request for legal fees. Late last year. Walker filed a petition in federal court seeking more than $800,000 from the three school districts for his work in the case dating back to 1989.I ^Arionsas Democrat ] MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1997 Evening High helps students reach graduation BY CYNTHIA HOWELL ARKANSAS DE.MOCRAT-GAZETTE At 6 oclock on a stormy November night after most high school students and teachers have called it a day, Jerry Cookus is gently coaxing students to iden- 1 tify the parts of speech in a sen- I tence about the Great Wall of China. Everything in grammar is like math. If you follow a step-by-step procedure, it all becomes clear, Cookus says. This is not easy, one frustrated student responds. But she and her classmates halfheartedly hang in there, trying to separate prepositions from direct objects and distinguish between gerunds and participles. Passing Cookus English class at the Little Rock School Dis- --------- tricts Evening High School will tered this semester, but enroll- put students a half-credit closer --------- . to graduation. Without night flection of the high-risk ^opula- school, many might not graduate. The district opened its tuition- free Evening High in March 1996 for dropouts and those struggling in the citys traditional high schools. Classes are held in a wing of Metropolitan Vocational Technical Skills Center, 7701 Scott Hamilton Drive, from 5 p.m. until 9:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It is for students in grades 10-12, under age 21. We're not at all in competition with the high schools, said Mabel Collins, Evening High principal. We have our own niche. We try to get the students to the point where they can graduate with their classes at their home schools. We're a little stepping stone for them so they
can step right back into their day school. The night school started with 50 students. A total of 178 regis- ment now is 97. The drop is a re- tion the school serves, Collins said. The students leave the night See CLASSES, Page 2BI Arkansas DcinocrdfilgRtlj^rtzcKv I MONDAY. NOVEMBER 10 1997 Aikansas Oenioctat-Gazelte.'STEPHEN B. THORNTON * * English instructor Jerry Cookus talks with Principal Mabel Collins about a slu-derU disciplinary problem in the tiall at the Little Rock School District's Evening High school Wednesday night. Classes aie held in a wing of Metropolitan Vo-caiionni lechnical Skills Center, 7701 Scott Hamilton Drive. Classes Conlinued Iroin Page IB school for the same reasons they weren't making it during the day. Some have young children or are the family breadwinners. They may have health problems, a lack uftranspoHation or poor achievement level.s. Aller Ihe first scmesler in erwise its strictly business - no activity clubs, no student council, no clas,s ollicers. The nllendaiKc policy is 199(1. six slihlents giudualed. Tweivt* graduated in 19tH> 97 and live nunc arr
expected to be eligible at Ihe end of December. "Our biggt'sl challenge! i.s to recover students who leave be- .strict. Students must attend (5(1 hours of class. Absences must be made up, usually in the comput er laboraloiy, which i.s e(|uippcd with soltwfue that lets students learn at their own pace. II was poor school attendance that thnW Luther Coleman, a Central High senior, offtrack for graduation. school A conn-lore Ijccuiiiing completers. Collins says. Our biggest dream i.s to have a day-care program for the children of the students." About one-third of the .students are parents. I he school depends on recom-mendation. s from high school counselors. posted notices in community centers and word-of-mouth (rr attract .students. (Japac-ity i.s 250 students, Collins said. .Jo Evelyn Elston, district director of pupil .services, believes the school will become more in demand by young people sent Night classes in algebra and Eng li.sh follow. This is a good program. lat ton .says. Ms free. All you have to do is come here and behave. You gel the same credit you would in a regular high school." Konw Vat ion. also a .senior at Fitir, decided be needed algebra Il for college. Valion doesn't mind going lo night school Iwice a we<k :ind believes be is learning a lol fi'om It'aclu'r Donald Elston said a proposal for such a school was approved for slate funding in the late I98t)s. But Ihe district couldn't afford to pul up matching funds to get the grant, and the plan was filed away. It wa.s resurrected in the mid 1990s, when the state again was encouraging alternative education programs. 't he school'.s initial intent was lo serve students under 21 who bad dropped out of traditional high schools, Elston said. But now it also serves as a dropout Hicbardson. Like Collins and the rest of Elslon siiiil a proposal for stdor .suggested Kvc'iiiiig ii'Kh such a school wa.s He now has per ' i r 2 i feci attendance appiOVeU lof State night funding in the late 1980s. school biology class while can tljg district COUklll'l liruung lo , lend day cla.sse.s alloRl to put lip a nialcliing fumls to gel (lie grant, and the plan at- S('nH*st(*r of home school ing pul McClel - Ian High senior WilS llIcU aWUy. Il WHS n!'u.behindin rcsurrected in Ihe mid Wels-back to school or work by wel- high fare reform. The evening school offers courses in English, mathematics. her (juesl "J'' I990.S, when the state the first in her family lo earn ti again WHS eilCnUiaglllg '''1 schoih education diploma. science, .social .studies and .said she likes night .school b*- .speed i/conimunications. Stu-eau. se people programs. the High Evening .stair. prevruilion program. allowing Kichardson IS an experienced instructor wilh a day job. He h'ache.s algebra 11 and geometry at Parkview Magnet High. Night .school slmlmUs are more motivated than lypical high school slu-dciits, Iticbard son ays. "There more on dents can take up lo four courses a semester and earn two credits toward lh<? 21 needed to graduate. Night school i.s not an alterna-get along better than at her home school, it also beats paying summer school tuition fees. Tiffany Patlon, a senior who wants to study medicine, began taking night classes last year af-live for those with behavior prob- ter her quick temper repeatedly lems. Collins has little time or tolerance for misbehavior. This is a high school in an alternative setting for students who choose to attend, sho says. There is an occasional pizza party and field trip to a city library. And there is an effort to come up with a school song. Olh-ianded her in in-school suspension programs at J.A. Fair High. She likes the small classes and individualized attention at night school. She attend.s three classes a day at Fair, then takes medical and word processing courses al Metropolitan in the afternoon. students who have failed courses or are over-age for their grade to make up lost credit while continuing to attejid their regular high schools during the day. About three-fourths of the evening school students are daytime students, loo. Ireregistratiou now i.s open for the Evening High School
formal registration is Jan. 6 for the .Ian. 12-May 1 semester. The phone number is 570-1401. Night school ijs relatively new to central is uni<jue in Ihe state. Arkansas bfit not the line for most of IIk'sc* slmlcnts, .John Dollarhide. assistant be ays. riiis principal at Springdale High and district coordinator of alterna-can be consid ered their last chance, the last slop on the highway." The night school staff inclmles Collins, a I7 year veteran of the disirict and a computer (eclinolo gy teacher at Southwest Junior High
nine teachers
a counselor
a computer specialist: a secre-tary/ regislrar: and a security offi Stair costs account for SlbtMMK) of the program'.s $193,000 budget, according lo district figures. The Evening High School ex-i. sled on paper long before it became a reality. live education. lays his district has been operating a night school for nine years, and there are similar programs in neighboring Northwest Arkansas districts. Springdale's night school senes about 350 in six five-week sessions each year. Dollarhide says. The school is financed in part wilh a Dunicliffe Educational Trust grant and is tuition-free. Unlike the Little Hock program, the Springdale night school is open to teens 15 and up and adults. Arkansas Democrat ^(gazette TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 1998 Expanded alternative programs outlined for Little Rock schools BY CYNTHIA HOWELL ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Little Rock School District Superintendent Les Carnine on Moncial wish lists of more than $4 million in operating expenses and $116 million in facility and con- -------------- struction costs. day jounced plans to expand Proposed an administrative the distnct s alternative education chart that elevates technology em- programs through the use of char- ployees into a separate unit that ter schools, and to give individual reports directly to the superinten- schools more decision-making au- dent. The move signifies the. im- opiy-, . portance the district will place on I Carnine offered the draft plans developing technology systems i. -------- vxAv, piaiio ueveiupmg lecnno at a wide-ranging Little Rock the neirt few years. School Board work session during ~ which he and his staff also: in Listed the specific staff members who will supervise district ef- Carnine, who became superintendent late last year, recommend- ed that an accelerated learning . , , - . --------------- center be placed at Metropolitan forts to comply with a newly re- Vocational Skills Center for -stu- msed desegregation plan. dents who have fallen far behind Gave the board a look at finan- - See PROGRAMS, Page 8B the existing alternative education sions on school operations to teams I r lU^fClIllo program for junior high students at of teachers, support staff, communi- ! 800 Apperson SL be altered in the ty members and principals. Continued from Page 1B fall to house junior and senior high The campus leadership concept in their courses at traditional high school students who would other- has been discussed for years in the schools and are at risk of not gradu- wise be removed from school for a district but never carried out The ating. semester or longer for serious mis- purpose would be to improve stu- The center could take the form of behavior. That school might also ap- dent achievement a charter school, the first of its kind ply for charter school status, Carin the state, he said. A charter nine said. Schools would be offered incen- tives for progress in improving stu- He said he hoped the district dent achievement reducing the would reach a point in the next few drop-out rate, encouraging student dependently of a local district and years in which virtually no students and teacher attendance, raising the freed from district and state regula- would be expelled and left with no percentage of students who take coitions. Such a school would have to educational options. lege entrance pyams and improving be approved by the School Board Each of the two proposals could the scores earned on those exams, and the Arkansas Board of Educa- cost the district between $150,000 An advisory committee and sublion. and $200,000 for equipment and for committees have already been Students would use computer building alterations at the Apper- formed to develop recommenda- programs to work at their own pace, son site. Carnine said he believes he tions on the proposal, which could school is a publicly funded school that can be operated somewhat in- I Carnine said. Students, many of can staff the two programs but does take several years to fully imple- whom might be over-age for high not yet know how the equipment ment Principal training could be- school, would progress through the and renovations will be funded. gin as early as this summer and program as quickly as they can mas- .......................................... ' ter Uie materiaL i' Carnine said he thought the cen- of in-school suspension classes and ter could ultimately serve up to 400 possibly a separate site for inisbe- students but would start next fall having elementary school students, with about 150 students and about P-*'------' For the elementary schools. Car- leadership teams elected at the nine recommended the exp^ion schools next fall. On another matter Monday, Car- nine said construction of a new Stephens Elementary School could But he said such efforts .might start next fall and take about two eight staff members. The staff would take a year or more to develop. Still be acquired as a result of staff re- another possibility would be the ex- the site of the old Stephens in cen- ductions and consolidation of posi- pansion of the Camp Pfeifer pro- tral Little Rock A new elementary tions in other distnet departments.,,. gram. an alternative, short-term school in west Little Rock also will Metropolitan already hosts an' program for elementary children bebuilt evening high'school. Eventually the''* who are 'having problemsin their two'programs could be merged to regular schools. years. The school would be built on serve students from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. each weekday, he said. Carnine also recommended that Carnine said he is working with - , city ofBcials to see about a coopera- Carmne said he would present to tive effort in selecting a site, possi- the board by the middle of summer bly a site in which a school could a plan for delegating more deci- adjoin a city park SATURDAY, MAY 21.2005 Ex-charter school chief files suit Also, 2 trustees resign as conflict persists at Academics Plus BY CYNTHIA HOWELL ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Discord among leaders at one of the states pioneer charter schools took some new twists Friday as the ousted president of the Academics Plus Charter School sued the corporation at founded the school, and two members of the schools board of trustees resigned. Caroline Proctor, who was president of the 258-student charter school from its 2001 opening until she was suspended April 7, filed suit in Pulaski County Circuit Court asking for back pay, damages and that the court dissolve Pulaski County Charter School Inc., the operator of the school. If Proctor wins the lawsuit, the school could lose its state-awarded chatter and be closed down. Proctor argued in the suit filed by Little Rock attorney Beth Deere that the board of trustees violated procedural requirements in her contract for suspending her from her job and has refused to pay her all of what she is owed partly because the trustees have said the school is insolvent and cannot pay bills as they are due. She also claimed that individual trustees of the corporation are undermining the original mission of the school. Defendant has ceased acting or attempting to conform its actions to the requirements as a Charter School in the state of Arkansas and for the benefit of all children eligible to attend Academics Plus Charter School, according to the filing. To the contrary, defendant has been subverted by a group of individual trustees and parents into a quasi-private school operated at public expense." Richard Bishop and David Jones, two of the four trustees who have advocated for Proctors continued employment at the school, submitted identical, two-page letters of resignation to trustees Chairman Dean Elliott on Friday. They said their attempts to reason with the majority of board members regarding As of today, I think the school is on better financial footing than it was last week, entirely because of the sale of that land. . Dean Elliott Proctor and the schools financial problems have been futile. My hands are tied to prevent you and the other directors from placing the corporation into bankruptcy or rendering it insolvent, both letters said. Elliott said Friday night he had not seen the letters nor the lawsuit but was not surprised by either, as they had been rumored. He said the corporation is continuing to pay Proctor her annual salary. He disputed claims that the school is only for Maumelle families, as he was unaware of any students being turned away. He acknowledged that bankruptcy was discussed in conversations exploring options to protect staff and students from a sudden closure, but the $200,000 sale this week of two school lots to Maumelle will ease the financial straits. The school will now lease the land, which is a common area for students and the site of a science laboratory, from the city. As of today, I think the school is on better financial footing than it was last week, entirely because of the sale of that land, Elliott said. Academics Plus is one of eight Arkansas charter schools run by nonprofit organizations other than traditional public school districts. A charter school is a public school supported by taxpayer funds but operated according to the terms of a three-year charter, or contract, with the state. Charter schools are exempt from many of the state regulations and laws that govern more traditional public schools. The Maumelle school, which serves third through 10th grades, was designed to offer a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum spread over a 188-day school year and an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. school day. The school does not have an attendance zone and is open to students from throughout Pulaski County and the surrounding counties. In February, the school trustees voted 5-4 to not renew Proctors contract for the 2005-06 school year. And on April 7, representatives of the trustees notified her that she was suspended from the school and an interim president was appointed. Later that same day, the four trustees who had supported Proctor and opposed her removal from the school filed a lawsuit against the five-member majority, accusing them of violating the schools bylaws in terms of the number of trustees who had to vote to suspend Proctor and of violating the confidentiality of student records. Deere, who also is the attorney for the four trustees, could not be reached for comment at her home Friday night about either lawsuit. This past Monday, the trustees delivered a letter to Proctors attorney detailing the grounds for removing her from the schools employment in preparation for a termination hearing scheduled for June 13. The contents of the letter have not been made public. Proctor argued in the suit that she is owed more than $20,000 for 49 days of vacation and 28'/2 days of sick leave, as well as a 15 percent salary enhancement for working extended school days, which amounts to more than $10,000. She also is seeking payment by the corporation on her behalf to the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System and punitive damages for what she said was harm done to her professional reputation.in o o CM CM Charter Charter school gets states OK BY CYNTHIA HOWELL ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE The state Board of Education on Monday unanimously approved a charter school for Pulaski County area students who are unable to attend their regular public schools because theyve committed serious rule violations. The new Arthur Bo Felder Alternative Learning Academy will be operated by the Little Rock School District in partnership with the North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special school districts as well as Pulaski County goverrunent and the juvenile court system. The school will serve about 100 students in grades six through 12 at 8300 Geyer Springs Road starting in August. Students who are reSee CHARTER, Page 2B I Continued from Page 1B moved from a traditional school for violations such as bringing a weapon to a school would be candidates for the tri-district school. Other candidates would be students who have been truant or have committed juvenile crimes. They would be assigned to the school by a juvenile court judge as a last resort before being placed in a juvenile detention facility. The tri-district charter school will provide a militarystyle environment. We dont want you to misunderstand, said Gene Walker, who has worked with a previous alternative school in the county. "Its not a drill sergeant standing in front of a little eighth- or ninth-grader barking out orders, but it is teaching each student how to learn, how to listen and how to follow instructions so not only he or she can be successful but so the entire school can be sue- cessful and students can work as a team. The school, which will work with the nearby McClellan High School staff to provide all courses necessary for high school graduation, will offer the core academic classes with remediation for those who need to catch up in their schoolwork. Daily sessions on anger management and gooddecision making, as well as other mental health services, will be provided, Linda Watson, the Little Rock districts senior director of student services, told the board. Jim Boardman, the state Department of Educations assistant commissioner for research and technology, told the board that the school doesnt fit the mold of most previous charter schools and, as a result, will present some challenges. Well need to work with them to make sure that we can track students after they go back to their home schools in regard to their academic achievement, Boardman said, "because in some cases they wont be in attendance at this school for the complete year. Thats one of the problems I dealt with as far as fitting it into our nice package. Of course, thats the reason why we have charter schools to not fit into our nice package. Watson said tracking student achievement will be a priority. The school will do pre- and post-testing of students as they enroll and exit the school. Their achievement levels, attendance and behavior will also be tracked at their regular schools, she said. A charter school is a publicly financed school that is exempt from some of the laws and regulations that govern traditional schools and, as a result, can be experimental in its design. In Arkansas, a conversion charter school is one that is operated by a traditional school district, as is the case with this alternative school. An open-enrollment charter school is one in Arkansas that is operated by a nonprofit organization other than a traditional school district. Organizers of the tri-district school, which will have a budget of $1.3 million, requested waivers of state education standards and laws on classroom square footage, on the requirement for a school librarian and on the minimum number of books per student in the library. The school organizers also asked that teachers who are licensed in grades 7-12 be allowed to teach sixth-graders as well. The charter school is a successor to the grant-funded Pulaski Alternative Learning Academy, which was established by juvenile court judges in Pulaski County with the assistance of the school districts, and to the Juvenile Justice Center's Step One Program. Both programs were designed to help students who are in trouble with the law or who otherwise cannot attend regular schools. The new charter school is named for the late Arthur "Bo Felder, a former lead teacher in the Step One Program and an Army National Guard captain who was killed as the result of enemy fire in April 2004 while stationed in Iraq.
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 Resoources.

<dcterms_creator>Little Rock School District</dcterms_creator>