Little Rock Schools: Dodd Elementary

RECEIVED MAY 1 0 2000 OFFICE OF DESEGREGATION MONITORING John W. Walker, P.A. Attorney At Law 1723 Broadway Dttle Rock, Arkansas 72206 Telephone (501) 374-3758 FAX (501) 374-4187 JOHN W. WALKER RALPH WASHINGTON MARK BURNETTE SHAWN CHILDS May 9, 2000 Dr. Leslie Gamine Superintendent of Schools Little Rock School District 810 West Markham Little Rock, AR 72201 Dear Dr. Gamine: Would you please explain to me why there has been a number of transfer requests by teachers at Dodd Elementary over the last four or five years. Please refer to our previous reports of problems involving this principal dating back to her experiences at Mitchell. You will also find reference to our protest of her appointment by Dr. Henry Williams whose reason for her appointment appeared to be entirely subjective. I remain, ohn W. Walker JWW:js cc: Ms. Ann Brown Dr. Richard HurleyTHxin FuxHUUnuiii HAMt 02 Dec. 10,2001 Dr. Kathenne Mitchell 1605 Welch St. Little Rock, AR 72206 Dear Dr. Mitchell, For the past three years, Dodd Elementary has been the recipient of the Comprehensive School Reform Development grant awarded by the Arkansas Department of Education on a competitive basis. This grant totaled $150,000.00 and has been used to restructure our Early Literacy and Technology Literacy programs. The following is valuable information for you to consider as you address LRSD budget cuts and school closings. Implementation of the CSRD grant at Dodd Elementary has tremendously impacted both the educational and physical environment at Dodd. The resources provided by the grant have allowed us to create a literacy rich environment, provide quality staff development and expand the opportunities for parents/guardians to be involved in their childs learning. The environment of the K-2 classrooms looks different. Students are not found in rows of desks but at tables with their baskets of books reading at DEAR time or familiar reading time. They are working independently in their centers while the teacher works with small groups for guided reading and writing. They manipulate letter cards to make their spelling words and learn how words work. They are mvolved in Writers Workshop where they learn to write, edit and publish their original works. It is apparent that kids now enjoy reading. Visitors, parents and staff can readily see how much the students are reading and writing. Student displays include rough drafts, editing and published works. Student technology projects are readily visible. Test scores are beginning to show' improvements in reading and language arts The staff development has impacted the educational environment at Dodd. Teachers through their ELLA, Effective Literacy and technology training have become more confident in changing instructional practices to provide more effective ways of meeting the needs of all their students. Team meetings give teachers a chance to share whats working in the classroom, to view tapes, discuss ideas heard at conferences or from current research, and work on implementing the strategics. The team meetings have helped build teacher collaboration. Lunchtime conversations now center on student successes rather than complaints about what they cant do! The grant resources for technology have been successful both in changing teacher attitude and increasing student output. By shifting the focus to the classroom units of study, teachers have been more receptive to include technology as part of their daily teaching Ms Bumgardner, our technology consultant from Seattle, Washington, has guided the students to become more confident with the software applications and more independent in completing their projects. The r Hi I n ivuMuunuxi''< e-mail communication between Ms. Bumgardner and the Dodd staff and students allows for ongoing support. The grant resources have allowed teachers to have the books and needed supplies to change the delivery of the language arts instruction. Because of the resources and staff development, the teachers were receptive to working with a Literacy Coach who set up first grade model classrooms in 2001. This year the Literacy Coach is setting up second grade model classrooms. She also conducts weekly team meetings during lunch or after school for both K-1 teachers and 2"^ grade teachers. She provides demonstration lessons for guided reading, assisted writing and writers workshop as part of the on-site staff development. Dodd was able to include a Literacy Coach in our ELLA program because we had Reading Recovery in place. Dodd Elementary has been selected by UALR for the past 4 years as a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader-in-Training site. We have been successful in having parents/guardians attend the workshops provided through the grant resources. Parents have attended the annual Pig-Out on Books, Science Fair Workshop. Family Technology Night and Write Night. We are constantly amazed at the turnout compared to evening meetings held in prior years. Parents have voiced their appreciation of the quality and variety of workshops whether its a puppet show or learning how to do a science fair project. Please find attached Readiness Scores indicating our growth in Literacy for grades K-2 and 5* grade SAT9. Note that
82.8% of Dodds second grade students scored at TRL 24 LRSD average of 75.4/o 73.5% of Dodds first grade students scored at TRL 16 or average of 64.0% 80% of Dodds Kindergarten students scored at TRL 2 or or above compared with the above compared with LRSD above which was the LRSD average. Over the past 2 years the gap between K-2 black and white students has become negligible (please see page 32 in attachments) The disparity gap is also closing in 5* grade in language on the SAT9 Fifth grade black students growth was from 30 to 55 over the last 5 years
the growth for fifth grade white students was from 33 to 52. We hope this information will assist you in making this difficult decision. Dodd has an outstanding K-5 literacy and technology program in place due to the restructuring made possible by the CRSD grant. We do not feel that it is a wise use of taxpayers money to spend SI50.000.00 of Federal and State funds to successfully restructure a school and then have the LRSD School Board decide it should be closed. Sincerely, Judith Yeager and Barbara Kennedy, Dodd CSRD grant administrators I ITMiin PAGE 04 Dec. 11.2001 Dear Dr. James and LRSD Board Members, As the Dodd Campus Leadership Team, we feel it is our responsibility to send this letter to request that Dodd not be closed. We are aware that budget ^ts require the LRSD board to make difficult decisions. However, we fee that it is important for the board to have valuable information beyond just enrollment numbers and test scores as these cuts are being determined. Visiting administrators, teachers, out of district educators and guests are impressed by the effort we have made and the successes our students expenence. We ItoI that in this difficult budget time, the LRSD board should also be reminded of the outstanding educational opportunities that we offer our Dodd community. Many have come from sources outside district funds. Our staff has of our resources have come from sources ouisioe oisu.wjunuo. been diligent in writing grants and securing funds to provide resources and staff development not available in other LRSD schools. Some examples include. CSRD $150,000.00 Dodd was one of the first Arkansas schools to apply for and be awarded a renewable Federal grant of $50,000 per year. We have used these funds during the past 3 years to restructure our Early Literacy and Technology Literacy programs, to train Sherry Chambers as our Literacy Coach, set up model literacy classrooms, and employ the services of a nationally known technology consultant. The funds have also enabled us to provide annual workshops and family nights such as Pig-Out on Books, Write Night and Family Technology Night for Dodd students and parents. EDS Technology Grant Mrs. Kennedy was awarded this competitive grant in October 2001, to further expand our progressive technology program at Dodd by introducing the ability to incorporate illustrations and documents into student and staff products. Inclusion could include original student artwork. photographs, diagrams, graphs or scanned documents. Federal Grant for RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) Dodd receives matching funds to provide 3 books per student per year to encourage independent, recreational reading. Due to Federal budget cuts, RIF is no longer funding new programs, so this money cannot transfer to another school and funding will be lost if Dodd is closed. RIF/Coca-Coia Foundation The Dodd RIF program was selected as an "exceptional single-site RiF program and received 3 classroom collections of books valued at over $5,100.00. Our school is one of a select few in the state to receive these collections. WAL-MART Foundation Grant Dodd has been the recipient of this grant for the past 3 years. This grant provides funds for books, supplies and visiting artists such as African storyteller Zinse Agginie and Linda Hebert, an Arkansas historian and artist. * Arts on Tour Grant Dodd has used this grant money for the past 5 years to provide opportunities to expand literacy through the arts. Programs this year include the Arkansas Arts Center's Teli-a-Tale Troupe production of The10/22/2001 52 5014557419 FAITH MCLAUGHLIN PAGE 01 Jungle Book and a Writers Workshop by Faye Hanson for 4*' grade students in preparation for the Benchmark Exam. Greater Friendship Baptist Church After School Tutoring Grant Through this grant, Dodd teachers provide tutoring and reading instruction for Dodd students three afternoons a week. We believe that none of these granting entities would feel that their money had been effectively used if Dodd is closed. The training and materials will be ineffective if the staff is dispersed to other schools. We are a team working together io impact student achievement in our Dodd community. The Dodd Campus Leadership Team would also like the board to consider these items: The dedicated Dodd staff voluntarily meets during lunchtime and after school for literacy and technology team meetings. They also attend Saturday technology training. Even though Dodd does not have a computer lab, we have a 9 station mini lab in the qiedia center and 60 AlphaSmart keyboards that are used for whole group instnjction to develop writing, desktop publishing and keyboarding skills. Mrs. Kennedy provides instruction for students through technology lessons integrated with classroom instruction using the following software
KidPix. PowerPoint, MS Publisher, Electronic Encyclopedias, Internet and note taking from the Internet, Amazing Writing Machine, Kidspiration, Inspiration and Graph Club. An essential element of the computer literacy component is Barb Bumgardner, our technology consultant from Seattle, Washington. Barb is a media specialist at Briarcrest Elementary School and conducts technology seminars/workshops for the Bureau of Education and Research. As our consultant at Dodd, Barb spends time in the classroom modeling research strategies and designing student products with teachers that incorporate technology into benchmark/standards based units of study. She also provides training for our staff resulting in increased teacher proficiency in software applications. It is important to note that our school is driven by our School Improvement Plan and all the items mentioned focus on one thing - improving student achievement. While our past Benchmark scores have been poor, we are seeing results in K-S that will impact our future test results. At a recent LRSD board meeting. Dr. Bonnie Leslie praised Dodd for being 'an example of a successful school implementing both ELLA strategies and Reading Recovery, in the second year of the program implementation, both grades 1 and 2 M improved significantly. The gap was virtually closed in grade 1.' Dodd has both primary and intermediate Special Education Self-Contained classes for children with difficulty adjusting to a regular classroom environment. Because Dodd is a small school and has welcomed and nurtured these students, suspension rates for the students have dropped significantly from previouR years.10/ 72001 52 5014557419 FAITH MCLAUGHLIN PAGE 02 Most Importantly, it should be noted that our Dodd population was drastically reduced due to district rezoning several years ago. The Dodd staff and Campus Leadership Team met with Junious Babbs and Baker Kurrus to address our concerns. We were assured that Dodd would not be closed and that the attendance zone would be "tweaked" if our population became too small. This was not done. Our current school population is 196. Unlike other urban attendance zones with limited growth, we now have the opportunity for growth due to new construction in our attendance zone. Construction on 50 new homes in the Kenwood Subdivision will begin in January 2002. New houses are also being built in the Pecan Lake and Tall Timber subdivisions. The developers projection is 2.5 children per household, which would drastically increase our school population. We know that difficult budget decisions must be made. However, we also hope that the LRSD Board will consider the outstanding programs and staff at Dodd, the Impact of lost grant funds on the district if Dodd is closed and our potential for population growth as these budget decisions are made. Please come visit and observe the wonderful educational opportunities our students experience at Dodd before you decide its fate. Sincerely, Dodd Campus Leadership Team10/22/2001 05:17 5014557413 FAITH MCLAUGHLIN PAGE 02 December 10, 2001 DEAR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
We, as PARENT OF DAVID O DODD ELEMENTARY, are extremely concerned over rhe proposed closing of our school. We feel that you may not have all the vital information regarding Dodd Elementary that you need to make a decision about closing our school. Dodd currently has an enrollment of 195 students with a new subdivision on David 0. Dodd Road which will begin new construction January 2002. We feel that Dodd has much potential to grow.. Furthermore, enrollment over the past several years has been affected by the Districts decision to cut our attendance zone, sending many of our former students to Otter Creek. Removal of our 6* graders also resulted in a loss of 40 students. We also would like for the Board to have a picture of our staff at Dodd and what they provide to students. Dodd has a high number of staff who have expertise in their field: reading and technology especially. We understand that having this kind of staffing costs more, but as parents we can not put a price on our childrens education. This staff has, on their own time, obtained numerous grants to provide students with the best educational resources. We are often referred to as, The best kept secret in the Little Rock School District. Dodd meets racial guidelines set by the District. Tlie Dodd racial balance is currently 59.5/40.5. We feel that this makes us a stronger school community. As parents we are all willing to use our resources to ensure that our children receive the BEST education from the BEST teachers/. Transporting Dodds children away from their neighborhood is NOT THE ANSWER!10/22/20C1 05
17 5014557419 FAITH MCLAUGHLIH PAGE 03 10/22/2001 05: 5014557419 FAITH MCLAUGHLIN PAGE 04 ! i 05 18/22/2001 05:17 5014557419 FAITH MCLAUGHLIN PAGE 07 01 LRSD PAGE 1 SCHOOL: SCHOOL COUNTS BY SCHOOL 2001/12/12 032 DODD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Class Black Count Black Percent Other Count Other Percent Total Count Min % Black Max % Black Max Capacity K P4 SP 01 02 03 04 05 17 11 10 17 18 17 13 13 54.8% 61.1% 83.3% 53.1% 56.3% 60.7% 61.9% 65.0% 14 7 2 15 14 11 8 7 45.2% 38.9% 16.7% 46.9% 43.8% 39.3% 38.1% 35.0% 31 18 12 32 32 28 21 20 .0% .0% .0% .0% .0% .0% .0% .0% .0% .0% 73.8% .0% .0% .0% .0% .0% 40 18 0 46 34 35 25 25 Total 116 59.8% 78 40.2% 194 F2=Screen wait F12=BrGak F3=Exit F14=View F6=Top line F9=Retrieve FlO-Top FilBottom10/22/2001 05:17 5014557413 FAITH MCLAUGHLIN PAGE 03 URGENT !!! URGENT!! SAVE DAVIErOTDODD THE NEXT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY DEC. 13 A REPRESENTATIVE WILL BE ADDRESSING THE BOARD TO BEGIN OUR FIGHT TO SAVE DODD. ALL PARENTS NEED TO ATTEND THIS BOARD MEETING TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR OUR SCHOOL. 810 W. MARKHAM At 6:00X For Immediate Release Contact: Barbara Kennedy at 455-7430 Dodd Elementary to Receive Reading Is Fundamental Award Dodd Elementary was named Small Site State Champion in the Read With Me 2002 Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) Community Reading Challenge. The RIF notification states Dodd has made RIF history as one of the first sites to win the new challenge," RIF National will honor the sites at an awards ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, May Sth. On Friday, May 3, at 1:45 p.m., Congressman Vic Snyder will participate in the first raising of Dodds State Champion Flag to celebrate the schools achievement and kick off Reading Is Fun Week. As State Reading Champion, Dodd also received $200 for its RIF program. Dodd Elementary was selected as the State Small Site Reading Champions because from March 1 to March 15, 64 students in grades PreK - 2nd grades read a total of at least 4 hours, and 63 students in 3 - Sth grades read a total of at least 6 hours during those two weeks. Dodd began its Community Reading Challenge with a Parade of Book Characters and a RIF distribution, and the school also had community participation. Carol Rasco, President and CEO of RIF, read to the students
Faye Hanson visited Dodd several times to share stories and discuss narrative and expository writing
and an acting troupe from the Arts on Tour program presented lesser-known tales from Kiplings Jungle Book. ###j Arkansas Democrat THURSDAY, JANUARY 26,1995 ' Copyright O Uttte Rock Newspapers, Inc. Police beat Boy says teacher hit him with chair A substitute teacher at a Ut- I tie Rock school was hitting a second-grader with a , chair Friday, police said. A social worker at Arkansas Childrens Hospital told police about 9
25 p.m. Friday that a substitute teacher at David O. Dodd Elementary School physically abused the child. In a report, police said the 7-year-old boy had a bruised back and a handprint where he had possibly been l Neil, the school's principal. McNeil refused to tell her the substitute teachers name and said the woman wasn t certified to teach and was told not accused of to return to school property, the mother said. been The childs mother told police her son said the teacher hit him in the back with a chair, grabbed his shoulder and banged his head on the Police said the boys right shoulder was bruised and his left ear was bruised and rea. The childs mother told police she spoke with Patty Mc- WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 18,1998-------- |1 1-^ . i. \ % \
> \ 1 Arttansas Democrat-Gazette/CHRIS JOHNSON
chance at inhaling flour as Rac- ! Kneading to learn Amy Carson, 7, takes no chance at inhaling flour as l^c- ! Quel Cheny 7, pours the ingredient into a bowl for making p^ta Tuesday. The j ' second-graders S David O. Dodd Bementary are studying Italian culture. 1 I FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1999 Arkansas Democrat azcttc 15 schools receive grants to improve students work BY TRACY COURAGE ARKANSAS DEMOCR-ATO-AZETTE Fifteen Arkansas schools will receive grants to implement new programs designed to improve student performance. The grants, new this year, are and Biggers-Rejmo School Districts, (Clay and Randolph Couniy) $100,000, Arkansas School for the Blind. $50,000. Augusta Elementary in the Augusta School District (Woodruff part of the federally-funded Com- County), $50,000. prehensive School Reform Demon- Theodore Jones Elementary in stration Program, which promotes the (lonway School ESstrict schoolwide change, particularly in (Faulkner Counfy), ^,000. iiS schools with low-achieving stu- Cross County Elementary'in the ' 1. Cross County School District, The grants, which are renew- $50,000. able for up to three years, will en- North Crossett Primarjm the able schools to implement re- Crossett School District C&hley search-based programs such as Counfy), $50,000. Direct Instruction or Success Dora Kimmons Jr. High in the ' for All. Fort Smith School District (Sebast- dents. What the schools have purport- ian County), $50,000. ed to do is look at their test results Gould Elementary in the Gould and identify where students are School District (Lincoln County), weak and identify the gaps in $50,000. learning, said Charles Watson, Lewisville Primary in the program manager of systems plan- Lewisville School District ning and support at the state De- (Lafayette). $50.{X. partment of Education. The schools David 0. Dodd Elementary in the i then chose instructional models Little Rock School District, S50,(X)0. best suited to meet their needs, Lonoke Elementary in the Watson aid. Lonoke School District (Lonoke The schools individually ap- County) $50,000. plied for the grants before Feb. 1, Oak Grove Elementary in the Pu- 1999. The recipients are: laksi County Special School District, $50,000. Park Elementary, Central Ele- Smackover Element^ in the mentary, and Biggers-Reyno Ele- Smackover School District (Union mentary Schools in the Coming County), $50,000. FRIDAY. DECEMBER 14, 2001 I Parents plead cases, ! but two schools stay in budget axs reach LR board hears of virtues of smallness, then adds Fair Park to possible closures BY CYNTHIA HOWELL ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Faced with the possible loss of their neighborhood schools next year to budget cuts, parents and others from the Badgett and David O. Dodd elementary school communities Thursday extolled the virtues of their small schools to the Little Rock School Board. Board members were sympathetic and made no final decisions. However, by the end of the meeting, the School Board not only directed Superintendent Kenneth James to continue planning for the possible closing of Badgett and Dodd as a way to save about $1.7 million. but also asked him to prepare feasibility study on closing a a third small school. Fair Park Elementary at 616 N. Harrison St, where about 200 pupils attend classes. The presidents of the parentteacher associations from both Dodd and Badgett presented the School Board with petitions Thursday pleading to keep their schools. Were going to refuse to let Dodd close, Tiwana Noon- er, a parent of three Dodd pupils, said. Were going to fight. Dodd parents and community members pointed to the number of grants that the school has received in recent years to restructure the way reading and language arts are taught. Those grants and programs may not all be transferable to other schools, they said. Additionally, they argued that the specially trained staff members will be scattered across the district, diluting the effectiveness of their training. Diane Krippendorf, a community member, also pointed out that as many as 200 new homes are planned for the Dodd attendance zone, which should boost the schools enrollment over the next few years. District officials said the new homes might bring in 14 to 20 new children for the school in each of the ne.xt two years. James has said that the possible school closings are just one See SCHOOLS, Page 9B I Schools Continued from Page 1B area for potential budget cuts, and that he and his staff are preparing recommendations for more reductions. In response to School Board members who said they cant decide on closing schools without knowing what their other options are, James said he will give them some proposals after the first of the year. James, who has been Little Rocks school superintendent for about six months, just last week raised the issue of closing one program, plus $738,909 by closer more of the districts small- ing Dodd. est sclwols next fall as a way to By closing the schools, the help onset escalating costs and number of teaching positions in a declining revenue forecast that the district could be reduced by IS already affecting the districts about 20. A similar number of $2M million budget. support staff positions also could The district is getting $2.4 be reduced. miUion less in state funding this District officials speculated, year than initially budgeted be- however, that most of the peo- cause of shortfalls that were an- pie in jobs at the affected schools noimced last month in state tax could be absorbed into other collections. That loss is expect- schools as vacancies occur heed to be carried forward into the next school year when the district must meet contractually ob- Ugated teacher pay increases. According to preliminary - - plans, Badgett pupils would be rhe School Board must make assigned to Rockefeller and a decision on the school closings Washington elementary schools, by Jan. 10 to be able to notify Charter school pupils, who at- ^ected p^ents of the changes tend the school by applying, before registration starts for the would return to the schools that ' 2002 school year. That regis- serve the attendance zones in ' tration period when parents which they live throughout the can make a variety of school district. choices for their children begins Jan. 28. As for Dodd pupils, they would be divided among West- James repeatedly acknowl- ern Hills, Romine and Otter edged that the district is decid- Creek elementary schools if their mg the issue on a very fast time school is closed, line that is contrary to districts policy that calls for school closings to be considered for at least ing, marching in two circles on 12 months, except in emergen- the administration buildings for closing because of their small enrollments. Badgett, at 6900 Pecan Road near the city's air- purt, has 153 students in its regular program and another 80 enrolled in the districts charter program, which is housed in the same building. Dodd, 6423 Stagecoach Road, has 188 pupils, which is 69 percent of the buildings capacity. The average elementary school in the district has about 360 students. The district would save $536,048 by closing the regular Badgett school and another $479,669 by closing the charter cause of retirements and resignations. Two bands of small children set the tone for Thursday's meet- front steps, waving posters and James assured the board that chanting in support of their is entering dire financial straits, schools, as board members ar- You dont take the largest cut rived for the meeting. Dont in state aid in the history of the close Dodd school, yelled one state and think it is business as -----group. usual, he said. Please dont close Badgett Badgett and Dodd are targets school, the others said.Group sounds cry to protect LR elementary Dodd, 2 other schools futures on line as district makes cuts I MONDAY, DECEMBER 31. 2001 to focus on giving our kids the best education possible, he said. Porfiris said her efforts are on behalf of all three schools proposed for closing, but said her heart stays with Dodd Elementary School, since it has been the education base for all four of her children. Her youngest, Jimmy, is a fourthgrader at the school. Dodd is at 69 percent capacity this year with 188 students studying in classrooms built to hold 271 students. Those students have literacy scores that exceed the district average and have been the 'indirect recipients of several recent grants, the largest of which is a $150,000 Comprehensive School Reform Development grant from the Arkansas Department of Education. Judith Yeager and Barbara Kennedy, administrators of the state grant program, wrote a letter to the School Board, praising the achievements of Dodd Elementary School. Dodd has an outstanding kindergarten-fifth grade] literacy and technology program in place due to the restructuring made possible by the CSRD grant. We do not feel that it is a wise use of taxpayers money to See SCHOOL, Page 2B BY AMY SCHLESING i ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE I Theres a battle brewing in the Little Rock School District over a proposed death sentence * for one of the districts smallest I and highest scoring elementary schools. j The Little Rock School ' Board will decide Jan. 10 whether to close David O. Dodd, Fair Park and Badgett el- I ementary schools to help balance an overdrawn budget. j While parents of students at j all three schools dont want to see the doors close on the neighborhood schools, one group of parents, school staff ,j and real estate developers has launched an organized cam- j paign to keep at least one of < them open. j Kathy Porfiris, organizer of the letter-writing campaign to save Dodd Elementary School, j has rallied the parents, neigh- boring real estate developers j and staff of the school to fight j to keep it open. ] Little Rock School Board member Baker Kurrus said the [ issue isnt one of conflict its i one of economics. j "Theres not a fight to close i Dodd, and theres not a fight to j keep it open. Im not going to fight with anyone. Im going School Continued from Page 1B spend $150,000 of federal and state funds to successfully restructure a school and then have the Little Rock School District Board decide it should be closed, Yeager and Kennedy said in the letter. When the School Board meets Jan. 10, however, the deciding factor win be money, not test scores. Superintendent Kenneth James said closing Dodd, Fair Park and Badgett elementary schools will help offset a $2.4 million cut in state funding the district had counted on for the coming year. Closing Dodd and Fair Park will each save the district $700,000 annually and Badgetts closing will save another $500,000, James said. The movement of charter students back to their neighborhood schools would save about $480,000, for a total projected savings of $2.4 million. "Its always hard to close schools, James said. People are very close to their schools and I understand that, but regardless of what happens here, its still my job to bring ideas to the board on how to make cuts and balance the budget. James warned that a larger cut i in state funding could happen after the new year if the economy remains on a path to recession. "Couple that with salary obligations, and we've got to make a minimum $6 million cut to balance the budget," he warned. The schools are targets for I closing because of their small enrollments and high per-student costs. Badgett, at 6900 Pecan Road near Little Rock National Airport, Adams Field, has 153 students in its regular program and another 80 enrolled in the districts charter program at the site. Dodd, at 6423 Stagecoach Road, has 188 students. Fair Park Elementary, off Kavanaugh Boulevard, has 200 students. Those displaced students will be distributed throughout the district. According to preliminary plans, Badgett students would move to Rockefeller and Washington elementary schools, with the schools charter students returning to the schools in their attendance zones. Dodd students would be divided among Western Hills, Romine and Otter Creek elementary schools. The district has not discussed a moving plan for Fair Park students. Porfiris organization will meet with the School Board Jan. 7 in a last-minute effort to influence their Jan. 10 vote. The board plans to bring the principals from the other schools that would absorb the Dodd, Fair Park and Badgett students if the schools are closed. It almost sounds like they have their minds made up, she said. Id really like to think that we have a chance and not just blowing in the wind. Kurrus said he has gone to great length to inform people that school closure is no more than an option at this point. I dont think anybodys made up their minds. Weve got to do something, we cant just afford to ignore that we will lose revenue while our expenses continue to climb. But were considering different options, not just closing schools, he said. If the schools are closed, it will affect more than the students. Porfiris said new housing developments near Dodd Elementary will suffer with the loss of a neighborhood school. She has recruited Becky Finney, a real estate developer with Rainey Realty to fight the closure of Dodd. Pecan Ridge. Tall Timber and Kenwood subdivisions have expansions in progress. The School Board estimates those growing subdivisions would increase Dodd enrollment by up to 20 students next year and 15 students the following year. Kurrus said nothing is off limits for balancing the budget. The one thing he deems sacred are teacher salaries and raises. "To have the best teachers, I feel that we have to reward them financially, he said. Kurrus said streamlining the districts administrative process, ending property tax breaks as corporate incentives and get the district out of court over desegregation are all good options for balancing the budget. Porfiris is banking on alternatives to save Dodd. "And if it comes down to fire the caretaker, heck, well come up there and mow the grass ourselves, she said.J a n u a r y 3. 2 0 0 2 1 District sets sessions on closing 3 schools ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE The Little Rock School District will hold a series of public meetings, beginning today, at three low-enrollment schools under consideration for closing. The meetings are scheduled at: Badgett Elementary, 6900 Pecan Road, 6 p.ni. today. J Dodd Element^jy, 6423 Stagecoach Road, 6 p.m. Monday. Fair Park Elementary School, 616 N, Harrison St., 6 p.m. Tuesday. The meetings-are open to the public. The district proposes closing schools beginning July 1 because of state budget cuts. The Little Rock School Board will consider the proposal during its regular meeting Jan. 10 at 5 p^. at the School District headquarters at 810 W. Markham st.'-SI Km LR parents face closing of 3 schools 1 hl Badgett Elementary School parent Jerry Peters (left) asks Little Rock School Superintendent Ken James a question Thursday night during a public hearing at Arkansas Democral-Gazette/STEPHEN B. THORNTON Zeigler (center left), Rockefeller Elementary Principal Anne Mangan, and Sadie Mitchell (right), the district's associate superintendent for school services. Mangan Badg'^tt to discuss the schools possible closing. Lis- and Zeigler attended because Bad^tt students tening are Washington Elementary Principal Gwen would attend their schools if Badgett cl^es. Badgett meeting held
2 more set BY PATRICK HEALY ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT (JAZETrC As solemn-faced parents, teachers and administrators discussed the fate of Badgett Elementary School with urgent voices, the children played. Arm in arm, they pranced across the schools packed gym, inspected TV cameramen and galloped through the banana-yellow hallways while adults discussed shutting down Badgett, in east Little Rock, and two other Little Rock elementary schools. Tlie Tliursday meeting was the first of three meetings scheduled before the School Board votes whether to close Badgett, Dodd and Fair Park elementary schools. Other meetings are scheduled at Dodd on Monday and at Fair See BADGETT,^age 4B Badgett Continued from Page 1B Park on Tuesday. The meetings are designed to let school officials explain the shutdown proposal and hear community concerns. Were still in shock, and we still dont want it to happen," said Kim Dunahay, Badgetts Parent Teacher Association president. Even if they vote to close the school, the fights not going to stop." The School Boards vote, rescheduled from Jan. 10 to Jan. 15, comes at a time of financial crisis, said Sadie Mitchell, the districts associate superintendent for school services. In addition to the $2.4 million state funding cut, the school dis-trict must pay $3 million in promised raises. Altogether, the school district must slice $6 million from its annual budget of $220 million. Superintendent Ken James {' Proposed AWendance Zones I 1^1 Ri Arkansas Democrat-Gazetle/STEPHEN B. THORNTON students if the school is closed. The informational meeting Thursday night al the school was the first of three meetings to discuss potential school closings. said, Were going to have to junious Babbs, associate superintendent for deseg-make some tough decisions. regation for the Little Rock School District, discusses The board is considering clos- proposed attendance zones for Badgett Elementary ing Badgett. Fair Park and Dodd eiementaries primarily due to nickel-and-dime that to death. applauding when parents praised ular elementary schools, their low enrollments, James Normally, a proposal to close Badgett and spoke against its Weve tried regular school, said. This year, 153 students at- schools must be announced one closing. said Carrie Igwe, whose fourth-tend Badgett, 188 go to Dodd, and year before the shutdown date. I like it here because most of grade son, Caleb, has attention tend Badgett, 188 go to Dodd, and year before the shutdown date. ---------------- -- 200 attend Fair Park. But with the budget cuts, James the teachers are nice, and they deficit hyperactivity disorder The average Little Rock ele- said, schools must act fast. let you come into their class- and attends the charier school. ' Everybody has to be rooms and they give you treats, "He has special needs. * ' '1 Igwe said her son did poorly mentary school has 363 students. ----- , .. , If the tliree schools are closed, touched, James told the crowd. 10-year-old Kenetra Lowe said . . their students would attend dif- Tliis is not a win-win situation. after the meeting. "Id rather stay in his classes until he came to The one-hour meeting went here. I may be shy to go to an- Badgett. Igwe said she doesnt the next school year. more smoothly than past dis- other school. I wouldnt have any want her son to return to regu- Some teachers would find cussions about closing Badgett, friends on the first day. lar classes, and she balks at pri- * Parents and educators ex- vate school tuition. ferent schools at the start of other jobs in the district, but oth- In 1995, a proposal to close Bad- * ers could be laid off, James said, gett met with parentsprotests pressed concern about the 83 It certainly seemed reason- and a court challenge that forced students who attend Badgetts money to send him to a private able to me, board Vice President the School Board to back down, charter school. The students, school," she said, unless the Lit- But on Thursday, audience many of whom have learning dis- tie Rock School District is going . , - : - ------ ij 1---------**--------. to pay it for us. Judy Magness said, "When youve L . got to cut $6 million, you cant members listened quietly, twice abilities, would be sent to reg- Z 0 0 Z 'k AjenuBp We don't have the kind of May 1 0, 2 0 0 2 ER, Sheridan schools tops in 2-week reading program ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE David O. Dodd Elementary School in Little Rock and East End Elementary School in Sheridan have been named state winners in the national Reading Is Fundamental Reading Challenge. During the two-week-long challenge in March, teachers dressed up as characters out of easy-readers and led children and parents in chants and cheers about the fun and magic of reading. Schools were awarded pomts for every child who read a minimum number of hours during the reading challenge, and also scored points when children visited the local library or got involved in other reading-related activities. Ten schools in Arkansas participated in the program. Dodd won in the smaller schools category, and East End won as a larger school. At a ceremony in the East End school gym Thursday afternoon, Karla Koon, the schools librarian, and Shane Broadway, speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives, honored the schools highest performing students. Eighteen students had done all the reading and bonus activities to amass 150 points. At the close of the ceremony, Koon cautioned the students to keep up their good habits. Remember, you can explore new places by reading anytime, anywhere, and all year long, she said.
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.