Arkansas Democrat (gazette ' WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 27. 1993 Williams dispels rumors about school closing, says board sensitive to blacks BY WAYNE JORDAN Democrat-Gazette Staff Writer More than 65 parents, teachers and school administrators heard Little Rock School Superintendent Dr. Henry Williams address wide-ranging questions Tuesday at another of the new school chiefs public forums to determine priorities for the next budget year. The Little Rock School District operates more than 50 schools for 26.000 students at an annual cost of $162 million. Most of the expense is wrapped up in salaries for 4.000 employees. Williams, the former superintendent of schools in Syracuse. N.Y., spoke at Parkview Arts Magnet School on John Barrow Road in the second of five planned public forums. He reassured the crowd that Garland Incentive Elementary School at 3615 W. 25th St. was not scheduled to close. He called the idea a false rumor that the School Board has never even discussed. Black parents at the meeting expressed concern that when the district closes or moves schools, they always seem to be in the black community. That creates a cultural and social void, furthering the disassociation of blacks with education, they said. The board is appealing a federal judges decision to move the proposed new Stephens Elementary School from the inner city to a site on Interstate 630. The board wants to build the school at the existing school site, 3700 W. 18th St. Williams lamented that the district must obey court orders and follow approved desegregation plans, but said he hoped to get the district out of court as soon as possible. Then well build schools where we want to, he said. Williams, who is black, also said the board was sensitive to the needs of blacks. But one man said it appeared to him that the only time the district built something in the inner city, negative connotations were involved. He cited the opening of the old Martin Luther King School as a truancy center, where police can drop off students found skipping school. He called that operation, which begins Monday, a mini-jail. Williams took exception to the term. I never thought of it like that, he said. I thought of it as a clearinghouse.TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7,1993 No decision on closing Garland, LRSD chief says BY CYNTHIA HOWELL * Democral-GazeltQ Education Writer No decision has been made to close Garland Incentive Elementary School, Little Rock Superintendent Henry Williams told parents Monday night al a community forum at the school. But the school board and district administrators will be studying central Lillie Rock demographics and the projected number of children in the area, Williams said. Those statistics may determine the fate of both Garland and Stephens Incentive Elementary. Both schools are in central Lillie Rock and have enrollments of under 300. Stephens i.s al 3700 W. lOlh SI. Gal land is al 3615 W. 25th St. "No one i.s saying Garland is closing. The board hasn't said so. I havent said so, Williams said. But he also said the board must consider ways to operate more efficiently and whether there will be enough children in the area to support two schools or a new school building. District officials must make a decision fairly soon about the schools particularly Stephens, as the district is obligated by its court-approved desegregation plan to rebuild Stephens as a considerably larger interdislrict school along the Interstate 630 corridor for the 1995-96 school year. School board members have discussed seeking permission in federal court to change the desegregation plan to retain Stephens as an incentive school. An incentive school gels extra money for special programs to improve the achievement level of black students and attract whiles to Hie hard-lo-desegre- gale schools. On another issue, a parent. Pearlie Creal-Pope, asked Wil- liam.s to consider altering a policy that results in susiiension of both students in any fight. She said the policy practically forces junior liigh students to join gangs for protection from attackers.District Continued from Page 1A to hundreds of names. Jackson said in a telephone interview from Greensboro, N.C., where he and several of the principals are attending a magnet school conference, that he had not asked for any kind of transfer. He said he did not know whether he would ask for a school board hearing on the change. Under a November 1992 federal court order, the district is supposed to consult with the Magnet Review Committee and seek court approval before making staffing changes at magnet schools. The court has not received a request to approve the moves. Donna Creer, executive director of the Magnet Review Committee, could not be reached for comment on Jackson. The Mag- . net Review Committee comprises representatives of each of the three school districts in the county, the state Department of Education, and black families who intervened in the 11-year-old Pulaski County desegregation lawsuit. Williams did confirm that Franklin Davis, principal at Franklin Incentive Elementary School, is going to become the principal at Wilson Elementary. jf f. The current Wilson principal SIm m 1 x Henry Williams Gwen Zeigler, will go to Washington Magnet Elementary. Karen Buchanan, the current Washington principal, will hecome principal at Henderson Junior High. Clell Watts, the current Henderson principal, is retiring. Barbara Means, principal at Fair Park Elementary, will become principal at Baseline Elementary. Williams would not comment on the unassigned principals or on any other changes among the schools. I However, Dr. Mary Jane Cheatham, principal at Baseline, confirmed that she is unassigned. Others unassigned include Walter Marshaleck at Ma- belvale Junior High
-Gayle Bradford at Cloverdale Junior High
and Lavanna Wilson, principal at Bale Elementary School. Still other changes confirmed through interviews and sources Tuesday include transfer of Lionel Ward, principal at the Romine Interdistrict Elementary School, to Mabelvale Ele- mentap^
and Julie Davenport, principal at Mabelvale, to Franklin Interdistrict School. Rudolph Howard, interim principal at Central High School this year, is expected to be recommended to the school board to fill the position permanently at that school. A district committee interviewed three candidates Howard and two out-of-state candidates before recommending that Howard be permanently appointed to the post at the districts largest and most famous school. Williams said some of the positions, particularly those vacated by retiring principals. must be advertised and candidates interviewed before they can be filled. Besides Watts at Henderson, Dr. Doyle Dillahunty, principal at the Metropolitan Vocational Technical Skills Center, has said he will retire at the end of this year. And Richard Maple at Forest Heights Junior High is expected to retire at the end of this year.Aricansas Democrat igr (gazette WEDNESDAY, MAY 4,1994 LR schools shuffling principals Spreading expertise, superintendent says / BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Principals at more than a dozen of Little Rocks 52 public schools will change jobs next year because of retirements and involuntary transfers made by. Superintendent Henry Will-i iams. i Dr. Ed Jackson, principal of the popular Williams Magnet EL ementary School, is one principal who wont be returning toi his post. He said he was notified
Friday that he would not be re< . assigned to Williams next year. and has not yet been assigned-' J to another school. ' At least four other principals ) were unassigned on 'Tuesday. } The Arkansas Democrat- Gazette learned of changes Tues-' day from principals, from sources who asked not to be identified and from_Williams.^ Williams said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon that principal changes will not be completed before the end of next week. He said he is waiting for final decisions from employees who are considering retiring. The moves are being made to strengthen schools, Williams said. All buildings need strong leadership, and there are some principals in our district who have experience in successful schools. They should be used to strengthen other schools. Williams said he has not seen negative evaluations on the people being moved. Jackson has been principal at Williams for six years and served in several other district schools before that. His school has been among the most popular of the magnet schools. The waiting list for the school in recent years has grown See DISTRICT, Page 13AAAansati Democrat (gazette TUESDAY, MAY 24, 1994 Copyrignt e UMe Rock Nowspapefs. lop. Williams lists principles, not principals Answers criticism, says stability is goal BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Caught in a backlash of criticism about eliminating athlet- * ic stipends and reassigning principals, Superintendent Henry Williams said Monday he is trying to operate the Little Rock district efficiently and effectively. In recent weeks, Wil- liams has Williams come under fire over some of his administrative decisions. Those decisions include changing principals at several schools and sending notices to coaches and others who get extra-duty pay that their stipends may be discontinued after this year. The stipends notice led to widespread speculation that athletics might be eliminated or that coaches might be asked to put in extra time without pay. Williams also announced retirements and reassignments that would result in new principals at 20 of the districts 51 schools. Williams, who has been superintendent only since October, had little to say during the last few weeks as public criti- See DISTRICT, Page 6A District Continued from Page 1A cism about those issues grew. But he spoke about them, and his basic goals, during an interview Monday. Williams said the stipends issue has been misinterpreted and that he has no intention of eliminating sports or other activities. Instead, he said the district sent out the notices that stipends would be eliminated to give administrators time to review the stipends, to make sure they were being paid to the people who were doing the work. Larry Buck, chairman of the legal services committee of the American Federation ofTeach-ers in Little Rock, said two weeks ago that the districts action on the stipends violated stipends in the district are for as much as $6,000 a year. Stipends also are paid to teachers who supervise students before and after school, or who teach six instead of the traditional five periods in the junior and senior high schools. Williams said his staff is looking closely at the extra class periods for which teachers get stipends worth 20 percent of their salaries. If we can more effectively schedule our teachers, then the need to offer the sixth period is no longer present, he said. We believe we can run the district more efficiently and save money in areas where we have not saved before. If we can give a teacher who is teaching six periods now, the same number of students in a five-period day, it doesnt make sense to teach six periods. Its a sizable amount of district resources go-state law and the organization would challenge the decision. The superintendent describes himself as an advocate of school athletics and the recipient of a basketball scholarship to Fayetteville State College in North Carolina. I recognize as a superintendent the importance of athletics to a school district, Williams said. They give so many of our young people an opportunity to display their skills and develop their academic skills, as well, and go on to colleges and universities. As a person who benefited from an athletic program, I would not want to eliminate it. Williams said people who coach or sponsor activities should have no concerns about continuing those activities and getting stipends for them, unless their particular activity no longer exists. Some of the ing to those sixth periods. The superintendent wouldnt say anything specific about proposed principal changes, but said he has made some decisions and is waiting to make some others. He said he may be here for a long time and that they now have stability in this office. Ive got to make decisions that I think will move this dis-trict forward, he said. The superintendent is looking for other ways to improve schools and their operations
He has proposed closing Stephens Elementary and building a larger building that would be attractive to residents across the city. He also is looking at closing schools in other areas where enrollment has declined. He is looking at programs in other parts of the country that could be adapted to Little Rock. Last week, he visited Oklahoma City to see a teaching approach that emphasizes student self-esteem. He hopes to send Little Rock board members and principals to see the Oklahoma City schools in action this spring. He ygars would like to start some pilot I tell them that I plan to be programs next year, he said. able to make some announcement by the middle of this week. Williams angered parents, especially those at Williams Magnet Elementary School, by telling Principal Ed Jackson that he will not be reassigned to that school for next year. Williams School is one of the most popular schools in the district with parents, in part because of the high test scores the students produce. Parents tell Williams that principal assignments have been stable in a district that has faced a lot of uncertainty and leadership changes in recent Betnocnttyil FRIDAY, MAY 13, 1994 LRSD posts jobs to lead 11 schools Reshuffling could put new principals at 40% BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Nearly 40 percent of Little Rocks 52 schools could begin next year with new principals, thanks largely to reshuffling by Superintendent Williams. Henry Related article 6B More than a dozen of the 20 possible principal changes would result from reassignments made by Williams. Some of the moves follow principals resignations and retirements. District officials on Thursday posted openings for 11 of the positions, including the principals post at Williams Magnet Elementary School, where some parents and teachers have protested the removal of Dr. Ed Jackson. The district rehired Jackson for the 1994-95 school year, but like some other principals, he has not been assigned a job for next year. His school is among the most popular with parents in all three Pulaski County school districts and has some of the highest student test scores. The unassigned principals whose salaries wont change next year are not guaranteed a principals job. Unassigned principals are eligible to apply for their current jobs. The 11 posted job openings are at six elementary schools, four junior highs and one high school. Of the six elementary schools with job openings, three are magnet schools and three are incentive schools. Williams has not commented on his reasons for moving specific principals. In general remarks about the changes, though, he has said that moving principals can strengthen schools and he has no intention of harming programs at any school. In one meeting with parents, Williams said officials at some schools ' had become complacent. Information about some of the changes began leaking to the I Principals Continued from Page 1A public last week, but two more schools were listed Thursday among those advertising for new principals: J.A. Fair High and Rightsell Incentive Elementary. Fairs principal, Al Niven, is retiring from the district. Sharon Davis, Rightsell principal, has been assigned to Romine Interdistrict Elementary. Besides Williams, Righlsell and Fair, the advertised principal jobs are at Gibbs Magnet Elementary, Carver Magnet Elementary, Mitchell Incentive Elementary, Franklin Incentive Elementary, Cloverdale Junior High, Mabelvale Junior High, Forest Heights Junior High and Southwest Junior High. Several other schools also are expected to have new prin- cipals next year, including Henderson Junior High, Fair Park Elementary, Wilson Elementary, Washington Magnet Elementary, Mabelvale Elementary, Baseline Elementary, Bale Elementary and Metropolitan Vocational Technical Skills Center. Those jobs have not been advertised as vacant, but Williams has revealed who will take over some of them. For example, Karen Buchanan, principal al Washington, will be assigned to Henderson
Gwen Ziegler, now at Wilson, is expected to be assigned to Washington
and Franklin Davis, now at Franklin, is scheduled to go to Wilson. The 11 vacant positions were posted Thursday, the same day the Pulaski County Magnet Review Committee met about its role in overseeing staffing changes at the magnet schools. Committee members said Thursday they will ask U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright about their interpretation of their duties. In a November 1992 court order, Wright told the district to consiill the committee and seek court permission prior to making stafling changes at the magnet schools. Williams has acknowledged that the school board and ultimately the federal judge must approve hi.s decisions on the principal changes. Committee members agreed Thursday they do not have the right to overturn staffing decisions in the Little Rock district. But the.v said that from now on, the Little Rock district should notify them as soon as possible about expected changes in the certified staff, including principals, at the magnet schools. Committee members objected to first learning of the clianges in newspaper reports. , Dr. Bobby Altom, commit- : tee chairman and an assistant superintendent in the Pulaski County Special School District, said the panel has the au- thority to review whether changing principals will affect the magnet school program. In Jacksons case, that determination was not made Thursday because the committee lacked needed information, such as who the replacement might be. The committee can make recommendations to the judge about proposed staffing changes. Magnet schools are desegregation tools that offer special academic programs to make hard-to-desegregate schools more attractive. They are funded by the three Pulaski County school districts and the stale Department of Education. Students from all three districts attend the six magnet schools in Little Rock. The Magnet Review Committee consists of representatives of the districts, the state and the black families who intervened in the school desegregation lawsuit. Deputy Superintendent Estelle Matthis assured the committee Thursday that the district would follow its standard process for hiring principals.Legal ius, outs of session on principals split board Arkansas Democrat ^(^azette SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1994 Copyright O Little Rock Newspaoera. Inc. BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Little Rock School District officials disagreed Friday about the legality of school board action on the transfer of could be grounds for a court challenge because discussion 15 principals to new positions, of a trans- Ih, Williams At a Thursday meeting at- , fer proce- . tended by a large contingent
dure is not of parents opposed to some of listedihthe tHaiaa the transfers, the board recessed for a brief private conference. It returned a few minutes later and announced its conclusion that board approval of the transfers wasnt listed in the '' . law as a \ 4 , reason for a closed ssibrii The issue also couldcofne, up at a federal court bearing.
scheduled for Tuesday' before J U.S. District Judge Siisah WiSb-'- required. y. ber Wright.,She presides in Perrin Jones, a spokesman ' districts desegregation ?ifor the Arkansas attorney . weeks generalS office, said Friday ^^sked for information abput that the executive session . ' See.WILLIAMS, Paget4A' Williams Continued from Page 1A principal assignments. Little Rock Superintendent Henry Williams said Friday that the board acted correctly. He cited a clause in his contract that states that the superintendent has authority to direct and assign teachers and other employees and shall organize, reorganize and arrange the administrative and supervisory staff in a way that best serves the district. But school board member Pat Gee disagreed. She said the boards decision to take no action was inconsistent with state law that gives school boards authority to assign, reassign or transfer all teachers in schools upon the recommendation of the superintendent. Gee said she would have voted to oppose the principal reassignments had she been given a chance. She also said she felt the executive session was illegal because it dealt with the process for handling the transfers, not the hiring, firing, promotion, or disciplining of specific employees as required by the states Freedom of Information Act. She and board member O.G. Jacovelli were on the losing side of a 4-2 vote to go into executive session Thursday night. Board members Kevin OMalley and John A. Riggs IV, said Friday that the board was correct in going into a closed session to discuss personnel. Both said the purpose of the session was to discuss the specific principals to be transferred. However, the board decided almost immediately after convening the closed session that a vote on the transfers was not needed. Alfred Angulo Jr., a representative of parents unhappy with the process used to select a principal for the Gibbs Magnet Elementary School, said parents are reviewing the legality of the boards decisions. The group will look for help from the Magnet Review Committee, which New principals People hired as new principals by the Little Rock Thursday: William Broadnax, principal of J.A. Fair High School, previously interim principal at Henderson Magnet Junior High. Cassandra Norman-Mason, principal of Cloverdale Junior High, previously assistant principal at Southwest Junior High. Johnny Neely, principal al Southwest Junior High, previously principal al Townsend Park Elementary School In Dollarway School District. Since 1973 he also has worked In the Lee County. Earle, Bay, South Mississippi County, Parkin and Forrest City school districts. Principals transferred to other district jobs by Superintendent Henry Williams: Sharon Davis, assigned to Romine Elementary from Rightsell Incentive Elementary. Lionel Ward, assigned to Mabelvale Elementary from Romine. Julie Davenport, assigned to Franklin Incentive Elementary from Mablevaie. Franklin Davis, assigned to Wilson Elementary from Franklin. Gwen Ziegler, assigned to Washington Elementary from Wilson. Karen Buchanan, assigned to High from Henderson Junior Washington. Or. Samuel Branch, assigned to Fair Park Elementary from Mitchell Incentive Elementary, Barbara Means, assigned to Baseline Elementary from Fair Park Elementary. Mai7 Menking, assigned to Williams Magnet Elementary from Brady Elementary School. oversees the operation of magnet schools. The Gibbs parents complained to the board that a decision about a new principal was made without their input, even though they were invited to interview applicants for the job. They called the interview process a sham. Williams appointed Dr. Ed Jackson, who has been principal at Williams Magnet Elementary School, to Gibbs. Jack- son has said he applied for the School Board on Duane Benage, principal at Forest Heights Junior High School. Benage previously was principal at the Oxbow High School in Bradford. Vt. He also has been a principal and teacher in several schools in Indiana. Sharon Brooks, principal at Rightsell Incentive Elementary School, previously assistant principal at Rockefeller Incentive Elementary. Faith Donovan, principal at Mitchell Incentive Elementary School, previously curriculum specialist al Dunbar Magnet Junior High. Dr. Ed Jackson, assigned to Gibbs International Studies Magnet Elementary from Williams. Gayle Bradford, assigned to Mabelvale Junior High from Cloverdale Junior High. Walter Marshalak. assigned to the Alternative Learning Center from Mabelvale Junior High. Linda Watson, assigned assistant principal at J.A. Fair from the student hearing oflicer's position. Othello Faison, assigned to the federal programs office from the Alternative Learning Center. Mary Jane Cheatham, principal on special assignment to the transportation office from the principal's position at Baseline Elementary School. Lavanna Wilson, principal on special assignment to the early childhood education office from the principal's job at Bale Elementary. ArkanMS 0moerat.Qazen Gibbs and Williams jobs for next year but would have preferred the job at Williams. Donna Davis, the Gibbs principal, retired at the end of this school year. Mary Menking, formerly principal at Brady, was assigned to Williams School. Because Williams and Gibbs schools are magnet programs, the principal selection could become an issue before the Magnet Review Committee and Judge Wright. Previous court orders in the districts desegregation case have stated that the Little Rock district must consult with the Magnet Review Committee about staffing changes and get approval from the court. Marcia Harding, a member of the Magnet Review Committee and an administrator in the state Department of Education, said she believed the committee would review the principal selections to ensure that the correct process was followed. She said the committee role is not to select a principal but that it can evaluate how a selection is made and whether it benefits the magnet program. Disputes ' between the committee and the I school district can be referred I te the federal court. The committees next regular meeting is July 5, but a special meeting could be called. Williams was quoted as suggesting during Thursdays meeting that parental involvement isn't needed to operate successful schools, a remark that shocked members of the audience and even school board members, Jacovelli said Friday. Williams said Friday that Angulo had taken his comments out of context in an earlier meeting between the two. In response to comments that schools must have parental involvement, he said that education literature is filled with cases of schools that succeed without parent involvement. I believe parent involvement is necessary in every district at all levels, he said Friday. I have worked to encourage it and will continue to do so. But he also said parents cant assume his authority to select principals. Williams said he wanted an experienced principal at Gibbs. Ann Brown, the federal desegregation monitor, said she had received calls from people who were concerned about the outcome of the board meeting. She said she has tried to reassure them that the district's desegregation plan as well as the federal courts are insistent about parental involvement in the schools.Arkansas Democrat IJfr (gazette FRIDAY, JULY 14, 1995 2 principals recommended for new posts Little Rock Superintendent Henry Williams has more recommended two school principal changes for j the coming school year. If the Little Rock School Board endorses the changes at a meeting Thursday, Betty Raper, principal last year at Brady Elementary School, will become principal at Gibbs Magnet School, and Gwendolyn Zeigler, principal last year at Washington Magnet Elementary School, will become principal at Terry Elementary. The board last month approved eight other new principal assignments. However, four of the principals had been acting principals at their schools for at least part of last year. The vacant Gibbs and Terry positions were advertised, and committees of parents and School District administrators interviewed the applicants. The committees submitted their top three choices for each job to Williams, who makes principal recommendations to the School Board. Terrys former principal, LaDell Looper, resigned to take a job in Hot Springs. The former principal at Gibbs, Marjorie Bassa, transferred to Mitchell Incentive Elementary School. spokesman District Suellen Vann said no principals have been selected to fill the positions at Brady and Washington that will open up if the School Board accepts Williams recommendations.RIGGED DEAL The Little Rock School Board accommodated unhappy parents from Gibbs Magnet School last week and reopened the principal selection process. The parents were steamed because Superintendent Henry Williams had promised parents ey could be involved, then set up what was effectively a sham selection process. Williams drew community-wide attention when he snapped publicly at the Gibbs parents that schools could succeed without parental involvement. The Insider has learned that School Board member John A. Riggs, long one of Williams staunchest defenders, tried to secretly broker an end to this dispute that would have been beneficial to both sides. Riggs telephoned at least one Gibbs parent with an offer to reopen the principal selection process in return for a statement from parents that Williams had been quoted out of conte,\t in the media. No dice, the Gibbs committee responded. The truth is the truth. But the school board relented anyway.WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1994 School chief confesses he dropped ball Report faults LRSD in moving principals BY DANNY SHAMEER Odmocrat>GazeTte Education Writer The Little Rock School District ignored court-ordered procedures in selecting magnet school principals last spring, a report concluded Tuesday. Report Continued from Page 1A process at Gibbs Magnet Ele- port said. mentary School particularly upset parents. Superintendent Henry Williams acknowledged that he dropped the ball during the principal-election process, which caused an uproar among parents, a report from the federal Office of Desegregation Monitoring said. Williams said his staff didnt advise him about the need to involve the Magnet Review Committee in changing principals at Gibbs, Carver and Williams magnet schools. Later, when he learned about the obligation to consult the committee about staffing changes, he contacted the group, and, he said, he intends to do a better job communicating with the committee in the future. Some of the problems that arose during the process could have been avoided if the superintendent and his senior administrators had communicated better, the report said. The 26-page report covered the selection process the district used in filling magnet and nonmagnet school principal vacancies in the Little Rock district. Twenty-two principal positions were changed half because of reassignments. The principal shake-up at Williams Magnet Elementary , School and the ^election See REPORT, Page 9A pointed some principals, and was faced with backtracking to accommodate the need for parent involvement, the re- The Magnet Review Committee first learned about im- U.S. District Judge Susan pending changes in principals Webber Wright, who oversees after members read about it in the Pulaski County school de- the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, segregation case, ordered an ' investigation. the report said. The report cited a Novem- The report the result of her 1992 court order that the investigation found
A communication breakdown affected the selection made the committees supervisory role clear. That order, the report said, process. The superintendent should have served didnt ask his staff about past hiring procedures, and they mittee members, didnt tell him. His deputy su- perintendent, Estelle Matthis, sits on the committee, the report noted. as a 'wake-up call for the com- Dr. Bobby Altom, chairman of the Magnet Review Committee, said Tuesday he had not read the report. He said. The district lacked writ- though, that the Little Rock ten policies and guidelines for district is working with the eve^one involved in the selection process to follow. Many people felt committee to prevent a recurrence of the problem. Little Rock is working on a Williams had already decided procedure to select staff memin some cases which principal bers for the magnet schools, should go where, regardless of and the committee will review outside advice from parents that policy when its ready, Al- and others serving on the selection committees. Williams tom said. Williams did not return a acknowledged he had a de- reporters call Tuesday, sired outcome in mind for The magnet schools feature particular schools, and was not special programs designed to willing to compromise his se- lections. attract black and white students from all three Pulaski The superintendent made County public school dis- decisions without knowing the tricts. history of community involve- ment, the committees responsibilities in the desegregation case, or court orders that re- And the federal-court-created Magnet Review Committee is supposed to oversee the op- eration of the six original Lit- peatedly emphasize the role of tie Rock magnet schools, inparent involvement and the eluding Gibbs, Williams and importance of not surprising Carver. the community. as part of the desegregation By the time he learned that case, the state pays all trans- the district had used interview portation costs for those mag- conimittees in the past, the su- net students, along with half of perintendent had already ap- the cost of educating them. .
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