001Hello and good evening. I'd like to welcome you to the Little Rock School District board meeting. Today is May the 28th, 2026 and the time is 5:33. So, we're going to go ahead and get started. Um, Dr. right has a request to suspend the rules on a couple items that he'd like to bring forward. So, the chair would entertain a motion. I move to suspend the rules and move agenda item 13, superintendent comments to follow public comments and agenda item 7.2, central softball recommendation updates to follow the consent agenda items. Second. >> It has been moved and second that we suspend the rules and move agenda item 13, superintendent comments to follow public comments and agenda item 7.2, central softball recommendation updates to follow the consent agenda items. All in favor? >> I >> opposed.
002Motion carries. Okay, we're going to go ahead and get started with the district celebration. >> Come on up. >> Thank you. It's a great day to celebrate, isn't it? Every day is a great day to celebrate. Thank you for having us. It's always a pleasure for the VIP staff to come before you and highlight some of the great things that are happening in our district. And I want to start out with celebrating our student success through the Arkansas Scholars program. Uh this year we've have 219 seniors who qualify graduating as an Arkansas scholar uh recipient. So I know we have a list on the next slide. Yep. Well, this well this tells you the criteria, so that helps. I know many of you are familiar with this because several of our schoolboard members actually make
003presentations in our classrooms. So, thank you for that. We go into 8th grade classrooms and we tell these students how they can better prepare for the next four years of their life in high school. And we tell them that there are four simple things that they can do so at the end of their four-year journey, they can graduate as an Arkansas scholar. They can sign up for the SmartCore courses. They can earn a C or better in all of their courses a semester grade. They finish high school in eight consecutive semesters. And they graduate with a 4-year attendance average of 95% which means they do not need they cannot miss more than 36 days of the year. So, anyone want to guess what our highest disqualifying criteria is? I know. Go. Go ahead. Speak out.
004Whoever wants to say it. >> Number four. Attendance. Yes. So, we tell students we, you know, we want them to qualify is Arkansas scholars because it gives them the designation on their transcript. Employers and post uh secondary education colleges, trade schools. They look for individuals that are actually going to show up. That's why they select them. So, we encouraged the attendance and actually I've received several calls this week from uh high school counselors saying why weren't particular students on the list and every time we look it's because of attendance. So, to students, parents, teachers, and counselors, we encourage that to be a focus so we can increase that number. On the next slide, it'll show you the 219 students in our district. If you know any of them, we're not going to read their names,
005but if you know any of them, please congratulate them. And always, if you know any high school student, encourage them to uh uh start their Arkansas scholar journey. We have brochures. I'm not going to hand them out unless you want them, but I don't think it's fair to mention something and you not know the information. So, Jackie has brochures if anybody wants them. So, yes, I would we'll love to distribute them. Uh and thank y'all for supporting the Arkansas Scholar Program, which is a statewide program. Um, and I'm proud that Little Rock School District participates and we do well. Also, this also this t our task at hand is celebrating partners. And I don't know if y'all noticed, but it's raining outside a raining hard. And apparently that hadn't helped us any when it comes
006to our attendance because I only had one partner and the school and the partner were so excited about it. And I don't think anyone from Dumbar is anyone. No. But I'm going to do it anyway because I'm going to tell you a story. Last month when we were here and we recognized Hamilton Learning, we had they had like four partners and we finished we concluded our portion went out into the lobby and this delightful um young woman that's the executive director of her partner of her business came out and said, "Why didn't you recognize me?" And I'm like, "I didn't know you were here. I didn't know you were on the list." And so there was a miscommunication. So, we wanted to make sure that we recognized them. So, a unique levering business solution is
007a partner with Dumbar. We're going to do it just like they're here because I'm going to send them this video. Come on, Dr. Wright. Uh, and um yeah, Director Johnson, we're going to celebrate this this group. YEAH, LET'S MAKE IT. She has sat patiently and she's supporting the school. they are excited to have her and uh her it's Regina Lily is her uh the director's name and so I appreciate y'all honoring her. Okay, so everybody humor me when when we're going to do this cuz I'm going to send her to the video. On the count of three, we're all going to sing in unison. Thank you, Mrs. Lily. Right. Okay, y'all can handle that. One, two, three. Thank you, Mrs. Le and a unique leverage. Thank you. We We want everyone to feel uh appreciated.
008And I I would hate for the weather just to be the only uh thing in our way for making them. So, thank you. That's our partners tonight. Jackie will introduce our contributors. And I will say uh she actually wrote a book and she does mock interviews with the students over at Dunar and I bought her book after we talked to her in the lobby. So very interesting. Um really good financial information. So um but to get on with celebrating our community, our donors um offer valuable services and um materials. Sorry, my mind just kind of went blank. For a lot of our schools, this is these are the ones that have been reported to us this month. So, one of the big ones that uh we saw and we saw on social media was Carver
009Washington. Sonic did a thing with donor choose and they had $25,000 that they could redo someplace and so they they they gave it to Carver Washington and did their media center. So, um that's really that was really cool. Um, we had three supporters that were donating in uh for the Central High golf team. Mike Dillard at 500, Russell and Emily Robertson at 565, and Raymond and Mary Jackson at 100. Um, the Sturgeis Charitable and Educational Trust donated just under $9,500 to Fairpark that they use for furniture and supplies. They have been a longtime um supporter of Fair Park. uh that actually came from a student that went to school there that was related to them and that student um was not being very successful in other environments but um Miss Judy Milm brought him in
010and so now we have wonderful Sturgeist Foundation. Um Mary Eva Lamoru was $10 to Gibbs magnet for teacher appreciation. Then um there was a drive for this. This was the whole West High School boys basketball fund. was about their rings and um so that the boys could get their championship rings and the Bobby Bobby Portoris Foundation donated $1,000 and Gerald and Jacqueline sin at $200 for that that cause. Um the next one is okay. So this was the big guy. This was teacher appreciation which we will probably see much more of these in the next couple of months because we had teach teacher appreciation across the district. Um, but Jafare reported 14 donors. So, Walmart um gave $75 gift card. Cheddar Scratch Kitchen $40 gift card. Honey Bake Ham gave $200 in gift cards. Starbucks
011$250 in product. First Security Bank sponsored lunch. Target gave a $50 gift card. American Pie gave a $30 gift card. Taco Bell gave coupons. Miss Monica did uh donated $610 for lunch. Lessons for Life is their mentoring group. They did treats for teachers. Dollar General did $300 in product. Um, Arkansas Family Dental was $1,000 donation. Dent Doctor, $50 gift card. Texas Roadhouse 120 coupons. And with what they typically do at the schools with these is I think their drawings throughout the week to kind of keep up the momentum for the stu for the um educators. So um that was that was a good week for them. Miss Monica also gave $76 for Atlas test incentives. um the Irish Cultural Society of Arkansas, $100 to the band program at JAF Fair, $250 from National Association of
012Real Estate Brokers for the Lacy K8 band, and New Life Church donated a thousand to the Southwest High School band program. And to finish us off, we have one more slide. Um, New Life Church donated a thousand to Southwest High School Band. And wow, I can hear myself now. Uh $500 donation to the Southwest High School soccer team. That's Baseline Tires. Terry Elementary had four donations in the memory of Nona Grubs. The class of 71 was 200. Horse and Barbara Wiser was at 100. The Steelyard Incorporated was at 200 and Bobby Reese $50. Little Rock Reclamation Author Authority donated $1,000 to volunteers and public schools. and we had an anonymous daughter donors to the total of 3,600 that made donations to volunteers of public schools. So, lots to celebrate, lots of people supporting our students
013and staff and schools. So, we thank them all very much. All right, continuing with our celebrations for the month of May. It's May, right? Yeah, this is May. Um, so, uh, we had a wonderful celebration. Seemed like it was so long ago, but that was just a couple of weeks ago. We celebrated our, uh, employees during our annual Crystal Awards. Gayla, uh, Miss Regina Howard, a teacher at Metro was named our district overall teacher of the year. Uh, she is now pursuing the state title. Um, also congratulations to Mr. Don Kitchen from McDermott. He was selected as LRD employee of the year. Uh, so we want to congratulate them all. In addition to Miss Katherine Lesaring from Roberts Elementary, elementary teacher of the year, Diana Daniels from Palasky Heights Middle School teacher of the year,
014and Kelly Taylor from Hall West who was our high school teacher of the year. And for the first time, we also honor administrators and gave out various customer service awards as well. And I know the person who put this together failed to mention the inaugural Pam Smith Luminary Award, which we established in her honor. Um, so congratulations to you too, Miss Smith. >> We also just finished one of the most uh festive times of the school year. We had approximately 1500 seniors who graduated from all four of our high schools who walked across the stage and many of us up here got a chance to shake all 1500 hands on uh yeah, lots of hand sanitizer. So, congratulations to all of our graduates. We're happy to report this year that 20 um our graduates earn
015more than $20 million in scholarships this school year. So, congratulations to our graduates. As we do every single year, we also honor the top uh seniors graduating from all of our high schools, and we did that at academic signing day. A special thank you to Arvis Bank and Little Rock School District Foundation for sponsoring this event, as well as all the college representatives who was there who were there uh to greet their incoming freshmen. It was an awesome celebration and our speaker um it was funny uh it was my first time meeting her but her uh speech and my remarks um were almost >> Joyce Sakubin. Yeah, she's a uh one of the employees at the Clinton Center. But um our messages were almost synonymously the same. So congratulations to all of our seniors who
016participated in academic signing day. And speaking of scholars, way to go to our national merit scholarship winners. Uh this year we have them representing two schools, Parkview and Central. Um they were the among the honores who were uh acknowledged during academic sign today. The students you see here were selected from more than 15,000 national merit finalists nationwide based on their academic achievements. So we have Harper Finn Avery from Parkview and Abraham Baldwin Sedar Sedarin and Eric Tang from Central High School. So, congratulations to our National Merit finalist. And she did not see the celebrations coming in her future. I >> Well, yeah, I'll just leave that alone. Retiring principal Nancy Russo received the inaugural educator lifetime achievement award from the Clinton Center. And the proverbial cherry on the Sunday came during Central's graduation when I
017had the extinct pleasure of interrupting her during her uh speech during graduation to announce that the new science building that she fiercely advocated for um will be named in her honor. Um in addition to that uh the class of 2026 bestowed upon her an honorary diploma. So she is also a member of the graduating class of Central High's 2026. And if you've never paid attention to write uh write-on education podcast, please pay attention to the episode that we filmed yesterday with myself and Miss Russo. It was probably the first time that we filmed it where we didn't have to um we filmed it straight through. Usually we mess up and have to start over and and uh do retakes, but it was a very festa fun time. So, if you've never paid attention to our
018podcast, please make sure you check it out. I think it's coming out tomorrow. Pam, >> we'll let you know. We'll let you know when this drop. All right. In other news from Central, they had eight students to earn recognition in the 2026 National Council of Teachers of English program for achievement in writing. Two of these students earned the highest distinction first class awards for their exceptional non-fiction narrative essays. In the photo to the right, you see the outstanding choir students who earned selection to the 2026 Arkansas All State Choir, the highest statewide honor for student musicians in Arkansas. So, congratulations to those students. And I just heard today that um the boy state uh representative who was voted voted voted governor and I forgot his name, but he is a member student. What's his name?
019>> Rodri is also a student at Central High School who was elected governor today. >> Yeah. So, congratulations to him. I'm sure we'll be highlighting him very, very soon. In keeping with the musical celebrations, Parkview Choir also earned prestigious placement in the Arkansas Junior High All Region Choir, Senior High All Region Choirs, and the 2026 Arkansas All State Choir. Adding to the celebration, associate choir director Cameron Stillman was recognized nationally as SBO magazine's 50 plus music teachers who make a difference for outstanding leadership and commitment to music education. Congratulations to Parkview. And then very recently in the Sor magazine, they feature all of our valadictorians from all five of our high schools and they are featured here for your congratulatory applause. Very proud of Williams Magnet School. Their students represented Arkansas on the world stage
020at Destination Imagination Global Finals in Kansas City this past weekend, competing against more than 600 teams from 11 countries. And one Williams magnet team earned an incredible third place in the engineering challenge, while another team showcased outstanding creativity, teamwork in the technical challenge. So congratulations to the uh AI not AI team >> DI team from Williams magnet. And another impressive showing uh for the school district was demonstrated by the international collaboration between students at Chico. I believe it was fourth grade, fifth grade, I can't even remember. Fourth and fifth grade students at Chico um and their counterparts uh at an elementary school in England. They worked together to co-write a book that will be pub published in time for the Six Bridges Book Festival sponsored by Cows. This effort was in partnership with the city
021of Little Rock Sister Cities program and the Clinton School of Public Service. You would have been proud of our Chico students uh to see them at this particular event. So, congratulations to them. Early in the year, we recognized uh uh students at Little Rock Southwest. I think they had two students for the very first time. One student may we recognize already the first female student to earn an athletic athletic scholarship from Southwest. This is the second one. Um she is a student at Southwest. I'm trying to see the sport. Let me just read. Uh a big day for Little Rock Southwest High School as two outstanding student athletes officially signed to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level. Jordan Bowden made school history, becoming the first girls basketball player from Southwest to
022earn college basketball scholarship, signing with Millsaps College, and I believe the other student was golf. >> volleyball, volleyball, volleyball. And I forgot her name, but congratulations to uh Jordan. And no, this isn't AI. I actually hopped on a bike joining the students at Watson Elementary for National Bike Day earlier this month. It says this here. I didn't and I didn't break anything. I guess I'm supposed to say that. Um, thanks to support from a nearly $43,000 grant, students at Watson and a few other of our elementary schools will have access to brand new bikes, helmets, locks, and bike racks, among other resources to support healthy activities as we encourage our students to ride their bikes to school every single day. Congratulations to these talented Farsight STEM Academy students who were recognized as winners in the
023Crystal Bridges Haiku contest. as part of the speaking through the lens community art project. And in case you missed it, um, aspiring author and politician Landon Anderson from Palaska Heights Middle was featured on THV11. The story from the local affiliate was even picked up nationally by CBS Morning News. And we probably get Landon's we probably need to get Landon's autograph now. If you don't remember, he published um his first book and we've used him in several of our uh events throughout the district. So congratulations to Mr. Mr. Landon. >> All right, back to the Griffins. Oh, you scared me. Uh, >> what a season for Little Rock Southwest High Junior Kamora Garcia. Kamora captured conference and meet of champions titles in the 400 meter, broke the school record, and helped lead the Lady Griffin's 4x400
024relay team to one of the top times in the state. Your LRC family is so proud of you, Kamar. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU. AND BIG congratulations to the outstanding students from Little Rock Central who represented LRSD at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, competing against more than 2,000 students from around the world. Special recognition to Sedarth Sedarin, second place in category in $2,400 cash prize. Bennett Chin, third place in in doesn't say the category. And in I don't know what category it was, but he won a $1,200 cash prize. and one of our favorite dear students who is here in the room. Where's Tony? There's Tony back there in the back. Recipient of the Missouri S&T award and he won a $1,500 scholarship um from Missouri as well. So, congratulations to all three of
025those. Almost done, but it's good to celebrate all the great things happening in our district. As you can see from the images, the young the arts are alive and well in LRSD and celebrated. The 65th annual young artists young ar Arkansas artist exhibition continues its tradition of showcasing the creativity and imagination of students across the state and we are proud to see several LRC students recognized for outstanding work. Congratulations to Abigail Nari, first grader at Gibbs, Rocky Rocky Robot and Emma, I can't see. Oh, thank you. Abigail Narie, first grade at Gibbs, and her art project was Rocky Robot. I hope uh Emily Sanders, a second grader at Wakefield Elementary, and Emily's Emily's self-portrait. Uh Jamie is a sixth grader at Pinnacle View Middle School, and her uh art was splash splashtastic, surviving America. I
026need to start wearing my glasses. Um, Jesse Wang, seventh grader at Pinnacle View Middle School. She knew love first is his project. Lily Neil, eighth grade, also at Pinnacle View Middle School, Duchess Photograph, best-in-class award. Louise Elbow, 10th grader at Parkview. Um, and her art project was Nixie and Emily Lou, 12th grader at Little Rock Central High School, 10 Sons. So, congratulations to all of those students. Speaking of the arts, inspiring every great aspiring artist is one who teaches the craft. And we are proud to salute Little Rock Southwest Lani Harshaw. Miss Harshaw was recently named the 2026 fine arts teacher of the year by the Arkansas for the arts council. And if I'm not mistaken, this is the second year in a row. It has been an LRC teacher because I remember we awarded
027it to a teacher at Otter Creek last year. I cannot remember her name. And I believe Miss Harshaw is the very first visual art teacher in the history of this award who has won. So congratulations to Miss Harshaw. We rely on many partners to support our students and schools and that includes our substitute teachers. So we wanted to give a shout out to all of the hardworking substitute employees who show up day in and day out. The names you see a picture there. I cannot even see that here. Um represent individuals who work more than 20 days in April. So thank you for all you do. And we're also excited. Uh we are investing the future of school leadership through its new LRSD leads initiative, a bold hands-on program designed to grow the next generation
028of principles, assistant principles, and instructional lead teachers from right here within our district. It is a selective 10-month program. We just welcome our first cohort of uh LRC employees that you see here, and we will begin this 10-month program in just a few weeks. So, congratulations to um these employees and some of them are actually going to have an opportunity to uh get started a little early with their school leadership career as we are giving some of them an opportunity to become assistant principles this school year. So, congratulations to all 15 of our cohort one LRC leads. And if you paid attention to our uh most recent accountability score, Atlas score results, we have been commenting a lot about the achievement that we're seeing across our district. And a lot of it is because of
029these folks you see here. This is LRD LRD's teaching and learning department just completed its math model classroom teacher cohort 1, which just began last summer. These photos represent just a few of the participants. A more detailed story will be shared on LRC's website. The instruction for this cohort was led by a partnership with the district's math lead math leaders in school kit. The goal is to develop high yield strategies, community building, and math instruction in classrooms to support best outcomes for students. So, congratulations to these impressive educators who literally stayed the course all last school year. Last one, a highly anticipated celebration with the dedication of the gym at Merit Dr. Dr. Mary G. Lacy K8 Academy in honor of the legendary middle school coach Marcus Davis. You'll recall that the gym at Cloverdale
030had been named in his honor and when the school closed shortly thereafter, the district committed to dedicating the gym at Lacy in recognition of coach Davis's well established career and dedication to generations of LRC students. Right, that wraps up all of our celebrations. I do have one more that I just have to share. Uh last Friday um we uh received um the results of our OPA 21 assessment and that assessment is for all of our English language learners in our district and it measures and test their um acquisition of the English language and last year we made a lot of pro progress but we were still behind the state average in many different grades this school year um for the very first time in LRC history. I don't know if that's true but I'm going
031to say it. um I believe from second grade all the way to 12th grade our English language learners are outperforming um the state average in all of those grades and they're making enormous progress and so we are um excited and thankful for that as well. >> Thank you Dr. Wright for that. >> That ends our celebrations. >> Okay. Well, thank you that for that right now. Now we're going to move into our public comment. This is the place in the agenda where we hear from the public, parents, stakeholders, and friends of LRSD. We like to hear public comment regarding LRSD issues. We allow three minutes for public comment. Our responsibility is to listen to your comment. We are not allowed to respond or have discussion. Um, I'm going to try to read the fine print
032because I don't think individuals read the fine print when they sign. I know it's small, but I'm going to try to read it because I don't have my reading glasses either. >> Would you like to read that? >> You want me to read it? >> Would you? Thank you. Um, I don't have any yet. Um, it says, "There will be a three-minute time limit for each person who has signed up to speak. There is not an opportunity to yield to other speakers. Everyone signed up will be afforded three minutes. Please remember when speaking that we respectfully require that you refrain from negative and disparaging marks remarks against individuals. Please keep comments limited to the issue and respect the threeminut time limit. We strive to be respectful of all points of view and request the same
033during public comments. Thank you so much for your cooperation in advance. >> Thank you, director. >> I'll probably need readers in like a hot second. So, here we are. >> Linda Jenkins. >> Good evening, members of the board. My name is Linda Jenkins and I'm here tonight to discuss the major change to the eighth grade advanced placement criteria. My student is a straight A student currently enrolled in advanced placement courses and a member of the National Junior Honor Society. On the afternoon of the last day of school, affected students, about 30 of them, were called over the intercom, gathered to the middle of the school, and provided new schedules which indicated that they no longer qualify for advanced placement. They were instructed not to have their parents blow up the phone because there was nothing
034that could be done. These dedicated students deserve better than that. They deserved a professional and considerate communication, not an experience that left them feeling disappointed, singled out, and unsure of what they had done wrong. I had approved my child's advanced courses in April. So, I was concerned, and I reached out to the principal and the superintendent. I was initially told that the wrong criteria had been applied and it would be fixed. I was then informed that she did not meet the criteria, but she could take a new assessment test and if she passed that test, she would be placed into the class. So, let me be clear. An assessment after the fact is not a criteria. It is a barrier. I eventually learned that 60% of the new criteria is based on atlas scores, 20%
035on teacher recommendation, and 20% from the end of the year assessment that's offered after the parent challenge. These are the five criteria being used. This brings me to my second major concern, which is if the expectation is that atlas scores on a level four for advanced placement, then the curriculum should adhere to that. It should be impossible for a straight A student not to meet the criteria to advance to the next class. So I asked the board, was this policy brought before you for approval? If not, what corrective action will be taken to ensure that students are not harmed by unapproved or prematurely implemented policies? I'm asking that this new policy be temporarily rescended so that the administration, the board, and the community can work together through the details. District leadership can use the 2627
036school year to align the curriculum, revise the criteria to reflect the whole child, and ensure that any policy is transparent, equitable, and fully communicated with families. In the meantime, I am requesting that the board uphold the original schedules that families and schools together approved for these children. Families across LRSD deserve the transparent, consistent, and equitable placement processes, notes one driven primarily by test scores and implemented without communication. When communication breaks down, trust is lost and families start to look for schools where they can trust that their child is going to get the education. LRSD cannot afford to lose families over this preventable communication failure. Thank you for your time. >> William Holyfield, no comment. Kathy Cola. >> Good evening. Some of you thought I was gone. I'm back. Um, number two, a good teacher always
037has props. So, even though I retired last Thursday with my beloved 2026 Little Rock Southwest class, uh, I do have props and um, they are my heart. They will always be my heart. The only thing I asked up upon retirement was I had a lifetime athletic pass and event pass because I'm still going to be there supporting Southwest. So, I want to bring something up and I don't want it to sound 32 years of experience in this district being president of LEA for 10 years um working with seven superintendent during that 10 years and writing a lot of policy and being involved in a lot of issues. Something has always come back to me that I think it's time that we discuss. So, my props. Every time we've gotten a new superintendent, no offense, Dr.
038Wright, I like Dr. Dicki. He's fascinating. But I have two bags worth of materials with me that I didn't use and neither did anyone else I know. And I don't know how much this cost us, but I know some kids whose instruments could have been repaired, who could have, uh, by the way, uh, the Southwest girls wrestling team need uniforms that meet with the the national standards that have been put out. Uh, we need money for that. Um, I could think of a bazillion things that involve children. And I'm going to be really frank, this did not Dr. Dicki was so fascinating. The whole time he was talking with Dr. Right at the convocation, we're texting each other going, "This is great, but it doesn't go with wit and wisdom. They will not allow us
039to do this." When you have when you're dictating what teachers are supposed to be doing every minute of every day when they are teaching. So, as you go forward, when you make decisions, please make decisions based on what is best for our kids and their needs, because there are so many out in our district that are being ignored or we're losing one of the best damn band directors in the land because we can't provide them what they need. And I I don't know what to do with these materials. So, if you have any suggestion, please let me know because it doesn't do any good to continue to sit on a shelf. I wish you all the best. I really do. I wish Dr. Wright the best. My children graduated, one from Central, one from Partview,
040and we all know Cohen graduated last year from Southwest. He finished with a 3.72 and continues to be in the band at Alabama&M. And that is because he attended Little Rock Southwest, had the best band director, April Wright, and the best staff working with him. And I will be forever grateful for my 32 years with you all. Thank you, >> Miss Tiffany. Help. >> It's all right. My name is Tiffany Adlichka and my daughter is a sophomore on the Central Team. Um, I'm here to say that I do not believe that the short-term option being presented today is ready for a vote, nor do I believe that it actually protects the school district from legal action. Absolutely no details have been provided about the feasibility or the cost of physically converting the field in a
041way that is easily done on a daily basis. How much will it cost to create an easily portable 300 to 400 ft long outfield fence? What will a similar back stop wall cost and how far will it extend along each baseline? How much does a removable pitching mound weigh and how easily can it be transported? How is the baseball size infield turf going to be addressed? Or are the softball girls going to have to play with their bases inside of the baseball infield green? What's the maximum amount of money that the board is willing to allocate to these changes that are supposed to be short-term? And what happens if this plan is approved today and then the cost turns out to be too high? Not only are there no details about physically converting the space,
042but there are also no details about how the time sharing will actually work. I saw that the Aday and B-day rotating idea was removed from the proposal today and replaced with both teams will get an equal amount of evening practices. That sounds to me like there will be no consistent schedule at all. And have we considered concerns like is a JV or a freshman baseball game going to take precedence over a softball practice? What happens with rain outs and reschedules? Is there a maximum number of games that each team can schedule? If so, have you considered how restricting games will affect the competit competitiveness and equity of both teams relative to their competition? My point is, while I feel like sharing the field is the most title N compliant issue or choice, I do not
043think anyone has fully thought through the funding or the logistics of the plan. And once a plan is approved, it's out of sight and out of mind, and then both teams are stuck with something that isn't working for them. Please don't vote yes on a halfbaked plan. take the time to make sure it's feasible, that you can actually construct the things that you're promising, and that all the details can be ironed out. There is no rush. We have been dealing with this for 25 years. There is no rush to get it done today. As for the long-term plans, what has been added to the draft today sounds a lot like acknowledging our concerns and leaving them locked up in committee with excuses as to why you can't act immediately. The difference between the issues at
044Park View and the issues at Central is that at Central, the district made a negligent decision to rebuild a baseball stadium in the middle of the available space for an exorbitant amount of money after decades of already knowingly being out of Title 9 compliance. I fully understand that your funds are allocated, but this is an issue from the last millillage that you created and asking us to wait for the next millillage and not addressing it now is an unfair ask. Miss Belair, you didn't want to try again. My name is Blair Lichka and I'm back again to discuss the Title N concerns at Central. It seems as if the district wants to publicly praise us for raising our concerns and being brave in our and advocating voices, but at the same time, it seems like
045the district isn't truly serious about identifying the cause and committing to a real equitable solution. Central received an $80 million renovation from the last millillage and a large proportion of that went to the athletic facilities. As we all know, boys sports benefited far more than girls in these renovations. Central's new facilities include a 40yard indoor football field, a wrestling room, coaches suites, a turf baseball field, individual locker rooms for the boys football team, boys baseball team, boys track team, boys soccer team, and a visitor locker room that is also used by the boys. The single item in all the renovations that is used only by girls is the one locker room which is too small to be shared by the six girls teams that use the space. So my real question is why weren't the
046girls teams thought of when the plans were made? Who is being held accountable? And how will the district prove that equity is a priority? This board did not stand up for us when plans for the new facilities were approved and now is the chance to recognize these faults and provide us with facilities equal to the boys. For years, softball has been an afterthought, and the short-term solution being recommended today is yet another example of that. Sharing the field is certainly the most equitable of the options presented, but that doesn't mean it is truly equitable. We may be able to add a convertible outfield fence and back stop, but it's still a baseball field. Softball's base path base path will be in the middle of the green infield baseball green and our outfield will be in
047the brown base path which will create confusion for players making split-second decisions during the games. It'd be like playing ping pong on a tennis court. Not only will we have to deal with poorly modified field conditions, but we will also have to deal with the repercussions of the baseball community feeling like we took something away from them, which was not our intent. Unfortunately, some of these incidents have already occurred and have been documented. Sadly, the offenders have been adults, not students. How do you plan to ensure that this culture doesn't continue and that everyone is wor working working in the spirit of equity? I believe that the negativity is a direct result of the leadership neglecting girls sports for years and making it allowable to treat the girls with disrespect, just as the district did
048during the construction of the new athletic facilities. While the board says they are committed to a long-term solution, we also hear you saying that the long-term plan won't be ready for months and will require approval from voters. What happens when the voters deny the next millillage like they have many times in the past? The short-term plan becomes the forever plan and we're left playing softball on a field that was never intended for us. This is no way to represent a school that paved the way for civil rights and activism. Being out of compliance with a law that is meant to uplift young girls and make them feel like equals sends a message to every female athlete that we are not appreciated or deserving in the eyes of authority. A message that you are doubling down
049on after ignoring our needs with the first village. So, do the boys get the first $40 million and the girls will maybe be able to get some money someday in the future when the voters that you have no control over decide that we deserve it. Thank you. Benny Williams. >> Good afternoon, board. >> Um, I ain't got a speech or nothing wrote out. Just raw motion. Uh, I'm here to speak about the uh 2026 Central High uh graduation. uh what I'm calling the debacle. Um I just heard you say you you uh got a chance to shake every hand and everything. Uh got to see Miss Stansancy off and everything. I didn't get to see my daughter walk across the stage. Not in person. I had to me and my wife had to sit outside
050in the car and watch her on YouTube. Uh it's a moment I never get back. My son graduated from Central in 2020. You know why? I didn't get to see that in person. Uh it was taken away from that was taken away from me from a pandemic of a disease. We all know this time it was taken from me, but it seems like from a pandemic of negligence because it seemed like the same issue I'm hearing even from the police that was outside of the gates telling us, "Hey man, if I was y'all, man, I'd go ahead and get together, get a lawsuit because they keep doing it." This this is the city's police officers telling this. I I wanted to record them, but I didn't. and they would didn't mind me doing it, but
051I said, "Nah, cuz I don't want no retaliation on you guys or none of that. It's, you know, but I appreciate, you know, those guys out there cuz they were a help, you know, calming us down." And, uh, go on your website. Um, my daughter had to go through reading um, passive aggressive uh, uh, uh, slight racial jokes and things. Hey, they're always late and this and that. My daughter did everything right all year, all her whole life. We got there on time. We followed y'all's itinerary. We did everything right. Yet, we didn't get to see our child walked the stage. Now, when we this thing first started, uh, y'all did the celebration, a lot of agilation, a lot of, you know, and I like that. I support the school district and teachers. I'm the
052biggest supporter of that. All of the accomplishments. I love that. But now, with the same amount of zeal, I need y'all to accept some accountability for that cuz again, I'll never get that back. Never. My daughter never get the back. I had to look my daughter in the eye when she walked. We watched her on the stage. She walked by, called her name. You was up there with her. She ra she waved her hands not knowing that her parents was outside. When she got outside and saw us and we explained to her, I had to I had to hold my daughter up, both of us in tears through the whole night. You understand what I'm saying? And again, I will never get that moment back. She will never get that moment back. My wife will
053never get that moment back. So, I know the time is up, but at least I know y'all ain't supposed to respond. I know y'all ain't supposed to, but at least have some type of respect and accountability and look my daughter in the eye and and give her at least an apology. I mean men, women, some kind of apology. >> Is that sham shaman shame >> Shannon Williams? >> Okay. Um, is that Miss Terry >> Terry Williams? >> Okay. Miss Terry Williams. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Tyrion Williams. I'm here today to expand on last week's graduation as someone who not only walked that stage, but also witness all that happened for myself. Not that it's anybody's business nor concern. Nobody in this room could even fathom the things that my parents
054have done to put the things that they've put aside to make sure that I have qualified to even walk that stage. However, the message still applies. My main motivation that I'm taking with me throughout my secondary education journey is my parents. They're the main driving forces of my entire life. For as long as I can remember, all they have done is speak life into me. The least that I can do in return is to reciprocate and cultivate a life from my own from their own enrichments of hope, teachings, passion, and joy. For as long as I can remember, I believe that I it is my birthright to leave a mark in people's lives. I believe that I'll be engraved in so deeply into the earth's core to the point of remembrance. I'll be fossilized for
055everyone to remember with just my tongue because I believe that I have a life that was meant to be projected into this lifetime. I won't allow for people's incompetence, lack of empathy, privilege, and stubbornness to dip to dim that either. Luckily for me, I am strong enough to alchemize growing pains into newfound bliss. While my motivator motivators weren't able to see me walk that stage and while I didn't get to find a sense of relief that I've been fighting so hard for to earn for the past four years, it opened up a door for me to show why exactly I am so deserving of that opportunity and why exactly I'm deserving of that moment to be coined into my memory and kept as mine. So yes, I am hurt. Yes, I want to witness you
056do the same and have ego be put to the side and be replaced with accountability. Yes, I want to see better in the future, especially from a country built off of being everchanging. From someone like me being in the in the law book as being deemed illegal to work and possess knowledge to walking stages of many buildings and facilities. From ancient civilizations gazing upon the stars and celestial bodies above us with wonder to breaking the ozone itself, walking the moon. I've read far too many books. I've heard many, many stories and learned many, many lessons about possibilities. And the main takeaway that I've learned with pattern recognition and basic comprehension about possibility is that absolutely nothing in this world is impossible to accomplish. Therefore, with that being said, I am most certainly positive that there
057is a solution to this ongoing problem. If they're able to go from ancient civilizations to myth to mythology touching the moon goddess ourselves, then we sure can find a way to not only limit but prevent these things from happening again. We look back on the past and yesterday to grow and become better tomorrow. Me simply being a graduate from Little Rock Central High School should already give you a little preconceived notion about me. One thing that that high school has taught me is to keep up with the pace. My expectations are severely high after seeing the things that that school has has been capable of doing. All I've learned, breathe, and seen throughout these four years was change. We fought for our right to have studies of African-American history. We went through staying another 15
058minutes until dismissal. We lost teachers and protested against the government. We did things that basic civilians in America are too lazy and comfortable in their privilege to do. So no, I cannot accept what happened to let loose from my grasp so easily. After what that school has taught me and molded me out to be, I refuse to leave empty-handed. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss White. I get your first name. You weren't even gonna try. Uhuh. >> That's all right. That's all right. I am Casa, the one and only Tacas White. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Hello. Okay. I'm going to make this short and quick. I actually sent over a proposal and I'm just hoping that the board will actually consider it. Um, I'm pretty much we're pretty much the most known unknown group
059that I know, Boundless Creative Art Styles. We have done many many projects and um God gone above and beyond for Little Rock School District for many years. I would like to keep it exclusive with Boundless Creative Arts House for the Little Rock School District. We are currently um we do outsource with North Little Rock School District and Palaski County. However, uh I have been in the Little Rock School District now for over 15 years just for Little Rock. And I love Little Rock School District. I would like to keep it here and keep the program here. We give opportunities to many of our youth out here in this community in multiple communities and the schools on the secondary level. Um but and just to make it simple, I just hope that it's considered. Yeah, I
060hope everyone's having a great day. Bonjour, uh Kanya sea gamid, all the good things. Welcome. I'm hoping that you will actually look it over and consider it because it is a huge opportunity for many of our students. I was initially at Hamilton Elementary, excuse me, Hamilton Learning Academy, but that was not a large enough student population. I would like to reach each and every student that I possibly can, not just the one at a time. With that being said, I would like to give praise for the program as well because our banner still hangs in the Clinton Library as well um for our cultural awareness and world fest. In addition to that, we have a young man in a new partnership with a production company, Hard Works, out of based out of New York. And
061I'm actually trying to get more of our students, not just here in Arkansas, to just see Arkansas, to have the opportunity to really see the world. I'm currently working with the director for the uh for excuse me, the Giuliard Performing School of Art, and I want us to be able to partner with that. Where I go, it will go with me. And I just how that's how I look at it. I hope it's not taken the wrong way, but I want to give everyone opportunity. We're also working with BFM Productions as well with a youth mentorship, and we also gave a $1,000 scholarship. And that's okay. I don't I don't have to be on screen. Like I said, I'm the most unknown. No. But it wasn't about me. It was about the young man. He
062did receive a scholarship through our program, which is Pac-Man, and that is positive attitude control. He received $1,000 in the trade field. He will be attending a trade school for welding. We also work with White Electric as a partnership do as an apprenticeship for young men and women. Moving on. Um I could go on and on. However, I would love for you to check out the website. It is we ar1.org because we are one Arkansas. We are one community. And this young lady something that we're coming into new is called beyond the journey. Your journey is just starting. You have so much amazing potential and so much to look forward to. this one thing, you're going to look back and say, "Look what I've done, not what I went through." Cuz this is going to
063make I say this to all my students, this pressure that you have, I'm sorry, this pressure makes diamonds. You're already shining. Thank you, Laura Webb. Good evening. I am a softball parent and I'm back again. I am here today to express my disappointment in the recommendation that was shared in an email today um to our team. From the beginning, the district asked stakeholders to meet, provide feedback, and submit recommendations and preferences. We did exactly that. Unfortunately, this recommendation makes it feel as though the process was merely performative and that the decision had already been made regardless of our input. The proposed plan would result in tearing up a newly built baseball field, including portions that were funded through private donations. That is deeply concerning. It also creates unnecessary conflict between the baseball and softball communities
064by placing the inconvenience on both programs instead of solving the original issue. In fact, I feel as though the baseball team is being penalized because of the softball team and that hurts. Despite reassurances otherwise, many people uh or we our team believe that the plan ultimately means that there will never be a dedicated softball field because the district can now claim that well you already have a field. If that was the intended outcome from the beginning, then the feedback process was misleading and has damaged trust. I am also concerned about the district's repeated financial decisionmaking. Board members may rotate on and off, but the pattern of questionable spending priorities, questionable spending priorities continues. It is difficult to understand why a brand new high school without established athletic programs is receiving state-of-the-art, y'all words, baseball and
065softball facilities while existing teams are forced to compete for basic needs. If the school ultimately this new school does not meet enrollment expectations, these investments may prove premature. If finances are truly strained, why not delay building additional facilities there until they actually until they are actually needed and instead prioritize current students and teams who already require these resources. Additionally, uh the district should consider employing or consulting with someone who has expertise in real estate and land acquisition. There are available properties near Central and other schools that could be strategically purchased over time. Building a portfolio of land now would better position the district for future expansion needs, whether for athletic facilities or academic programs, instead of continually reacting after opportunities have passed. Many families, our softball family, participated in this process in good faith. And
066at this point, it feels as though our time and input are disregard were disregarded. I hope that the district will reconsider this recommendation and begin rebuilding trust with our team and with the baseball team as well. And might I say that this um I met with the CFO and the athletic director two years ago before the baseball field was ever built and yet no consideration was given to softball. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Miss Christa Ro. Okay. Um I didn't intend to speak but I'm going to go ahead and speak. Um because I also wanted to speak about the um Atlas testing criteria and the advanced placement. Um, so on the very last day of school at PVMS, kids were called over the intercom to come out of class. Many of them thought
067they were getting an incentive, called into the lobby, sat down, handed out new schedules, and told that they were being pulled out of their advanced placement, which many of them had been in GT in elementary school, have been in all the advanced placements. They're um leaders in the school. They've won many, many awards. My daughter has won second in the Carsef um science fair. Last year she won first place in the science fair in her um category. So then these children were told not to tell their parents to reach out about this. That is what they were told. Then they were sent back to class. And my daughter has told me that many of the kids were crying. They were very upset. They realized what had happened. and then on their last day of school
068had to go through the rest of the day of school and they come back home. Um I don't think that it was communicated well to anybody that this criteria was changing um in communication with principles, counselors and teachers over this last week. I've not gotten the same story from anybody. So they are obviously confused as well. my daughter's in the last week, my daughter's schedule has changed three times being placed in and out of the advanced placement classes. Um, I was also told that um, regarding the math, she's going into eighth grade, but they accidentally applied sixth grade rising to seventh grade criteria to them. So, they've had to go back and relook at all of those again. So, she was taken out of the algebra on accident because she was applied to the wrong
069criteria, then placed back in algebra, was in advanced English, has now been pulled back out of advanced English within the last week, um with no good guidelines from anybody. So, I've been called personally by counselors and principles because I'm this is my third child who's been through this school. So, I'm very close with all of them. Um, and there's a general confusion. So, because these were not the schedules that were signed off by parents, I'm asking that you hold off another year on applying these criteria. I do ask that you would please consider using the same schedules that teachers uh that parents have seen, parents have signed off on, parents understand, and that also um it be clarified in the future about what is taking place from personal experience. Um, this last one that was
070taken, my daughter scored lower on the last one, but she also had the flu. So, she didn't have fever, but she sent back to school to take this because the testing is important. But again, it is um the confusion and parents would have made different decisions. Thank you. >> Thank you, Veronica McClone. Hi. >> I'm sure some of y'all are used to my loud mouth, so I'm here to speak on behalf of the eighth grade AP issue. Um, or advanced standing issue. I fully support what they're saying and what their experience is. I'm very involved in public education policy and all of these things. I helped lead a coalition that tried to fight the access bill. That was the legislation that has now led to this. Um I had no idea that this was being
071implemented for the rising eighth graders until 2 weeks ago. And the only reason I even figured it out is because my son had brought home a letter that had all these classes that were not really what we had discussed before. And my husband unknowingly had signed that. And then later some friends mentioned and I was like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on?" I emailed my counselor, the school counselor I called. She didn't really even know and could not tell me why this was happening. Um, I had to tell her this stemmed from the access bill that became law. Um, that's not her fault. So, I think this is a district level issue. Not all districts are implementing this yet. Um, I don't know if y'all signed up for this or who made the decision to
072go ahead with this, but it's been poorly planned. Um, there's been no communication to the parents or the students. This is obviously causing harm. >> I'm I'm not as worried about my child in this. I'm worried about how this will be an equity issue down the road. I don't know how this is going to impact my child down the road. I don't know if we have one child at one school that qualifies for one class, does that child still get that opportunity? Are we going to take a teacher away from other students to teach one child at a nth grade level? And I think we're seeing that across the district, the criteria are not being applied in the same way. So, I really encourage you guys to take a beat on this. Um, we're going
073to have to continue, I think, putting some pressure on the district to try to make sure that this is remedied. Um, and I know that we didn't choose this, that this is chaos from the state. I know where this is coming from, but I want to see us do better with the implementation of it. Additionally, we are already going to have a huge mess on our hands when the third grade retention stuff comes down the pike at the beginning of next year. And then now we're also going to be dealing with a bunch of kids and parents in that are going into 8th grade not knowing what their courses are going to be. It's too much confusion. Let's take a pause and and see if we can do better. Also, let's get the gender equity
074issue right. HAPPY Robert Tucker. I'm not prepared as everybody else was. I wouldn't plan on being here today. I'm in the middle of planning um two week annual training up at Fort Chaffy. So, I'm been swamped with that. But once I read the email of Plan B option, um I had to make sure I made it. Um if you ask me, I think that's the worst option on on the docket. you know, you're uh you're handcuffing two teams, right? Um once the season starts, nobody practices because there'll be games every day, right? Now, both teams travel more because you're going to cut our our home games in half now, right? Um yeah, I can I can understand the um the need to share the field in offseason. you got there isn't any games during that
075that you know those months there there's plenty of batting cages to to share um or or or stack practice times during offseason once we start playing games um it's just going to be a headache you know so I I can only imagine what the scheduling is going to be like trying to schedule two teams uh conference games non-conference games uh like I said a lot more travel Um um the um um I don't went blank trying I was trying to come up with a good speech but I like I said I didn't have time. Uh I would just like to know the reasoning behind you know um option B. Um, I sat down with ads, come up with what I thought was was the best plan, not just for us, for the baseball team as
076well, because from the from the very beginning, we did not want to take away from the baseball team, and I thought I thought we made that pretty clear. Um, but that's where we're at, right? Um, so you not only have just one program strugg uh struggling, now you're going to create another another bump in the road for for another program, which to me is is definitely not the answer. Um, you know, we we asked for u a short-term plan, long-term plan, you know, tried I tried to do my best. Been with the team four years now, right? Been through what, three head coaches and I'm I guess I'm the only one left, right? uh as a volunteer and um which which says a lot there, right? Um and and not for me. I I I
077don't I don't want any any accolades on it, but you know, it's probably a reason why you've been through four different coaches since I've been there, right? Um once again, we do not want to take away from the baseball team. It's wrong. you know, dragging the mound and a so-called temporary back stop, which I've I've never heard of such. Don't don't think there's there there's a way to do it. You got you got to think you you're you're dragging this stuff on and off the field every day. Now, you're running a state-of-the-art field that's beautiful. So that's going to cost you more money in long run than just doing the right thing stepping up and coming up with a reasonable long-term plan. Might take a little bit bit of work, but I think y'all can
078come up with something. >> Mandy Miner, >> good evening. >> Hello. Um, I'm here to, um, my name is Miranda Miner and I'm the parent of an eighth grade student at Forest Heights STEM Academy. I'm here to tell you about my experience with the new access requirements for placing students in advanced classes. My son was enrolled into two advanced classes for the 25 to 26 school year in 7th grade, advanced English and advanced math. He was he has not struggled. He has made A's and B's. And when I received his schedule for next year, I took pause because he was no longer in advanced classes. I called and emailed my school counselor. She informed me during two phone calls that the new 9th grade standards are based on the Learns Act and and render him
079no longer eligible for the advanced classes for different reasons. There are three requirements, she explained. Students have to have two of the three requirements. Four is on the atlas for the last three years. teacher recommendations and good grades. He had the teacher recommendation for English but not the test scores for the last three years. It didn't matter what he was what it was the year, you know, this year he made threes and fours but the years prior he didn't do as well. So that meant he was no longer eligible for that. Also, she explained that the new eighth grade English didn't have curriculum in place. They were still figuring that out. But there might be an entrance exam if they came up with it. they hadn't had any direction from the district about it. So
080that the teachers were trying to kind of figure out their own test. But she said that if parents or if there was more direction from the district that they would let parents know of the teacher of the children whose were in limbo. As far as his math, he had the scores, but he didn't get a teacher recommendation. And so when I asked the teacher why he didn't get a recommendation, she said it was because he made a two on the fall atlas. Only the fall atlas was the score that she solely made her recommendations on. So you're telling me that all of the requirements are based on those scores. My son has a 504 plan in place because he has ADHD and autism. So, he gets accommodations for standardized testing to kind of allow him
081uh extra time because of his attention issues. I I don't have any records of any accommodations for those days that he was given those tests. Are the PRA are the fall tests? Do those adhere to the accommodations? You know, it's a it's a one day in a child's calendar. According to the access regulations that I found on the ADA uh website, there are four recommendations that they they like consider. Teachers recommendations, parents recommendations, test scores, and grades. I urge all of you to listen to the parents that have come before you today and consider pausing it because there need to be communications that go out. There need to be re uh requirements that are across all schools. And there need to be there needs to be cons some consideration for phasing it in in a
082logical way, not just dropping it on new class of eighth graders that have gone by a certain set set of standards up until now. Start with a group of six sixth graders who are just now getting used to the idea of advanced classes and the requirements that they need to meet to make them. I appreciate your time tonight. Thank you so much. Have a good evening. Thank you. Did I miss anybody? Okay. So, we're going to move on. Earlier we did a U suspend the rule. So, we're going to go to number 13, which would be superintendent comments and number 7.2 central softball recommendation. >> Excuse me. >> No, >> first it's just me. It's me and then consent. >> Oh, it's all right. I >> I had one public comment, but I'm going to
083make two. Um and so I'm going to ask those who make public comments around the acceleration advanced classes if you can just stay for just a second um because we um will partially try to address some of your concerns. Um, my first public comment I want to make to I'm sorry I can't >> the family's name here. >> Congratulations. >> I'm sorry, Mr. Mr. Williams and >> Terry. So, um before I can even leave, uh the gradu the last graduation ceremony that we had, uh my inbox was flooded um with emails from families and families and u loved ones of graduates who could not uh get into the graduation. And so I can tell you I am just as not just as but was devastated um by the fact that people we had people traveling
084from out of town who couldn't get in. um you may not have seen um everybody who reached out to me, I reached out to them personally um to personally apologize and to take accountability for um the fiasco that happened with graduation. I think the very next day I made a public um statement um taking full responsibility and accountability for what happened um with the graduation ceremonies. There were many different factors that contributed to what happened. Um but one thing that I personally committed to was to make sure that moving forward that won't ever ever ever happen again. I can't tell you how um I can't think of a strong enough word to describe um how I personally felt at the fact that we had people who u miss seeing their own children walk across the
085stage and like you mentioned today that you that's just a moment um that you can't ever ever get back. And so I personally apologize to you. I personally apologize to your daughter. And um we have never tried to uh run away from accountability with this this particular issue. Um we we faced it head on. we we you know for a variety of reasons some of which were beyond our control some of which were um in our control um our graduation ceremonies did not live up to the standard that they should have um and so we are going to put some things in place to make sure that that doesn't happen again moving forward so I just wanted to personally say that to you I couldn't respond to you uh during public comments but I wanted
086to say that before I move on >> secondly um there has been a lot of uh discussion around this um advance issue and acceleration issue And so my plan was to schedule a work session uh in our January meeting to discuss it, but I know because of all the conversation that I've been involved in the last couple days, I wanted um Lord my memory. >> Uh June. >> June. Okay. >> Kelly, what's your last name? >> Bale. Miss Bale. >> Miss Bale is our uh director of teaching and learning. I wanted her her to come up and as she comes, I want to say two things. So, I am still unclear around the various communication issues that happened at various schools. I can't speak to any of that at this point. Um, it's just too
087many varying stories for me to figure out exactly what happened, who said what, who got what information. I don't know. Um, but what I wanted Kelly to do today was to just try to explain um the changes in uh some of the the some of the changes at the state level that has impacted us and what we have attempted to do to kind of address uh those changes. Now, what has happened between our attempt to uh respond to some of these options and you know what what actually happened at school level, we've got to figure that out and we've got to fix it. And so I can't I can't make excuses for that. But what I wanted to do today was to at least paint a picture of what has changed at the state level,
088what we have attempted to do to address this particular issue. Um, and again, this isn't the work session that we're going to have next June at our June board meeting. Um, so this isn't meant to be a full conversation. So I know there may be some questions from board members, but but I don't want to make turn this into a 30-minut conversation. I just wanted you to understand from the state and the district level what's happening. Um, but we clearly have some things to fix in terms of the communication that has gone out to schools and the communication from the school level to parents cuz that's clearly an issue. But >> Miss Bill. >> All right. Thank you. Um, my name is Kelly Bell, director of teaching and learning. Um, as Dr. right shared and
089other people have commented on um the Arkansas Access Act was passed and uh Desi rolled out that um the initiative in late spring of last year. Um actually it was late spring through the AD summit which is hosted every July. Um by then master schedules are already in the works. um you know teachers are usually already hired so there were very very little things that we could immediately implement um based on the information that we gained around it but just to kind of give a overarching idea about if you are not familiar with the Arkansas Access Act um the intention is to push acceleration one of the intentions is to push acceleration down as low as fifth grade um to students we know that we did not have there were many barriers in place to
090be able to immediately implement um an initiative like that. Um prior to this initiative we already offer um accelerated classes in math and um which include a pathway to early algebra 1, a pathway to early physical science. Uh we have never had acceleration at all in um ELA. Um students have to take grade level sixth grade English, seventh grade English, eighth grade English. Some of the I think the miscommunication is in the titles of the um classes. We do have some named classes called advanced and a lot of times what that means is teachers are though they are using grade level standards they may be teaching at a higher level of rigor based on the students that are in the classes. um they used to be called preap, but we moved away from a few
091years ago using College Board in our middle schools. So, we no longer do advanced placement or pre-advanced placement courses in middle schools at all in Little Rock School District. And so, some of the barriers that we were facing um after ad summit and the launch of school, that was this school year. Um, so do we have certified teachers at the middle schools to be able to, you know, staff high school level courses? Do we have certified teachers in fifth grade that can staff sixth grade courses because certification is an issue? Um, clarity on multiple entry points to acceleration. So, um ensuring that parents know that if they don't get it this get an acceleration this time, that was their last time ever being able to enter um an accelerated pathway. Also, exit and entrance criteria
092for courses at every single entry point. Um our current criteria um that we allow into our accelerated current accelerated classes are outdated. So, th those are some of the things we had to review. timely stakeholder communication at the start of the courses. So these are things that we've been by district um committee and our content coordinators and along with myself um trying to work on to prepare for um some of this access fifth grade and above into acceleration. So the question really was posed, so if we have all these barriers, what are some things that we can do right now? And so in phase one, which I would say implemented the 25 and 26 school year, the first thing we could do, we already had existing concurrent classes. And so our concurrent classes uh prior
093to this school year were um a 4.8, right? This school year concurrent classes were raised to a 5.8. Um, so similar to your AP courses where students can earn a 5.8. That's >> Can you clarify what concurrent courses are and what level they are? >> Sure. Concurrent classes are only offered in the high schools. Um, and so that is where it was impacted in our high school courses. And concurrent classes are classes that are we have a partnership with um universities where students take a class a college level course um instead of a high school credited course but they receive high school credit as well as that um college credit. And this is also a part of the state initiative of um getting students ready for um in this case it would be enrollment of
094um uh second or um higher learning. Okay. So that's one thing that was done um because that's something we could do despite the barriers that I listed before. Um, the second thing that we have, >> can I interrupt for future for a moment? I just want to make sure everybody is clear that for and correct me if I'm wrong, what you're saying this year, we focused on increasing access to concurrent credit. And so we have more students in our high schools taking concurrent credit. Not only are we do we have more students, which that was already in the works for Little Rock School District is increasing concurrent opportunities, but it made it sweeter because they were they were as attractive as AP because AP a lot of the lure for that is it is a
0955.8 and a lot of students are trying to get that higher GPA and so now concurrent also is a five or 5.8 classes. >> Any other questions? Okay. >> All right. So the next thing um you know it is a nationwide initiative right now just to if if you keep up with um acceleration um autoenrollment is kind of a a a thing that a lot of um districts are grappling with right now and a lot of that is based on trying to increase access to learners who may not be tagged as gifted and talented may not be previously in an accelerated course um but they meet the criteria so they are not um tracked into accelerated courses but no matter where they are right now if they have the criteria they get autoenrolled into um
096opportunities for classes. So the other phase of or the other um action that we initiated which I believe is the crux of a lot of parent complaints right now is a one-time criteria as we worked on the big push to overcome the other barriers that I mentioned. um a one-time push and criteria for autoenrollment of sixth graders rising to seventh grade, which would increase the numbers of students taking algebra 1 and physical science. Um currently, we only have eighth graders that are able to take algebra 1 and physical science. This auto enrollment of the meeting of criteria actually increases those numbers by allowing seventh graders to enroll into algebra 1 and physical science. And then also which is the very new thing and I think probably the pain point based on what I'm hearing from
097parents is English one for the first time being offered in 8th grade um for rising eighth graders. So, um, just to be clear, cuz I heard some conflicting, uh, comments. So, I want to be clear that the spring 26 auto enrollment recommendations. There are, um, the recommendations from the state was for autoenrollment, they recommended a couple of years of Atlas level 4 data. We we also agreed that only using Atlas was not ideal to be identified as criteria um for students to meet the um meet criteria in order to go into these classes. So, um, as we, uh, worked by committee, we said, let's go to a criteria where there are multiple data points and students that meet four of those five data points are able to be autoenrolled. And once again, that was only
098intended for this school year. Okay. So, the first >> school you mean this this school year or the upcoming >> this this school year, the auto enrollment for next school year. Yes. Yes. for Yes. So for the fall they are getting enrolled. Okay. Good. Okay. So um spring 24 atlas data which was the first time students were taking atlas. So um first of all for clarity a level three is proficiency of grade level standards and a level four means that students are able to perform beyond grade level standards. Based on the description that I just gave, I want to make clear that just those three groups of students, rising seventh graders into physical science, rising seventh graders into algebra 1, and rising eighth graders into English one, those students, if allowed into those classes, means
099that they would be skipping an entire year or a year and a half of grade level standards. So that is one of the reasons why the level four is one of the recommendations because it is great when our students score level three but that is showing grade level proficiency. What we're asking students to do is go beyond grade level by entering a course that skips a grade basically and allows them to engage with standards that um they would have needed prerequisite standards to enter into. Okay. So in addition to spring 24 them scoring in the high upper upper half of level three of spring 25 level four spring 26 level four um a district created assessment that would show prerequisite knowledge for entering that English one course that algebra 1 course and that physical science
100course at a score of 75% mastery on those essential learnings for that prerequisite content or the teacher recommendation rubric score of a 10 out of 15. Um the what we have normally done for teacher recommendations is a yes or no. Um different from that we actually have a rubric where it talks about teach student work ethic and how they perform in class. you know, different elements of the teaching and learning experience that students engage in in the classroom that gauges the teacher recommendation so that we have more in um more reflection about how that um student operates as a student. Okay. And once again, why is this criteria for those specific courses for these specific students so rigorous? It's because students are skipping a year to a year and a half of grade level standards
101to enter those courses. Um, so we thought it would actually be beneficial to students to be able to show readiness instead of putting them in a class that they may not be prepared for when they don't have to engage in it. many cases this would be the first time that students have a creditbearing course which means it is a part of their high school GPA and I know that that is significant and so we don't want to we don't uh want to be hasty in putting students into courses that they are not ready for. Um, our current acceleration policy does allow parent recommendation, but when we um are allowing students to accelerate beyond a grade, which means um skipping a grade, we have always as district used multiple data points with that parent recommendation to
102allow that acceleration. So if a student came a parent recommended at third grade that they think the student is ready to move forward to fifth grade at the end of the third grade year we use multiple data points to determine yes if that recommendation upholds because we want to ensure student readiness. Um so I want to also note that existing accelerated pathways are still there that criteria was not touched. So, accelerated sixth grade math is at every campus. Um, sixth grade science, um, which is actually probably going to shift, but as of right now, sixth grade accelerated science is at every campus. Um, we don't have accelerated English. So, I think some of the discrepancy is in the language. Advanced and accelerated are two different things. Advanced classes are what I described before. When a
103student is in regular eighth grade, they are engaging in eighth grade standards. If they are in advanced eighth grade, they are still engaged in eighth grade standards. If they are in eighth grade English one, they are engaged in ninth grade standards. Okay? So when I use the terminology accelerated, I'm speaking about a course that has more than just that grade level standards. So our current sixth grade, excuse me, our current sixth grade uh math is actually a combination of sixth grade standards and some of our seventh grade standards. Our seventh grade accelerated math is a combination of seventh grade some of the standards and eighth grade standards. And that pre properly prepares students for algebra 1 >> but >> in eighth grade that is the existing pathway. I'm just using math as an example. Students
104are not skipping content. They are just moving more quickly through the content so that they can enter 8th grade algebra 1 whereas they would traditionally enter algebra 1 in 9th grade. So and our curriculum maps show that. So in the current one of the reasons why we have the criteria is because we are letting students from sixth grade go into a a ninth grade course. So they just finished sixth grade, they're rising seventh grade going into a ninth grade course. Ninth grade course. So this criteria is about a rising seventh grader going into a 9th grade course. This criteria is about a rising 7th grader going into 9th grade algebra for one or ninth grade physical science. I believe some of the confusion is the pain point is around communication. I have met with our
105school counselors and our instructional lead teachers who receive spreadsheets to collect student data to ensure that we were actually looking at the data and not arbitrarily placing students because that is an equity issue. If one campus is using data to make drive their decisions but another campus is using a different method of driving decisions, I think about equity across our entire district. And can I interrupt you for just a second? I want to establish and tell me if I'm correct or incorrect. >> Yes, sir. >> Currently, prior to prior to right now, this moment >> did any of our middle schools have uniform processes for determining who got into advanced courses >> on We do have that's what I said. The criteria is outdated. Um, I will say that I know that some campuses have
106implemented waiverss, but that is not something that is used districtwide. That's what I was trying to say. >> And I think that is part of some of the miscommunication that has occurred um with parents because it feels like the waiver option is being taken away. But let me be clear, a waiver um for a preap, which College Board does promote, preAP classes are not in middle school. PreAP courses are only offered in high school. AP courses are only offered in high school. So, College Board is not actually utilized in middle school. So, that's number one. Number two, if a if a child is um in a sixth grade regular class and a parent wants to recommend no, I want my child in a sixth grade advanced class. Those are the same standards. So yes, a
107lot of times schools have traditionally honored a child being wavered into an advanced class, which once again those standards are the same. Okay. when I'm talking about grade level standards. So children are I believe that is the intent of the waiverss that were being used at some of the sites is for a parent to say despite teacher recommendation which is yes or no right a fifth grade teacher allowing a kid to go into sixth grade or a sixth grade teacher allowing this I mean recommending a child going to seventh grade may say no I don't recommend this child to go into seventh grade reg um advanced I I recommend commend them to go into regular. Then a parent can say no, my child can be with the advanced course. Both of those courses though are
108seventh grade standards. So that's why there is no waiver for these specific courses because in those cases you're waving within the grade level standards. You can't wave a kid across and skip into another grade level. that's never been a part of our district policy. >> So again, the point here, we know we have some things to work out and so this isn't um and I'm not actually that's not my place to say, so I'm going to be quiet. >> Yeah. Are you finishing? You guys have any questions? Bali? >> Yeah, I I don't have a question. >> Sure. >> Um but just just a comment uh mainly to the board. Um I don't know the exact roles and responsibilities uh what our legislative liaison does, but I think it's very important. I know that the
109district won't endorse or advocate for against a lot of these bills during the legislative session, but I think it's very important that even if we're not tracking bills during the legislative session, when certain bills like this access bill, which it does a whole lot beyond this AP stuff with students rights, DEI, truency, all those different things, I think it's very important that we communicate how these laws will impact our district because uh a lot of these bills with these fluff titles confuse parents and they think that uh well this this sounds great and it does do some there are a lot of pros but there are a lot of cons as well too. So, I think that going into this 2027 legislative session, if there was some type of way we could communicate to parents
110without being partisan about what the how these bills will impact our students in the in the district so that they understand what's coming down the pike and uh we can prepare better for the upcoming school year because like I said, a lot of times these bills are very confusing, especially with a bill like omn omnimous bill like this with over 100 pages that they try to push through in less than 48 hours. So, uh, if we could just do a better job to help the parents because, uh, it's a privilege to even be at the capital to understand what's even going on during the daytime. And I know our parents are hardworking during the daytime. So, I'm just making that suggestion. is something that we could do with the legislative li le liaison and not
111to add work because there are so many nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups that break down bills daily and that's what they do all session long and so partnering with them to explain to the public what actually is happening because I know parents get upset when it's already signed into law and we got to change just like that and that's the reason why we sitting here with seven members right now because of this bill too it downsized our board which gave us less representation in the district. That's all I got to say. >> Yeah. What I what I would like to acknowledge from parents um is that we did not communicate to parents what uh this year's auto enrollment was. I think we underestimated because we knew it would be a very small population of students
112um that would be impacted. We're talking about students that criteria is very rigorous. So just based on looking at our data, we knew that there would be a very small population on some campuses, no students at all, if I'm being completely honest, that would be ready to jump a grade level ahead. Um but um I think that that would have been preventative to to share with them what the auto enrollment was. Um and this was new for our counselors. It was new for ILTS. There probably was some missteps in communication. I heard some of the comments around >> probably >> um around well we made a mistake or we didn't. I just ask that our staff is extended grace um as well because it it was new for them as well despite the many collaborations
113that we had to prepare to um get students data together and place them appropriately. >> Director Strong. Um, thank you so much for this very thorough explanation. I did not personally know the difference between advanced on grade level and accelerated above grade grade level. Um, it makes a lot of sense now that you explain it, but I've been digging and trying to find all of the rules from the state that outline all this and when they were put out and um, it seem it is complex. So, thank you guys for working through it and thank you for acknowledging some communication challenges in this. Um, I do have one question for you. Um, can there still be advanced classes? And I ask this because I think there is a big difference between a kid who is
114maybe struggling to pass and a kid who has a very high three on their on their atlas and has made straight A's their entire life. I think and putting those kids in the same class by the time we get to our upper middle school grades when there have been differentiated levels of classes seems to be if I'm I think that seems to me to be the biggest concern I would see as a parent. So are there ways we can help ensure that there is some stratifying of of kids into those classes? Um the answer can yes. Okay. I would say some additional challenges to consider for different campuses >> are the number of staff members they have to teach multiple preps as well as um do you have enough students >> in each of those
115areas that those classes would create. Um and that's going to vary depending on what campus that you're on. Um, so it's no different than the way we offer some classes at Central that we may not offer at another campus. So the can yes. >> Okay. >> Um, so my followup to that, if the answer is yes, we can, >> what do you need from the board to put that structure in place for next school year? if there if if there are certain criteria met like you have enough students to make a a class or you have the teaching capacity. I just think this is I know our middle schools are already a place where we struggle a lot with retention of families and I think this is a >> let and thank you to all
116the families who are in middle schools here. >> That's one of the reasons why we did the auto enrollment this semester. One of the concerns we had as district is if other districts were allowing seventh graders to now enter algebra 1 in physical science and allowing eighth graders to now enter English one and we did not. Right? I just want to share that was a a discussion point. Then if we did not offer that then that would be a reason and we I've seen personally in a site where we didn't offer something they pulled their kid and sent them you know put them somewhere else. So that's something that we're considering >> for those kids who are able to do that for the accelerated piece that's great but for kids who aren't checking the boxes
117on that criteria and I will also just say I mean at those are the three years I believe that the Atlas test has been in existence. We have a a sixth period day for um our middle school schedules and we have staff and so they that exhibits you know depending on what is being offered at each campus cuz we do have some specialized offerings depending on our uh campuses that can be more of a challenge or less of a challenge to allow more and more different types of classes at a at a site. So I don't have a blanket answer. It would definitely have to be a sightby-sight conversation because a a campus that has 350 kids has a different set of master scheduling challenges than a campus that has a thousand kids, right? They
118both may have challenges, but they are different challenges, right? >> So, capa I mean capability, yes, but the challenges that those campuses might face allowing multiple types of classes vary. >> All right. If I just would love to circle back to the answer to that question. What do you need if anything from the board to make that a reality? Is your policy currently allow everything you need to do >> or do you need any policy changes from the you've referred to policy a lot. Thank you. Um but do you need anything from us to make that >> not currently? Um but we will be presenting our actual changes in acceleration criteria that goes from fifth grade to 8th grade that we are proposing to be um working on the criteria exit criteria flowcharts entry points
119those are things that we've been working on all year trying to prepare for 2728. So those two actions that we did was just for this year and next year, those two small actions, but we have things that will come before the board for the overhaul based on the Arkansas Access Act >> for the accelerated. >> Yes. >> But can we for 2017? >> Can we include advanced in that as well? Some of our campuses, I can't say all cuz I I haven't looked at all the campuses master schedules, but I do know some campuses offer advanced in all content. And >> I know I've heard a lot about from art my zone about this. So anyway, I I just want to make sure that is part of the discussion because I know a lot of
120families are worried about a lack of that. So thank you so much. >> Thank you, Miss Dr. Wright. >> I don't know if I was following this conversation because I think my question is maybe the same thing you asked, but I'm not sure. But I'm gonna ask in anyway and and I don't know if I was trying to play telepathy with uh >> my question is can there still be advance? >> That's what that's what I was gonna ask. It's >> the answer is yes. >> When you mentioned that there we still are offering advanced classes. There were some rumblings from the audience as if that's not the case and I was just trying to >> whether to be told >> but but I but I >> I I would say if a campus view
121offering >> which is why I can't I'm not going to blanket say every campus can do it. Sure it's great. It's a like if a campus decided that they looked at their data to see how you know their the teachers that they have, the teachers that are certified, how many preps they could offer and their master schedule to make that decision. So, for example, um if a campus offered Spanish, >> right, >> and and and French and then they had to stop offering it is usually because they've looked at data. They are looking at the certification of the teachers in their building. It's multiple data points that go into why a campus may or may not offer something. So, what I don't want to do is misspeak. core classes. >> What I don't want to
122do is misspeak as to why we're not we may or may not be offering at a specific campus eighth grade English regular, eighth grade advanced English and English one for eighth graders. So I don't have that data to say why that specific campus may or may not be offering it. So, we call >> So, what we are going to commit to do is I I've learned some some things that were new tonight that I didn't know before, but what we're going to commit to do between now and early next week is confirm right now in terms of what's being offered on each campus, right? Um so we can conduct some type of audit to know and then if there is a possibility looking at the looking at students needs and course selections and all that
123all those things >> to see how many opportunities we have to offer the advanced courses for those who may not qualify for >> may not qualify for English one but advance might be more appropriate. Once again, I don't want to speak on a building's behalf um to make that decision, but I'm happy to collaborate with them to problem solve. >> And maybe we need to standardize what advanced means also >> because I thought I I thought I heard that if you are advanced, you said you don't have preap, right? >> No. >> And then if you're in advance and then if you're in the in the standard, it's all the same. So let the advanced language came from when we shifted away from I was a pre-AP teacher in middle school in Little Rock school
124district. Okay. In the seventh grade I taught preap 7th grade math. So at one point we did have preap in middle school. We shifted away from some years ago shifted away from offering preap in middle school. And I think that's what some of the residue of language that people are still using the word advant. So we replace those classes because stakeholders said we still want students to have another place to go besides just a regular class that offers grade level rigor. So we offer regular and we offer advanced. In addition to that in certain content areas it's never been in English before. We also offered accelerated which that's the biggest difference was those classes were standards at grade level plus. Okay. So that that was kind of the divider. These classes are grade level. These
125are grade level plus classes. So the that's the difference between some people are using advanced and accelerated interchangeably and they're not interchangeable. I think, correct me if I'm wrong too, but I think you were asking if an if a regular class and advanced class is focusing on the same standards, what differentiates it? Is that what you were asking? Yeah. Can you >> That's what I thought. Yeah, that's what I thought. I heard I'm like they're the same. >> Is making something uh really making it more complicated than it had to be by by really putting a title on something. >> Exactly. That's what I'm that's what I'm going back to. like if we're going to discuss >> having a advanced class but it's the same >> right >> what's the point >> I know I
126came up to support my colleague but also >> excuse me can we just hold off a minute >> okay thank you >> so I'm Jennifer Thomas the secondary advance coordinator and for since 2016 I've worked with advanced courses and GT courses in the district the advanced courses the teachers had to go through certain training, specific summer training, laying the foundations training and different aims training that taught them how to teach more rigorous. The state also offers a differentiation class that we ask for them to take so that they can teach at different levels through advanced classes. They also send in differentiation documentation every nine weeks to me so that we can make sure that they are differentiating in that class and offering more rigorous work. and we accept that and the state monitors it. That's
127what advance >> for pre is for middle school. Now preap, everybody wants to still use that term. But when she mentions college board, college board copyrighted the term preap. That is why we cannot use it. It's not that we're trying to play tricks with words. I heard that as well. Um, PREAP is is owned by the College Board and they only offer through their curriculum that we have to purchase or receive free if we have a certain amount of AP courses to even offer preap. And right now, they're only allowing us to do preap 9th through 12th grade. Okay? And it's a it's a certain select courses. Um, this information is also on the advanced academics website. And I just wanted to step in right there for that. As far as that, she did explain
128what the state told us about acceleration. We did not have options. I will say that they told us the grade, the skills, how it needed to be compacted and we started to try to together as a team create multiple criteria. I spoke up, everybody spoke up for multiple criteria. I do believe there is a communication issue that happened with these parents and I empathize with that. >> Okay. Uh >> Adams, thank you. Thank you for the explanation and for the time before this. It's really an important thing I think for all of us here and in the community to try to understand. I don't think it's simple to try to to make sense of it. And if I'm a parent, I think I'm really struggling to figure out if my child makes all the A's
129and what's the difference and um so and how do I tell if my child is is ready for an advanced or how do I tell if my child is ready for accelerated which is particularly a new thing at this level. So, this pushes my button from a past soap box that I've I've had in the past that I just want to bring up again because it really makes me wonder again about standardbased feedback for families as opposed to grade feedback for families because I I I think that if you're trying to understand, you know, um if if your child is making all A's and has always made all A's, then it's understandable Why I think I think think well why my kid's probably smart enough to do that and and is ready for that but
130they may not be at a place where that's the appropriate level and I wonder about you know if more of a standard based and more sophisticated feedback mechanism for kid students and for families would in the long run be helpful and help to prevent some of this kind of confusion going forward and I understand from the comments and discussions we've had in the past. That's a big change and and it it takes time to do it. But this this example to me raises that concern again for us to think about that so we can communicate more clearly and helpfully so that we can really provide what a student needs where they are because there nobody wins by putting a student over their head and and in a place where they're going to struggle and they're
131not ready for it. That's that's not a win. It's also not a win if you have a student who's really ready for it and and has shown it and and we're not able to to meet them where they are. And so we and it's not a win if we do any of that and we don't help the f and families don't understand because we don't do a great job of communicating. So, so there's a lot of things for us to think about. >> I just want to say something. Um when rules are passed down, when legislation, when they do laws, we have to abide by those laws. We don't sit here intentionally and try to harm or hurt nobody's child. We may have a little heat up, but you know what? We got to figure
132it out. And we need you to help us do that. But you have to also understand everybody is in a different building. And that different building, that makeup is totally different than another building's makeup. So what you're probably experiencing is something that's probably going to be worked out. What another building is experiencing is probably something they're going to work out. So, if the law said you must do this, this, this, this is what we have to do. Now, I'm thinking I got it figured out because when my son was in middle school, he did preap, but I said, "Why don't you just do a regular geometry class and let me see how you like that?" Cuz I was just trying to slow him down a little bit. He said, "No." He said, "I went straight
133to the counselor." He said, "I cannot do the regular." He said, "They doing the same thing I'm learning in the preap. They're just moving at a slower pace." So I don't think you can take anywhere from that. It's just kids move a little faster than other kids. But what I'm trying to say is that we are not trying to harm your children. We are not that is not our intent. We just need you to be patient with us. If you have any ideas or any information you want to pass that will help us, we really would appreciate it because you know what? We're here for the best outcome of our children for all children. And you know sometimes people throw this shoe at us. Ad I mean sometimes I think a group just need to
134go down there and talk to them. You need to say hey look you're harming you're harming our children and we need you to stop. But when they pass it down to us, we have to abide by it. So just stop thinking that we're here to hurt your children. We're not here to do that. I promise you we're here to help. Okay? So just be patient and let the pro the process has got to happen. It's going to happen. So just be patient and let it happen. And if you need to intervene, then you need to intervene. Now the miscommunication, I have no idea where it's coming from. I mean, your school may be saying one thing, another school is saying another thing, then you come down here and then you hear another thing. So sometimes
135you just have to be just wait just wait and see what's going to happen. >> Well, I I this is my first child and I did wait on my first child and he ended up in the wrong math class and he's had to make it up. Okay, you're not really supposed to respond. Um, I understand that that that was an issue you had to deal with. Most parents have issues they have to deal with. I get that part. Okay. But overall, what I'm saying is that we're not here to harm or hurt your children. We're really trying to get past what it is that we need to get past. And we really would appreciate if you guys would help us with that and be a little patient. Did >> you have something you want to
136say, Dr. R? I'm ready to move on. >> All right. We gonna move on. as we're moving on. We are committed to going back and fixing these communication issues. So, and we're going to keep figuring this out until we get it right. So, I I don't want to leave it open-ended like we're not going to do anything. So, I appreciate everybody who came to to offer comments. >> Okay. District committee report certified PPC. Oh, >> wait. Are you talking about No, you're not talking about soft. I'm so confused. This was Okay. I won't be long. Good evening to each of you. >> Um, last Tuesday we had um certified representatives from elementary, middle school, and high school. And we actually had a very productive um dinner with Dr. Right. And Miss Gurges where we really
137just kind of came together to see how that we could bridge a way to work together so that we don't feel like us versus them and that we can all be a we. And so I think we had some um productive conversations. We were able to just kind of share some things with Dr. Wright. Um which prompts me to thank you for the email as it relates to looking at other ways of looking at our recommendation process. I think we all can agree that at the end of the day, a staff member shouldn't find out they don't have a job by a coworker calling them or not seeing their name on the list. So, I do want to thank you for um even considering us coming together to see how we can um do a
138better job at the recommendation process. The PPC, we did meet on May the 11th. We did talk about um the 3.46 46 certified personnel um vacation language as well as inclement weather language. We didn't take any decision or um any position on either one of those as of yet. Tomorrow the small committee will meet where we will finalize the language that we've been discussing as it relates to the inclement weather policy. We're also going to have to deal with some language as it relates to notification of teaching assignments um because we have the teachers at hall who are scheduled to teach both virtual students and face-toface students and there's going to be um a conflict with one of our board policies. So we're going to look at that language starting tomorrow morning as well. So,
139the PPC, we will reconvene on Monday, June the 8th, where we will actually take action on the inclement weather proposal as well as the um certified personnel vacation language that has come before us. And that is it for my board report. And I do just want to um just a quick point of personal privilege just to say thank you again to those of you who were able to come to Lacy to help out with the mock interviews. The kids enjoyed it. Um, and I just want to say thank you for that. It means a lot to me. >> You know, you have I mean, your kids are on point. They are so confident. >> If I had a place to hire all of them, I would. I mean, they are so right on with that.
140And you're doing a great job with that. >> Thank you. I appreciate it. >> You're welcome. Thank you. >> Classified PPC. >> They're not here. >> Not here. Principals roundt. >> Not here. Superintendent Student Advisory Board. >> He's always here. Yeah. >> Happy summer. >> Not fun yet. >> Oh, >> good evening board members. >> Hello. >> Good evening. >> Think y'all are very tired, so I'm going to make it quick. >> Thank you. >> I'm Tony Hart and I'm pleased to share with you the Superintendent Student Advisory Board 10th and final reward report for this school year. Now with some celebrations. First, the Little Rock School District has completed a successful school year. YAY. Senior Zoe Shepard won the Lit Rock PTA council scholarship. Senior Daniel Co and eighth grader Insten Tang won the
141essay contest for essays they wrote about staff members who inspires them. Congratulations to seniors Daniel Curo, Michael Moore, Key Weston, Amaya Brown, Ray and I Bulock, Mitchell Bordalon, Annayiah Ketchum, Zaniah Hawkins, and Zoe Shepard for graduating. These seniors from the board are headed to schools such as UCA, Howard University, Ur and Chicago Dominican University. At our final meet meeting, we took time to provide and feedback and suggestions. We also appreciate the opportunity for our voice to be heard heard and know that it comes with a great responsibility to be reflective and look for more ways to improve. Some accomplishments we had this year were highlighting the student body, our student leadership institute, presenting at the urban public school conference this year in Philadelphia, showing the student voice was a decision with Inner Peak, creating our
142first social media accounts, having a polished active web page which can be found at lrc.org/sab /sab finding better ways to inform students about resources and highlighting the accomplishments of school students and schools and speaking to the guidance and wellness committee. Some of our goals for next year are continuing to promote ourselves by using our website and social media page and also improving our application and membership process. We'd like to structure our meetings so that both middle and high school members are at every meeting but for certain conversations. The group is split so that all voices can be heard and subjects that defer for school levels can be given appropriate attention. Our members who are returning will be communicating over the summer to help us plans help plan our meetings for the year. We plan to
143return in August with a meeting schedule for the August through December which includes department staff members and guests who will join us for each meeting. Some of the guests whom we wish to include and engage with at our meetings in the future include but are not limited to school school board members, the superintendent, assistant superintendent, finance, athletic director, special education, career and technical education and teaching, learning and volunteer and public schools, multilingual ESL services, safety and security, and the lit rock police department. Thank you current board members and past board members and superintendent Dr. Jamal Wright. We value what you bring to the table and how excited you are to collaborate with the superintendent student advisory board. We can't wait to see you next year. Thank you. >> Any questions for me? >> No, you're
144good. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Have fun. >> Also did win ISA. So, >> okay. Consent agenda. The chair will entertain a motion. I move that the LRSD board of education approve the consent agenda items as follows. 5.1 personnel changes. 5.2 round four personnel recommendations for 2627 school year. 5.3 April purchasing reports. 5.4 donation of property. 5.5 community service learning applications. And 5.6 2627 board meeting dates. >> Second. It has been moved and seconded that the LRSD Board of Education approve the consent agenda items as follows. 5.1 personnel changes. 5.2 round four personnel recommendations for 26 2026 through 27. 5.3 April purchasing reports. 5.4 donation of property. 5.5 community service learning applications. And 5.6 6 2026 through 2027 board meeting dates. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any oppose? >> Vote carries.
1456.1 AP. >> This is Oh, I'm sorry about that. >> No, it's okay. >> All right. Um, so this is the central softball recommendation item. I'm going to ask uh Coach Turner if he can come up. um cuz I'm sure I am going to need you at some point to clarify a couple of things. I want to um I want to start off by saying um a couple of things. Number one, uh I want to be super super super clear to folks who are in the room and folks who are listening um and watching later, myself, this administration, and I believe this board, I can't speak for the board, but I'm going to take a leap and speak for this board. Um, and they can correct me if I'm wrong. We, everyone up here is
146committed long-term for a long-term solution for Central Softball to have its own facilities. I'm going say that again. We are committed to ensuring and making sure that Central softball has its own facility. The problem is we can't do that tomorrow. And I think that is been one of the biggest um one of not the only but one of the biggest pressure points for people is they want us to solve this multi-dead long issue and we want to solve it as quick as possible but it's not going to be solved next school year. There's a lot of things we have to do and it's listed uh some of those things are detailed in the long-term commitments um in this document. things that has to happen before we get there. Which is why our message has been
147since this issue has been brought to this administration is that we have to figure out the best short-term solution while we work on what we're committed to do. And the challenge is, and I hope I don't get into trouble for saying this, um, up until I would say this is I'm going to speak for me. up until this week. Um, I have been listening to every piece of feedback um that I have seen, every email that I've gotten, every conversation that I've, you know, heard from coach McGee, from Coach Turner about the the meetings that's been happening on campus. And I was even up until this week like if they want us to, you know, commit to fixing up Interstate Park and they use that for their games and practice, let's go for it. Let's
148do it. You know, that would make it much easier for for all of us. What has and what is complicating that is the fact that we have to look at, you know, title N issues and for us at this point because we hear it from the feedback. I heard it loud and clear from the feedback that that came to us this week from various people. You know, we hear that none of these options are sufficient. And because none of these options are sufficient, you know, we still have all these Title N issues that we're not addressing. And so my perspective changed because I'm now looking at what's going to number one help us to rectify the inequities that are currently happening between girls softball and boys baseball. What short-term option is going to get us
149to rectify most if not all of those issues so that we don't have this looming worry over our shoulder about somebody trying to sue us for not um as quickly as possible addressing these needs. And so that's why we're recommending option two. I want to be clear, option B. I want to be clear that's why that ended up being the recommendation. It's not that we're not listening to feedback. It's not that our whole feedback and and asking for recommendations was performative. As I heard someone say earlier, that is strictly not the case. I have personally spent way too much time on this issue the last two months to be wasting time playing with people asking for feedback and we're not and we're not seriously listening to it. like I I don't have no one around
150here has time to be going through the motions especially for an issue uh such as critical disase. So I want to make sure that that is that is that that that's understood. Secondly, we have done a lot of and I'm going to ask Coach Turner to speak to this. We've done uh a lot of preliminary research on what it will take for um the field conversion and in the recommendation, you know, it clearly states that if we get to a point, I think the only thing that we were kind of on the fence was the bike stop issue and I know you're going to speak to that >> stop. Um, but if we get to a point and figure out that there's no way that we could do this in a way that we can,
151you know, set up and break it down in a way that it will work, then we'll go to option C. Um, but I wanted coach Turner to speak a little bit about the some of the work and um, information that he and others have found out about the process to convert the field. I'm not going to even try to do it, so I'll let you do that. >> All right. Good evening. Um, so just as Dr. right said we are committed to doing what's best for our student athletes. I have not even finished my first year yet uh in this role. So as I told the parents, you know, judge me based on what I do moving forward. Um but we are committed. Um c certain things on the field is it's going to be
152easy. Uh putting the fence out. Um it's not a hard task. Um now breaking it down day in and day out will create some issues, but we are we are committed to making it happen. Um my team uh is going to take care of that. Uh we may have have support from our maintenance uh uh from uh Mr. Ellis's department, but we're committed to taking the onus off the student athletes and our uh team taking on that. Uh the mound is another issue. Um it is heavy. It's uh multiple pieces, but I do have the contractor that's going to come out and send his team and we're going to work on that hopefully in the next few weeks to figure out the easiest way. And so I'll have a time frame as to how long
153it'll take me to break it down and set it up and that way we'll know what time to be at the field for games or practices or whatever the case may be. Um so that's not an issue. Moving the bases is not an issue. The back stop um has not been done before. So they're currently looking at options the contractors to see what we can do as far as a back stop uh is concerned. So that is what I'm I'm waiting on to get information from them and then we can kind of move forward uh with a timeline. But the wall I'm I'm confident uh we can make it happen. It's going to be it will be tedious. I want to be honest with you. It'll be tedious, but I do think our team will
154be able to handle it with some extra support. >> Okay. >> Can you speak to um and I know we don't have specific costs, but I know we've had some conversations around cost estimates. Can you speak to the cost estimates between each of the options? >> So, right now, uh the most expensive option of course would have been uh interstate because there are some things that need to be done uh to the dugouts and the field maintenance in general, which is which is expensive. So, that would be the most expensive option. Uh right now as far as um the uh portable wall that we're looking at, I think it's it may be $15,000 the wall that I I saw, but we're still in the prelim preliminary stages of that to figure out what wall will
155be the best. Uh the mount is already there. Uh so the most the cost is probably going to be manpower, but our staff will already be uh working anyway. So u and the uh back stop, I don't have a price for that just yet. So I'm working on that now. One of the things we also found out is um there is some contingency funds that are remaining from the current project um that we can use to do some of these things. Um and so that is um also something that we have to work with. Jackson, >> um, is there a cost or could you find out what is the cost or if a company is available to just outsource the breaking down and putting up every day that tedious as it goes on and on
156and on throughout the season and because of you your team already has a schedule and I know that may be something that may come up later, but is there a company or a um I guess contract that we could enter with someone to this is their soul during this season during those seasons. That's their job to be there every day to make sure that that happens. >> I can guarantee you. I'll do the research to find out. >> Thank you. >> Yes, ma'am. And can you clarify that >> and correct me if from what I understood from our conversations the breaking down the conversion of the field will only happen during the inseason time like for practice there's no plan to break up and set down I mean not not the the you tell me
157>> yes so during practice is not necessarily h it doesn't have to be done now we can do it um as far as removing a mount if if you know softball team want to do a certain uh drill or something on the field but I don't think that the fence would have to go up every practice. Um, so that'll save us a lot of time. If we can get it get the logistics down on breaking down the mound, that is the thing I'm kind of worried about the most because it's it's six pieces and it is, you know, fairly heavy. Um, so that is is what I have to figure out the timeline of the mound. But the fence, if I have enough help, I think we can have that taken care of. Hope we
158don't have to really worry about it during the offseason as much, but during the season, as they alluded to, the schedule's going to be jam-packed. So, getting extra help would be extremely beneficial to make sure that we can uh convert it in a timely fashion um day in and day out. >> So, the contractors that built the field, have you reached out to them? >> Yes, ma'am. That's that's what we're working with directly right now. >> They're coming out to help. They're going to they're going to come out and show our team uh how to break down the mound and how to put it back together to see if we could do it um to see how long it would take us to do it cuz I have a a crew of of two and
159two two and a half right now and myself. So, I'm going to have to step in >> at no cost, right? >> Yes. There. Yeah. At no cost. Yes. Can you clarify what using the athletic block blocks in practice schedule? Can you clarify what what what >> So last year the girls did not have an athletic block. So this year they'll have one so they can actually have a true off seasonason, but it will be uh let's say hypothetical on a day. So they'll have an opportunity to practice during during the block. And let's say if it if it runs 30 minutes after um school is out, it shouldn't pose an issue because the boys will be coming to practice after that uh said athletic block. And most of the time, especially during offseason, they're
160lifting weights, doing conditioning in the batting cages, and things of that nature. And then it'd be the flip side for uh the Bdays. If the boys have the athletic block, they'll practice during the block. The girls will come after practice. So, I don't see practice being a huge logistical issue. I think that can be worked out because we do it with other areas as far as gyms that we share at Parkview and Central. >> Oh, director, >> who are you? Director Anna, um, do regarding the sharing, how does the JB boys team or the other there because there's varsity boys baseball and JB boys baseball. Is there another baseball team? >> Yes, I think they call it >> ninth grade. There's an Okay, so ninth grade is not part of JB. How did the Do
161all of the boys practice together or are those separate practices and how will that play into all this? >> So from from my understanding and coach McGee is not here to clarify. I believe that the varsity and JV practice together and the developmental team practices after them not if I'm not mistaken. >> Okay. >> during the offseason >> during the season they all practice together. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. Director Oali. >> Yeah. Um I I forgot how much money this stadium cost. This baseball stadium cost, but like what do you see would be the cost of the wear and tear of two teams using the stadium as far as like with the soil of the field drainage systems? Is the wear and tear gonna like like be like double paced because of
162the fact that two different teams are using it and there so much is going on like the field, the grass, all of that. So to be transparent with you, I think in certain areas there the possibility for wear and tear. Um more so um where the pitching is occurring uh as far as fencing right now, they don't recommend putting standards out in the field. Um, so I don't foresee a lot of issues in the outfield, but just in certain areas more so pitching. Uh, I believe there can be some wear and tear. Um, so what that like uh so do so you do feel like it'll probably increase like the maintenance costs for like the school year versus what was probably projected last year with it being well with it being just being a single
163use for the baseball team. Do you see like the projection for maintenance cost is like rising up like double? >> I can't answer that at this time because right now when we treat our fields uh there is a standard price uh and they normally come uh once a year to treat our fields and they'll come and do the stitching of the fields if there are any issues. I would have to talk to them to get uh their professional opinion on that. >> Okay. Well, you know what? The wear and tear is just going to have to happen because if somebody that came down here before was completed and said, "Hey, our girls are being excluded. Maybe we could have interveneed, but if we just tear it up, we just going to have to tear it
164up because it's just something we have to do." >> Yes. So, Dr. All right. Um the request from the administration tonight is what specifically? >> It is on the document there is the recommendation. It is highlighted and in the and on your agenda I believe >> the specific recommendation is listed um in agenda 7.2. We recommend that LRC board of education approve option B as a district's primary short-term operational plan should unforeseen structural blah blah blah blah blah. Uh the administration recommends authorization to implement option C as a secondary contingency option to ensure uninterrupted program operations for the upcoming school year. All right. Well, I'd like to make a motion then. And did you have something else, Dr. Strong? No, I just have more questions, but I can do that during >> Yeah, during the
165discussion time. >> Okay. Yeah, I do have a couple comments I want to make if if we get that on the floor, but I I would go ahead and and recommend that that we approve option B as presented for the short-term operational plan. >> It's only right here. I didn't have a second. If we get a second, I'd like to speak to my motion. >> Second. >> Thank you. So, um I appreciate several things I want to say thanks for. One one is for people who have advocated and and brought this to us and shown a light that really it's not just this issue that we have been that we have uh fell short on. We've been we've fallen short on um supporting girls athletics in in a number of ways and um and that
166was important for us to know. I as a board member who was here and voted out to support the um athletic facilities and other things that that our millillage um uh campaign and you know supported um I really regret and that I did not ask the question at the time and didn't say well have we taken care of this softball I think I think that I just assumed that that it was being taken care of but I should have asked the question to make sure and so that is on me and and I apologize for not asking that question at the time. I think that I hear what people the frustration that there's that this plan um in some ways puts some tension between the baseball team and the program and the softball team in
167the program. That's unfortunate because it's not the softball advocates or the softball team. That's really on us as a district. You know, we were the ones who um are responsible for the the state of where things are and what the softball team and their parents and supporters have done is just raise the issue which needed to be raised and for us to take care of. Um it makes sense to me that that option B is probably the most equal thing to do. It's not it's not a great thing to do. It's a compromise on on all counts, but you know, but if if and as to respect the point that was made by the student earlier, you know, they're essential, you know, separate but equal is is not right. You know, to try to do
168that and to try to to do it somewhere else and and have it really not be equal. And um and we've been down that path before and we don't need to go back down that path again. What we need to do is make the best of the we can I think of the sit of the short-term situation and then we need to move as quickly as possible to a long-term situation. And I I think it's fortunate that we have this this task force that's going to be in place this fall that can incorporate these concerns and um and come back to us to see because it's going to be a resource uh intensive solution. And so it's not something that that we can do quickly or um and we have to look at because these
169raise this these raise uh equity concerns not just at Central but across the district about how we're doing for students and for for our female athletes and our male athletes and and so we need to think about we need to be really thoughtful so we don't make any similar mistakes again and that's going to take some time. So, so I think this there's not a perfect solution to this, but this seems to be um a reasonable solution for us at the moment as we work forward to get a better solution in the future. >> Let me just piggyback on um what director Adams said. You know what? When I heard this, I really got angry, but not angry. I was just a little upset because I thought we had people in place that we could
170trust to take care of these issues. So going forward, I really think that when we have a planning committee, we need to make sure that we have the right people at the table. We need to make sure that somebody, for instance, from the girls softball team is at the table, a parent is at the table. If it involves them, they need to be at the table because this should have never ever ever happened. And I know they had a committee. I know they had a committee that was close to the school. So, I'm still trying to process, but I'm going to get past it because I know we have to move on. This should have never happened. And I just want to apologize to the softball team. I promise you, if I had known, Miss
171Johnson would have spoke up. I I didn't know. And so, we're going to try to make it right. So, we're trying. We are trying to make it right. And we really, really, really would appreciate if you guys would just work with us. for going forward when we get ready to build them a a softball field, you make sure you have the right people sitting at the table with the right interest. Okay. Thank you. And I hate that you had to inherit this, but we going to work it out. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. >> Both of us have nipples. >> Thank you for being here, uh, Coach Turner. Um, and thank you all for all of your collaboration and comments. Um, we do have to make the best out of a bad situation. Um and
172but I do have concerns and um Mr. Kazay may be able to answer some questions for me as well. But how confident one how confident are we in this process? Um cuz to me it seemed like there's a lot of unknowns uh when it comes to cost when it comes to manpower uh because as you said your your staff is not very many. So what happens when someone's not at work? What happens when someone is on vacation? Uh what's the backup plan? Uh, I know director Jackson brought up bringing in contractors to take care of this day-to-day is still unknown. We don't know. Um, Mr. Kazay can answer this. Is this the best option when it comes to being Title 9 compliant? So, those are just a couple of my concerns if you all can
173address those for me. >> Evening board members. Uh as we discussed in the in the April meeting, uh we talked about the the legal standards uh that we're required to meet under Title 9. And as a refresher, the statute requires equal opportunity. And it reads, "A recipient which operates or sponsors in intercolastic intercolgic club or inter mural athletics shall provide equal athletic opportunities for members of both sexes. In determining whether equal opportunities are available, the director will consider among other factors. So we have a factors test right off the bat and there are 10 of them. Uh one of those is whether the selection of sports and levels of competition effectively accommodate the interests and abilities of members of both sexes. The provision of equipment and supplies. Scheduling of games and practice time. Travel and
174pdeium allowance. Opportunity to receive coaching and academic tutoring. assignment and compensation of coaches and tutors, provision of locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities, provision of medical and training facilities and services, provision of housing and dining facilities and services. And remember board members we talked about this is that one is largely directed at at the collegiate level where you have residence halls, dormitories and such. And then publicity is the final one. Now, the the concerns that have been brought to the board uh were things like locker room space and access. Um this one didn't come up much, but the new athletic building has training facilities in it. Uh so Director Nichols to to most on point squarely address where you're talking uh your concerns. Does it does it address the our legal responsibilities? Yes, for the
175most part the teams are playing on the same surface. They're playing on the same site. they're playing at Central where they have access to I mean one of the criticisms uh that was raised about um Interstate Park was the water was turned off when the season started. Um there are bathrooms available there on site, designated locker room facilities that statute requires there on site, training facilities there on site, the playing surface will be identical to what the the boys team plays on. Uh so in those respects, being able to to be onsite is very attractive from a legal standpoint uh because we're able to provide those supports to our female student athletes the same way that we would to our male student athletes. That's not to say that maybe a similar workout could be done
176at say Ja Fair. Um it just seems easier uh to do it there on site at central. Um the one that gave me the most concern uh is trying to utilize interstate. Um that didn't seem very workable to me from a legal standpoint. Now from the athletics coaching that experience I'm I'm not a coach. Uh but from the from the meeting our responsibilities under title 9 it's for instance one of the things that was a a problem with interstate was consistency of travel right transportation of students to and from practice to and from games no buses car pooling playing the games at central on that playing surface you don't have that problem and you also have the advantage um as I've been told coach Turner may correct me and say stick to lawing. I'll stick
177to coaching. >> Um, but you know, there's some advantage to practicing where you play. And I've been told that the the playing surface on a turf field that is the ball plays a little bit differently than it would on a grass field. But the the shortest answer to your question is yes. I think this addresses those those requirements that Title 9 makes meaningfully. Um, other places have their own challenges to it. And one of the things that also, um, Coach Turner's being too modest in his presentation, putting an athletic block in, uh, is new for softball, for offseason conditioning that brings them to an equal standard of what the baseball team has enjoyed. Um, we have a posted position for a softball coach now. So, if anybody has a a graduate from the University of
178Oklahoma that wants to come and teach in Little Rock, by all means, let's go and recruit them. Um, there's also the um, and it's it's mentioned in the plan, um, the allocation of additional locker room space for the women's teams and the new athletic facility as well. So all of those things kind of coales to be very attractive. And I I looked the other day and I think the the start of school for the fall term is August 11th. So from the administration standpoint, we need to get a move on to to have something for our student athletes come August 11th. >> Thank you. Director Strong, please. >> Sorry, I can't see I can't see you there. >> Um, thank you all for this information. Um, and I also want to echo um, Director Adams
179thanks to all the families and parents. I spent a I've spent a lot of time on a phone talking to folks about this um, and emails over the last few weeks and and months. I mean, we I began talking with folks about this back in the fall and we were able to get the base base uh convertible bases put in and a few other things on the field um starting back then. And so I'm I'm grateful to everybody who's been part of this um over the past months. I will say say that I I got a lot of feedback and a lot of input from families and there was not a consensus in the responses I got. There were also people who reached out to me who said they were afraid to make their voice
180heard about this publicly. They wanted to talk about what they felt, but they didn't want to say it publicly cuz they were afraid of maybe not being in the majority. Um and and that that worries me more than anything out of this that and and what I would probably call bullying um of some of the softball players worries me more than anything out of all this. And so all that being said, um answers and preferences were all over the place and um and nobody really proposed an alternative plan that would comply with Title 9 that was different than option B. And I think that is where our job as a board is to protect our district to hopefully protect public education and access to these resources and um to to athletics for students who wouldn't
181be able to access that otherwise. And um so that being said, um I I will support this this res this um motion. Although I will say that I I would have liked to have included a timeline for addressing the additional improvements and for delivery of the long-term plan in that motion. I think that the concern about this being dropped, about it being falling off of the radar is real. And I think that we have so many pressing things happen in the happening in the district that I do want this to remain at the forefront. And so perhaps that could be a verbal commitment if it's not actually in the motion. But I do want to make sure we have some accountability and maybe even just a monthly update on on the status of where this
182is going and where decisions are um over the next next few months until we have a long-term plan. Um, the only other things I I do want to just say out loud because I've had these conversations with a lot of people is that we cannot move both comprehensively and immediately. And I think Dr. Wright said that well. It's really hard to move immediately to protect the district from lawsuits, which is our job as board members, and to act comprehensively, especially during the week of graduation, the weeks surrounding it. That is a really hard time for us to to do both of those things. Um, we cannot, to my understanding, shift funds from other projects that were in our current millillage to this one. I don't believe that is an allowable move of money. Um, we
183cannot go back in time and we cannot pull money from thin air. But what we can do is work forward together and I have again I appreciate everybody who's contributed. Um, we can hold our athletic leaders to higher standard standards of sportsmanship. I think that is something that we all would like to see happen. And I do think we can put some very clear timelines in place for those who are worried that this is going to be performative or some some rubber stamp of a plan that is not going to solve everything. And and I hear the concerns. I coach Tucker, I really appreciate you and all that you've done over this time to help educate me on softball because I do not play sports with balls. And I really appreciate your help over time
184to help understand this. Um, and I know it's not perfect in the short term, but I hope it is a short-term solution. I expect that is it is a short-term solution and that be is the one that protects us, ensures girls access to equitable resources. Um, and then I have a couple other things later on the policy that is also on the agenda and also a resolution that I have promised that is not on the agenda tonight but will be. And that's all. I can talk about those later. So, all that being said, Mr. Adams, >> Yeah. I'm just going to reiterate that this is why it's this is why they say representation matters. I I wasn't here when they made this decision. Uh but it's so important, especially when you sit in a room
185when the meeting start at 5:30 and you listen to an hour and 30 of public comments. Uh to me, that's a good sign. That means people are engaged. Because if I was sitting in a schoolboard meeting, if you just ran through the agenda in 30 minutes, that I would feel like the community didn't care anything about what this district did. But that's why you include everybody in the decision-m process so you can make the best decision. Include your students. Make sure that you got a diverse group of people so you can hear all the concerns from the beginning. And that way you you present the best option possible because when projects like this happen, um people are going to be clamoring to be the persons, the people that are part of this, the people that
186want to build a stadium, they're going to come to you with all the best options and say, "Hey, this is why it's great. This is why it's great." Because they going to get contracted to get those millions of dollars to build it. But you got to take in the community input first. So feedback. So it wouldn't happen from the beginning if you know what I'm saying. Um, we listen to students, we listen to coaches, listen to parents, listen to neighbors, uh, our leaders, our stakeholders, all of that. So, uh, I think this is just going to be a learning experience for the next time that a big budget is presented for some type of sports facility or some type of project. Uh, the people that come in the room talking a lot of times about
187how great it is, a lot of times the people that benefit the most from it directly, uh, monetary wise. So, um, that's all I'm going to say on that. >> Anybody else? >> Dr. Right. >> Real quick, um, if you read through the long-term commitments, and I know it's not a comprehensive timeline, but one of the things that we did put in to ensure that this doesn't drop off. So, we're not just putting it on the um the the the district task force. We're actually creating a central softball task force, and we hope that we will have parents and students on that particular task force. and we gave them up until 6 months to explore all of the different possible sites for long-term options and to bring those best options back to the other task
188force who's handling the money and things. And so that's one way that we're making sure um that this doesn't fall off the radar. Um and so that task force which will include stakeholders from central and members of the team um will work directly with the other task force that is looking at funding and funding sources and other things um um and again that's up to us six months to kind of get that done. And so that's one way that we want to ensure that it's not going to fall by the wayside. And the other thing I want to clarify the long-term solution is not we're talking about different types of funding options. And so yes, millage could be an option, but that is the long-term solution isn't isn't based upon contingent upon a millage. And
189I just want to make sure that was clear. Um so we aren't saying we have to get a millage pass in order for us to fulfill the long-term um the the the commitment. So I just wanted to make sure that was clear as well. >> Ask one last question. >> No. Yeah. Go ahead. um the baselines um on the field is there is like does turf come like as like one big piece of carpet and roll out or can you like change out pieces so that there could be some baselines for the softball team? >> It's possible. >> Um yes, it's possible. >> I'd like to know that. Thanks. >> Um I don't know if we can do the audience stuff, but um I don't h happy to chat. >> Okay. Anybody else? Bye. >>
190All right. It has been motioned and second that the um LRD Board of Education approve option B as the district's primary short-term operational plan. All in favor say I. >> I. >> All oppose. >> Nay. >> One nay. Motion carries. Okay. So, let's move on. 6.1 AP Literature and Language Text book adoption. All right. Good evening again. and I'm Jennifer Thomas, the secondary advanced academics coordinator, and I am coming to present the AP literature and AP language textbook adoption. Um, this is very important as far as that we are out of um compliance with the timeline for adopting a book. Um it's it's also a need because of um the changes within AP exams and the rigor as it changes. We want our students to be able to perform um and and compete against people
191across the nation. Um it was done in a collaborative way. Um this is not the the um right that's the rubric. Um, and we Okay, you can leave it right there. That's fine. Okay. Um, we used rubrics for teachers to actually evaluate the vendors for the AP adoption. Each vendor presented their textbooks and gave information about how it could be digitally compliant and how it would actually help improve their scores. And as you know, we are steadily trying to improve our AP scores. Um, we've actually presented earlier, I believe in October, on our AP scores of how it has been increasing. AP Lang and AP Lit are two of the most popular AP courses. So, the books that they have right now um are out of date and the company that was chosen through the
192the collaborative vote um offers it digitally and in textbook form. So, when you look at the quote, that's what you will see. um and it is for six years. So within this AP adoption, we know that during the AP test, the students are asked to do um different rhetorical analysis, evidence-based writing. The textbooks that the teachers chose actually offers multiple practice tests and accessibility to uh materials that will help students perform better on the test versus trying to recreate the wheel and make it themselves or go outside of the district and buy something themselves to um accommodate for that. Um if you see the timeline right here, it started um in December and we reviewed the college board AP and uh laying and AP literature frameworks to establish the adoption criteria. And we also um
193worked with our textbook coordinator to set up dates for the vendors and we let all the AP Lang and AP Lit teachers know when those dates would be and offered it through Zoom so that it would be easily accessible and that it could be a collaborative effort. We also um sent the video out for those that could not make it to be able to be informed about all the different um textbook companies. I believe there were four companies. Um then we sent out the rubric. Um we looked at the teacher rankings and school votes to determine the recommendation and then we um made sure that we made the recommendation to you guys. Um, as far as the theme, as far as the strategic plan, it goes along with meaningful student learning experiences and the financial
194impact is $126,462. Are there any questions? >> Motion. Now, I do have one question. Did did you mention uh what company these textbooks are coming from? >> BFW. Okay. Thank you. >> And it's also um within the board notes that you received as well. I move that the LR LRSD board of education approve the adoption of the AP language and composition and AP literature and composition textbooks as recommended from the textbook review process. Second >> has been moved and second that the LRC board board of education approve the adoption of the AP language and composition and AP literature and composition textbooks as recommended from the textbook review process. All in favor say I. >> I. Any oppose? >> Unanimous. >> Thank you ma'am. >> Thank you. 7.1 April 226 financial report. >> Somebody's ready. >>
195Okay. This going to be short and sweet. >> What's that? Y'all trying to take a break before we >> You going to be longer than 15 minutes. I promise you I won't keep you on 14. Shouldn't be that long. Not a whole lot here. Uh I think it's going to pop up here shortly. >> There we go. All right, we'll jump right in. And you all have of course copy of this as well. I won't go over the the summary page here, but just making this a little bit larger here. Uh so you know our taxes come in like I I tell you every month come in in two halves. So the first half is already finished. A little discrepancy on the uh the printed report. You'll see I I'll show you a little bit
196later, but this is what we end up the first half with uh currently uh we collected through this was through April uh 11 million um 11.7 million and of course we got a larger amount that hit in May. I just have this kind of highlight. This is what we actually received in May so far 69.3 million. So that's a large amount. So uh what's pretty much left on that remaining budget is about 6.6 million. So collections usually come in in June between four and five million or so. So actual tax collection may be under about 3.3 based on these current there. But delinquent actually is over. We've collected uh we're actually right above about 1.7 million that we've collected uh additionally above this because we were at 99 just say 100% at the end of
197April. So that's going to offset a little bit of this as well. We'll still have some delint come in. So taxes are pretty much coming in uh as budgeted there. Uh when you look at the amount of taxes we typically budget for, uh everything else is pretty much flowing. Land redemptions, not a whole lot, but we're about 84% collected on those. uh of course our interest on investments which that's typically our depository interest on our capital improvement funds which uh they are going down uh fairly quick with the other projects that we're paying out now. So we're overcolcted on that amount. So as far as uh revenue and everything I typically just show you you all on this summary just the tax revenue because those are the the pieces that have some uh volatility. The
198other pieces are state revenue which are prescribed and we get those. So make this a little bit larger as we go through expenses. We're still about budgeting to come in three and a half million maybe a little bit more than that under uh projections. That mean that's a good thing on what we actually budgeted for salaries and benefits. We we kept several vacancies a lot of vacancies throughout the year uh in some areas whether it was parapros or custodian. Um not a few security a few nurses as well. So those are contributing to about three and a half million along with any other reductions we made as well. So we pretty much we been taking those vacant positions out especially if they're not non essential for the upcoming year and they're still been vacant. So
199we actually reduce those out of out of the actual system. So I feel pretty confident we'll come in with that amount as well. Uh it's going to offset some of these other pieces and when I'm when you're looking at these numbers they include what's called incumbrances. So they expected to spend a certain amount during the year and they actually issued a purchase order. So that purchase order actually encumbers that budget. So, as some of those incumbrances are liquidated, cuz we're at the end of the year now, some of these amounts actually come down. Security won't go anywhere. I put that one time cuz we won't see that again for next year. Uh because that was based on a backlog of invoices we had to pay for the city. Uh we were waiting for invoices about
200two years. Other professional and technical services, this is one we continue to look at. These are mainly sped outsourcing normally for PTO uh service and speech out there. So the contract has grown quite a bit on what was budgeted initially. Uh they do have some 6B which is federal fund to cover some of that and those some of those incumbrance as well. That amount actually came down a little bit from last month report but it's still a significant portion that we have to address and make sure we talk with the the sped leaders going into this new fiscal year. Um and some other anomalies not anomalies but uh if you see some negatives on your actual financial reports. So these are just some explanation. Rental equipment and vehicles. a few things. Uh we actually outsourced
201our vehicles uh and uh it was categorized in one another category. We just need to move that budget down there. So uh we've gone to where we are are leasing vehicles uh typically from uh enterprise for maintenance, for security and uh child nutrition. Those vehicles typically are kept 5 years. Uh but we keeping most of them are being kept for about 3 years. You turn them in and you actually have more equity based in the economy of used vehicles worth more. So, you trade that vehicle in, you get a discount and actually your payments go down. Uh, up until probably about 6 years ago, we had some horrible vehicles running around the district. If you notice in our maintenance vehicles that were stalling, we spending more money on maintenance items than we needed to be
202spending on vehicles than we actually doing here. So, that's a small amount. Student transportation, um, we still have quite a bit in commerce. Like I told you in the past, that amount is going to be pretty much absorbed. We won't probably see maybe 100,000 of that actually act actually actity because we had six less student contact days with our transportation provider. Uh the things we kind of been watching on these other pieces you have supply center those are in supply tracking the parent when I'm saying the parent uh account code is 66100 which is plenty of money in there. That's just where we've had more uh people order stuff from out of supply and the other pieces on there. DT I'm going to roll down to our fund balance uh which is lower uh than
203your previous months but like I you saw that this amount here uh the amount we collected 69 million the fund balance for next month is going to look better a lot better but of course we are making our final paychecks uh for this current fiscal year but operating fund balance at the end of April was a little over 18 million uh capital improvement fund balance uh was currently at 34.3 million federal fund balance we still have some reimbursements. We were waiting on almost 1.4 million there. Uh we've I think collected about half of that, a little bit more than half of that now. So, we'll uh get those later draws down before the end of the fiscal year and child nutrition is still almost around 2.8 million. So, yes, ma'am. >> How much of that
204capital improvement fund balance is allocated to specific projects right now? >> All of it's allocated for the most part. >> What's that? 100% of it >> for West I mean we've added some projects out there uh >> things like HVAC that break down and different things. So for the most part uh all the the projects so we had Park View were wrapping up central still that contingency amount typically once we close out we can get the contingency back if we don't run into anything but that's one of the things we're looking at for the softball piece. Uh West Little Rock is still a year out. >> So hopefully we don't run into anything on that >> part. Thanks. >> Along with FF and E. >> Thanks. >> Made a note. I'm 14 minutes. >> Okay.
205>> All right. But yeah, a lot of those things were actually addressing just to address on on the on the uh fields at at central. Typically, when we do things, we ask our expectation is to be a multi-use facility. You either build a baseball or softball field at that's only you can't build both of them at the same time. It's either going to be a baseball or softball field. had a baseball at that time, but the batting cages were supposed to be multisports. Any field, even the football field for soccer, for band, anybody that needs to use a turf field there. The thing we struggled with at Central, there was there was no bathrooms there. There was always porta parties out there. If you ever went to baseball, anything there, there was always portaotties. That
206was a lay down area, so you had to do something on it. So, things like that. And we we make sure we're going to make sure that everybody's at the table. We did have leadership there at the table, but a lot of things are just how things are. We have new leadership coming too. So, I just leave it there. >> Thanks. >> Yep. But, uh, as far as capital improvements, this is pretty much it now. Uh, this is our kind of pictorial of our fund balance. Uh, you can kind of see we're we're trending down. Uh, our hope is that we our fund balance never gets as low it was at this point. So, uh, based on where current revenues are, current expenses You you say that every I want to make sure y'all understand
207hopefully. >> Yeah, it was. >> It was dramatic. >> Oh, this was very very very I hadn't been that stressed in a long time about >> anything financially, but you want to make sure that you're making payroll for the all the hardworking employees that come in every day. The 15th and the 30th is one you have to make. So, uh that's that's something we wanted to make sure and we did it. So, we we'll get through. U everybody's committed to, you know, making sure we get to a point where we're not back there. But this is pretty much the financial report at this point. Uh I don't foresee any major surprises at this time. Uh we're past the winter weather, so we don't have to really worry about well, I won't say we pass all
208the weather cuz we're in kind of some storm weather now. So fingers crossed we don't have any unexpected things that go on between now and the end of summer. So typically summer we struggle with vandalism. So those are the things we struggle with. A lot of people don't know we have to replace a lot of different units. So we're trying to be as proactive about those and making sure we have something in place to keep that from happening. >> I don't know where you are. I can't see. Um could you provide this is sort of related to our money I guess but could you provide an update on it doesn't have to be today but just on our real estate that is outstanding that we're trying to sell or that any other things related to
209real estate. >> So uh we have the one that the one that was available is Metal Cliff 25 Sheridan Drive formerly Metal Cliff Elementary. Uh been vacant about 3 years now. So we had a previous offer on there. They were pretty much ready to go, but that the community, the neighborhood association didn't want Carter school that Carter Carter there >> and they turned it down. It didn't happen. >> Yeah, they they've moved on. So, they they cancelled that contract and I think they've actually acquired another building now. >> Well, I know they have acquired another building. We did have another offer come in on the property. Uh we did counter on it. We're waiting to hear back on that. I'm not sure what the community is going to think about it at this point, but
210once we get a solid offer, we'll bring it to you all. Other buildings we have uh available now, we have appraisal out for uh student registration building. We did have a charter school interested in that. We thought we could outright sell that, but when we check with the division, student registration on uh 501 Sherman Street there. Uh, so I forgot that I think it might have been Lisa. It was one of the charter organization that were interested in the building. So we'll be following up with them. So of course by state law they have two years of first right of refusal either to lease or outright purchase it before we can move forward. We can always petition for a waiver and that's what we did on that petition a waiver but there was some interest
211on that. So uh if that interest is not uh uh acted upon, we'll put that building up for sale. Uh baseline is still vacant. That was planned to convert it over to early childhood. We had some winter weather damage over there. So actually water got between baseline. If you ever been to baseline over elementary I'm over 14. She asked because no I'm over 14. But uh baseline was one where the wall fell off on the >> Oh wow. >> Southside. It didn't fall off but it it cracked quite a bit and it's one solid. >> It's like made out of stone kind of right. >> It's concrete all the way through. was a concrete piece. So half the wall kind of sheared away because water got behind it. So we actually have uh adjusters from
212the state coming there tomorrow to look at that. >> Only other we have a carver >> uh still kind of waiting on >> that. Uh I think I think that's it for now besides Booker. Booker's been an ongoing >> issue that we've talked about. We've been trying to work out with the city. So and that's one that from that lease where the city owns the land and we own the improvement. So, >> uh, in the lease on that lease, it was a requirement to remove the building at the end of the lease, but we've been trying to work out whether we're going to be required to move the building or >> what the final is going to be. We've had a lot of interest in Booker. We want to see it being utilized if possible.
213So, we follow back up with the city and see if we can get some movement on that. >> So, we have five properties right now >> as of now. Yes, ma'am. >> That are not all of them are for sale right now, but not all of them. They're not all being bus. Okay. >> Thanks. >> That it question. >> Share. We entertain a motion. >> Yes. >> I move that the LRSD board of education accept and approve the April 2026 financial report as submitted. >> Second. >> It has been moved and second that the LRSD Board of Education accept and approve the April 2026 financial report as submitted. All in favor say I. I. Any oppose? Vote carries. All right. What if we take a 10 minute I take a 11 minute break? >> 11
214minutes. >> I'm in. >> Thank you. >> Thanks. >> Oh jeez. We're back from my 11 minute break and we're going to move on. Okay. Right now we at number eight, communication and community key engagement. Nothing. Nothing. policy, personnel, and legal 9.1 Board governance. >> Board members, this is uh for those of you that were on the board back in January and February, this is the the updates and corrections to section one of the board policies. Uh Director Kitsky brought this to my attention the other day, like, hey, we need some updates. And I was like, brother, there are some updates out there, man. So, I'm kind of hurt that he's not here. Um, but these are these are updates that that have been u made for some time. The board has has considered and
215has declined to take any action on. I'm happy to discuss any or all of of the updates, but nothing has changed since the presentation in the last in the February meeting with the exception of director Adams caught a a stray definite article that didn't make any sense in the s in the sentence. So, we needed to strike strike a THE out. >> The chair will sign a motion. >> This has not gone through our policy committee, right? >> Has not. I just wanted that. >> The chair will entertain a motion. >> I move that the LRSD board of education approve the revisions to section one policies as presented. Second. It >> has been moved and second that the LRD board of education approved the revision to section one policies as presented. Discussion. I have one.
216I'm trying to find it. I believe these were the ones where I had a qu some questions about the new laws. Um, is this correct, Mr. Kazay? Where I had questions about the new law and some language in here. >> Yes, ma'am. I think >> none of those updates were made. None of those. The board did not take any action on section one. So, none of those. And I think the >> and my my memory may be faulty here, but I think it was the policy about the >> the board. >> It was around elections and uh timing and because we are now the of our election timeline and our board, we are not having new board members come on every year. Um I'm so sorry. And then maybe also on public comment, but I
217think we ended up getting that all settled. >> Yes. The >> in the meeting >> the and the as I recall the policy makes reference to an annual school election. >> Yes. It was one. Yeah. >> It doesn't mean the election of board members necessarily. It can be >> any number of things related to that on the on the annual election. whether or not board members are up for election at that time or not. >> Correct. Yes. 1.21. Yeah. I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure that we So, okay. >> Dr. ju just to that point when I read that again that that that I saw that there was an annual election and then there was and I took that to to refer to when we have to put out our millage rate every
218year >> and that and then right after that it said uh specifically when board members would be elected every two years. Is that correct? >> Yes sir. So at first it felt like there was a conflict there and then I felt about the annual you know that >> public notice that we have to give on an annual basis. >> Anybody else? All in favor say I. >> I. Any oppose? >> Motion carries. >> Thank you board members. >> 9.2 2 section 4.1 student resident requ residence requirement policy updates. Mr. Kaz members, Dr. Lauren is probably going to come and and help me with this because as I mentioned to you in the February meeting or those of you that were on the board at the February meeting that additional updates would be forthcoming. uh some
219of those changes in law, some of those changes in rule from the AD, and some of those changes in just the way we do things at LRSD. We use the Arkansas School Boards Association policies as a model, but sometimes those don't exactly fit the way we do things in Little Rock being a larger district and the school boards association is trying to be responsive to school districts of 600 total students in a rural context. So sometimes the the policies are are made with that accessibility in view. Dr. Boring, we have a we have an update to policy 4.1. Not all of policy or not all of section 4. We will probably be bringing you some more updates on section 4 in the next few weeks. And with softball, I am behind with what Dr. Luring
220has done. but she's been doing all the heavy lifting on making sure that our policies are capturing what it is that we're doing as a district. >> Good evening. So, um the major updates that were made were around student registration and enrollment. There were just um several things in our existing policy that were outdated. For example, our magnet policy still included schools that are no longer open like Booker, Carver. Um there was not an inclusion of there was some updated criteria for auditions and um enrollment for Parkview that had been in place for a while just hadn't been updated in the policy. We also have prek enrollment criteria and processes that weren't part of our policy that we needed to include. Um there was also some language that was very specific to our enrollment platforms
221that we use that we no longer use. Um there were a lot of references to Gateway. We don't use gateway anymore. We use school mint. So um changing the language to be more general to set our enrollment platform. So as we change platforms, we don't have to continue to update the policy every day every year for small things. Um, we talked about in an earlier board meeting around enrollment some of the updates that needed to be made to the website, but we can't make updates to website policies until the district policy is updated because we want the information that we put out to parents to reflect what is in our board policy. Um, the other updates were around the Arkansas school choice. There were some changes in the law that required us to change um
222the policy. There was also some information in there that just wasn't needed. I think that was corrected in earlier updates like taking out sample letters and things like that because we have to change those letters every time there's an update in the law. So that's a overall summary of the changes and updates that were made. >> Any questions? directive. >> What a surprise. Um, question on prek in section. So, I when I read this, I thought the board agenda said just section 4.1. I didn't realize it was this whole document, but yes, I see all this stuff in red. Um, but it's all of section 4, right? >> It's not all of section 4. It's several parts of section 4. There's pieces in there about discipline and smart and other things that we haven't addressed.
223Okay. >> Section four is all anything pertaining to students. >> Okay, cool. Um on 4.2 entrance requirements on prek enrollment. Um I see this where it's updated to align with ABC guidelines. Um ARC we fall under the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success and not just ABC and we should be able to also accept students who meet criteria for our subsidized child care with other criteria besides just the poverty level. and I'd really like to make sure that that is included in here. Um, >> so I'll have to verify that with Miss Jones because these updates came from Miss Jones. >> That's really interesting because she and I talked about this last year when that changed at the state level to allow all of our to allow us and we tal talked with Steph about
224this too and was on all our outreach materials >> about the additional criteria that are in the ABC guidelines that allow you to enroll with the subsidized rate beyond just that. So >> I I understand. I'll follow up with Miss Jones, but we had a committee that and she did the prek section. So this came directly from our early childhood. >> I think Okay. Okay. I think anyway that sounds good. Um the other piece um I noticed on Forest Heights STEM >> that it just says lottery. They're a magnet with lottery criteria. And that's not exactly true because they are a magnet with lottery, but they or I guess it says criteria lottery. Is that what your what happened this year with the cuto off? >> They are crit We have two criteria lotteryies. Park
225View and Forest Heights. >> Okay. Is that described in here in full anywhere? >> Yes, there are definitions for what a criteria lottery is and what an is application lottery. >> Did a control F for criteria lottery and couldn't didn't see anything anywhere. I know I saw a 60% >> number in there. it. I do see this if you I guess it doesn't say criteria lottery but it does have criteria eligibility criteria on page I don't know this doesn't have page numbers um it's section well I don't know it's page 38 it looks like but it just says there are no entrance requirements for kindergarten and first and second through 8th has just a minimum score of 60% on the criteria rubric and I my understanding was that worked differently this year >> it That
226is exactly how it work at work this year. >> Okay. I guess that has never been fully explained out loud to a lot of families um still. But um so so what happens if that that if there it seemed like there were tiered ways that you could get enrolled into the lottery. >> Part of the criteria rubric. >> Well, where's where's so >> the rubric has never been in the policy just like the rubric for park view is not in the policy. The rubric um outline will be on the website to explain to parents once we update the district. >> Cool. Okay. >> Policy. >> Just Park View doesn't have a criteria rubric in here either. >> So with the tiered polic with the tier the the I understand what you're saying about the criteria
227rubric and that you have if you get a 60% on this then you're entered into the lottery. I guess in the top or I guess that will make you in the top 40% of that or entered into the lottery. >> Okay. And then but then my the explanation that was given to me last year was that students who are below that may also be entered into the lottery if if this ones with the 60% above don't fill or or there was maybe a selection of a smaller group of the if you have a minimum score of 60% on the lottery that they were entered in. I don't know. It was it was explained to me that there were like your that only a certain people above a cut score was the word that was used
228to me was >> no even the rubric that was shared with you has a percentage of 60% and then it gives you the actual number that the rubric score would be equivalent to 60%. >> Every student who is above 60% whether that's 10 kids or 200 go into the lottery. >> Okay. So there wasn't a cut score. >> 60% is the cut score. >> Okay. It says 60% on the rubric is the cut score. So on the rubric that was shared with you, it says 60% and then parenthesis there's a number. >> Okay, >> that is equivalent to what 60% on the rubric is. >> Gotcha. >> It's not 60% of the kids. It's 60% on the rubric. >> I hear I I hear that. >> So all of those students go into the lottery.
229If there's 200 students in the first lottery and there's 50 seats, there will be not be a second round of the lottery. If there's 10 students, we don't have to run a lottery for 50 seats. All 10 of those students go in and then we go to the students who are in the next section, which is the same thing we do for Parkview. >> So there is there is a possibility that people below the 60% will be able to be pulled in. So it's really not a minimum score. It's for the first round of the lottery. >> Yes. But for schools like Forest Heights, it is the first round of the lottery. We never we have never run a second lottery for Forest Heights. But there is an option. Should that be presented? We have
230in times past run a second lottery for Park View. >> Okay. Is that explained in either the rubric or the online? It's just kind of hard to >> It's not It's not online at all because we haven't updated the website, but yes, it will be. >> I understand that. It's just hard to appro It's hard to approve things like this with that in a vacuum and without having that piece of the information. Um Okay. Those are my two big questions. >> You finish. >> Director Adams. >> Thank you, Miss Johnson. Um, Dr. Lauren. >> Yes, sir. >> I I seen in about five different areas for for some minor wording changes. >> We fixed them. >> Thank you. >> Yes, sir. We merged my document with Mr. Kazay's, and so we doubled up on some
231things when we merged the changes. So, thank you for catching those. >> Sure. and board members, those were just minor wording changes and maybe misspellings or things like that. It didn't change um any the the meaning substantially at all. It was it was really form. >> Okay. Sure. We entertain a motion. We did that. I move that the LRSD Board of Education approve the revisions to policy 4.1 as presented. >> Second. It has been moved and second that the RSD board of education approve the revisions to policy 4.1 as presented. All in favor say I. I. >> I. >> Any oppose? >> No. one director strong. >> I said it was wrong. >> Oh, >> okay. >> Go ahead. >> He's ready to move along. >> Oh, okay. Oh, okay. All right. We're going to
2329.3. Thank you. >> Lauren, did I see you at 8:30 this morning? >> Yes, ma'am. We did. You went on little feet for 12 hours, huh? >> 14, but it's okay. >> Okay. >> That's called dedication. >> All right. Board members, um, Director Jackson, I feel I could be stealing your thunder if I presented this. I'm happy to do so, but >> go ahead. Board members, uh, Director Jackson brought to my attention, uh, the idea of of making a resolution designating the Palaski Heights Middle School gymnasium as the uh, Ramona McGee Gymnasium in light of Coach McGee's achievements while uh, in the employee of Little Rock School District. Um, actually when director Jackson sent this and I started writing the resolution, I was like, well, shoot, why haven't we done this before? Mhm. >> Um
233it's uh it's really remarkable. Uh she had she'd worked 29 years as a teacher and coach with us. Uh during that tenure uh her teams had won 20 state volleyball champions championships, 35 state basketball championships, and 15 undefeated seasons. Um that level of that level of of athletic achievement uh coupled with a dedication to instructional excellence and mentoring of students really speaks for itself. And this resolution is in a lot of ways a very small gesture of recognizing that kind of excellence over decades in the lives of our students and our children. And that's something to be celebrated. And when uh Director Jackson brought this to me, I was like, "Yeah, I'm absolutely thrilled to be writing this." So, we would ask your approval of this uh for the renaming of the gymnasium, which also
234authorizes uh the superintendent to set an appropriate um ceremony, gathering, something to to mark the occasion. Thank you, board members. I'd just like to say one thing if I may. >> Yes, you may. >> Um, >> I wanted to say I brought this to the board because this gives us a chance to show equity as Coach McGee would be the first female to have an athletic facility um with her name on it. I see you back there. Um, and I want to also say that I've been hearing this for over five to 10 years about her accomplishments from a lot of people. Um, and then most recently, Coach Davis, who the gym was named after um, at Lacy, he brought it to my attention, Miss Jackson, if you will win, will you please fight for
235that because she deserves it. and I told him that I would and I know there are a lot of supporters for Coach McGee. So said that I would bring it to the board and so thank you. I will um I move that the LRSD Board of Education approve the resolution naming the Palaski Heights Middle School Gymnasium as the Coach Ramona McGee Gymnasium in recognition of Coach McGee's distinguished career and her enduring contributions to the Little Rock School District and the athletic community. >> Second >> discussion. Director B. >> Now I I'll be real quick. Like when I was reading the resolution, I was just like I do believe that this is probably the first athletic facility named after woman in the Little Rock School District. And it's just appropriate with all this title and our
236conversation we've been having over the last couple weeks to to show equity and progression and and doing things the right way for somebody who definitely deserves it and the community definitely has been in love. So, thank you again. >> Anything? Oh, I just I just thank you for bringing this and I just wanted to mention I think that in the bigger picture not that it's adequate and we need to continue to think but in recent years you know we named a school for Dr. Marian Gil Lacy which is so appropriate and overdue as and and then we we have a proposal we're going to vote on to name a science building for female principal at Central. And so this to me fits very much in the spirit of that, but it also stands easily on
237its own. So thank you for bringing this. >> It does. And thank thank you for bringing it up. It is her time now. Thank you very much. >> Okay. It has been moved and second that the LRSD board of education approved the resolution naming the Palaski Heights Middle School Gymnasium as the Coach Ramona McGee Gymnasium in recognition of Coach McGee's distinguished career and her enduring contribution to the Little Rock School District and the athletic community. All in favor say I. >> I. I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. 9.4 Four, renaming the Park View Magnet High School auditorium. >> You got two minutes. No, I'm just kidding. That's all. >> That's all I need. Good evening to you all and um thank you all for everything that you do cuz it's a long night, long day.
238Um I stand before you here as the uh principal at Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School. Um kind of to what Miss Jackson was just speaking of and Mr. cuz they um we have a teacher who is retiring uh Mr. C. Michael Titwell who has served in our district for 39 years. Um we've gotten several resolutions and recommendations to name something after him. And so obviously we just recently renovated our auditorium space and so we had several parents who sent in email correspondence in wanting to make sure that we named something to appreciate Mr. Tidwell. I think for Mr. Well, he started two dance programs here in Little Rock uh at Horseman at that time, junior high school and he came over to Parkview in the fall of 98 and he's been there ever
239since. Um and I think that his reach goes beyond just the community, but I think the bigger tailed about him and the things that he's accomplished is three of our current dance teachers within our building now are former Park View students who he taught. Um, in addition, he also has teachers at Southwest High School who he's taught as well as Maple. Um, so I think in terms of what he's done for not only Little Rock School District, but the community as at large, especially when you think about in terms of a lot of people graduating, they leave Little Rock. He's produced people that have graduated and then come back to still serve into our community. And so that's the uh recommendation to make sure that um we honor him. I think whether male or female,
240I do think that we need to make sure that we are acknowledging and honoring the great people and the work that they do within our district at a time when as my grandmother used to say where people can still smell their flowers and see them as opposed to when they're dead and gone. So, >> there we are. Awesome. >> I just want to add one thing. I think um first of all, I love so I'm glad to see um her get that recognition, but also with all of the work that we've been doing and spearheaded by Dr. right with our black male educator summits and supporting uh black males in schools. I think it's also important for us we have several gyms and floors and things named after athletes. And one of the things that
241Mr. Tillwell has done is allowed our young black men to see themselves as something other than an athlete um for our students who are not athletes. Um in addition to all of those teachers in his building, I was one of Mr. Tibbo's students. I went to Horseman in 9th grade and he was my teacher. Um, so that's how long he's been there. But, um, he has contributed so much to the community, to the school, and I just think it's important. Um, it was important for me. Um, I kept bugging Dr. Wright, don't forget this. Don't forget this. Um, I knew that he wouldn't, but the reach that he has had is immeasurable, and I think that he is more than deserving of this honor. >> Thank you so much. You know, we sit here and
242you guys work in the district and there's so many people that need to be celebrated, but we don't know who they are and we really appreciate you bringing them forward. This is great. You should do more of this. >> Absolutely. I agree. I definitely agree. >> Chair, we entertain a motion. >> Yes. >> Mr. Nichols. >> Oh, Mr. Nichols, you have something to say. >> Oh, okay. >> I was going to do the motion. >> Oh, go ahead. You got it. I move that the Park View Arts and Science Magna High School auditorium be renamed the C. Michael Tidwell Performing Arts Auditorium in recognition of Mr. Tidwell's distinguished career and his enduring contributions to the Little Rock School District and the arts community. >> I second. It has been moved and second that the LRC
243Park Arts and Science Magnus School auditorium be renamed the C. Michael Tidwell Performing Arts Auditorium in recognition of Mr. Tidwell's distinguished career and his enduring contribution to the Little Rock School District and the arts community. All in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? >> Motion carries. >> Thank you. No problem. >> Thank you. >> One more. >> Come on, Mr. Kaz. Close us out. >> Close us out. Oh, yeah. >> I don't think this is me, y'all. >> I mean, I'm h you want me to >> or if it is me, I I have no idea what I what I want to talk about. >> I'm happy I'm happy to share this. Um, I had asked the board back in early April, I mean, not the board, the staff back in early April, April
244to draft a policy. And so we we it it got a little delayed. Um and so we got this this weekend or maybe Tuesday, maybe after No, did we get this before you and I met this week? I guess we did. Um so Dr. Wright drafted this up over the weekend. Um and one of the So I would, you know, really kind of pair this down to the part that's at the bottom of the first page and then the second page where it says 7.5.1A. Um, so this is about requiring a title, this is trying to prevent what has happened with central softball from happening in the future. And so our goal with this is to require a title 9 compliance review for athletic investments. And um this policy as it's written right now is
245limited just to construction projects. Although the what I had requested was a little more inclusive of that of including um staffing formulas or hiring procedures that were changing uh for athletic leaders. So I do think there are a couple tweaks to this and I also would probably align this with what we do for our minority purchasing report which is anything $50,000 or more. Um but anyhow this is a draft policy that needs some tweaks. If you scroll down, Pam, the part that is really relevant is this part down here. Um, but basically that it would say that prior to us reviewing, voting upon or granting financial approval approval for any um any capital improvement or new construction or any project that modifies athletic facilities regardless of cost. Um, we would need to sub submit a
246formal title 9 compliance equity assessment. Um and sim similar to the way that we get a minority purchasing report every month in our board report. We would have um something similar that would come along anytime we had an approval for um for construction. Again, I would like to add anything I would like to add this to our annual staffing formula update that we've been doing or reviewing the past few years. I think we appro Is that we approve the staffing formulas every year, right? Not just review them. Okay. Uh, but I think that could be something helpful in there. I've learned a lot about staffing for athletic positions that, you know, the stipens are like right now we're posting our softball position as a um a softball coach position as stipen only. And if someone
247were already in the district or were to apply for an open position in the district, they could be eligible for that. But there's not like a combined just a softball coach program. you have to be an educator somewhere and be the softball coach. And you know, for example, I've heard that the um the coach uh for for soccer at Central is actually a PE teacher at Jefferson and then coaches soccer at Central after school. So, I mean, it can be a lot of different ways. Anyhow, all that all that being said, I think there are some some opportunities to improve this this draft a little bit, but I think we can get there by our next meeting and hopefully by our next voting meeting have a policy to approve along with this. Um it was
248posted briefly and then pulled back down, but um have been working on a resolution to direct the proceeds from any real estate sales to central high equity uh in softball. And so there's that also and that will be coming as well. This is open for feedback from you guys. I'm happy to discuss it now or we can you can submit to Dr. You're right. And we can provide feedback on that, too. >> I do have a thought. Um, so I don't know at what point. So when we do all of this, we end up with a planning committee, but the planning committee doesn't keep minutes. So we don't know what goes on in the meeting. >> You mean when we have a construction project, right? >> We don't have any way of verifying anything or
249what's being said. And so I would like to just add maybe they should designate somebody to take minutes and then bring that report to us or send the report to us so we can know who is doing what and if they're doing what they're supposed to be doing. Is the conversation leaning the way it's supposed to lean. >> Uh as it's as it's phrased right now. Director Johnson, I think it calls for something of that sort from the from the Title N coordinator. >> Thanks for that. Um, >> so yeah, I think that would probably be easy enough to do a summary of here's what we've got and here's where it here's where it meets those >> or the any any project that would be recommended for approval would meet those criteria. I think that
250and if if the wording of this doesn't capture that accurately, we can certainly do that. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Director Jackson. Um so in the final I guess as you continue to as it's being worked on you are you saying that it will or will not include um staffing? >> So in the email that I had sent to district leaders about this um I had asked here I'll just pull that up. Hang on. Um but basic I had asked for it to also include staffing and the the money piece goes in this section. And so this was a draft for section seven where the financial piece goes. And honestly, I'm not I wasn't absolutely sure where the piece for um Sorry, my computer's disconnected from the internet. Um >> so you're
251just saying it will be included. >> It may be a separate slightly different section of our policy manual. >> Okay. >> That's what I wasn't sure about. >> Thanks. I know district staff have been um busy lately, so >> Okay. Director Adams. >> Yeah, thank you for your work on this and I and I really like the spirit of it. The the one thing that I wonder caught my ear as you were going through was um the modification regardless of cost and then it made me wonder about you know so if you were going to you replace a broken locker you in a locker room or >> that's where >> or you know you know put a new coat of paint on something. I mean, that's why I was thinking the $50,000 might be a
252nice like floor for our approval. >> That felt like a little bit >> too granular that for our for the need for this, but but some kind of floor. >> Yeah. >> Seems reasonable. >> Yep. >> Great feedback. >> Director Bali. >> Yeah. Yeah. It's my suggestion like with this um future con construction projects uh policy that we also need to do um look at ways why our current facilities do have an impact on equity. Uh because um before we even get to that, I think that we need to also just re-evaluate how some of these other schools who might not be looking at construction projects anytime soon, what ways we can make improvements for them uh through whatever measures we have possible? >> Are you suggesting that be looped into this like into a
253policy statement somewhere or or is that just a comment? I'm I'm making the suggestion as some way if it's not going to be a part of this policy uh developing a policy on that as well >> for like a task force to review. Okay. I think is that what's included in our task force that we just on the long term >> the one Eugene's doing? Yeah, that's what I wanted. >> I was just reading through that. Um, >> so it's going to audit. >> Yep. >> It's going to do >> Eugene's task force will be doing that. >> That's what I thought. Is that Is that correct? Is that correct? >> Good. Okay, good. >> Okay. Anybody else? >> Chair will entertain a motion to adjournment. >> Oh, my bad. Do you mind stealing a
254motion >> for shortcut board comments? >> I have one. >> Go ahead. >> Director Jackson. >> I would just like to um publicly apologize to the parents and the students and the families that were involved um who were inconvenienced and had issues and were hurt and bothered. And to the family that was here tonight, I would like to publicly apologize on behalf of the board. I know um director Wright has already apologized, but I would like to apologize on our behalf as well. As he said, we were in one part so um of the auditorium, I mean of the of the coliseum. So, we weren't aware, but I am happy to work with whomever we need to to make sure that this doesn't happen again. And just want to apologize and say we are sorry,
255>> Director Bali. >> Okay. Uh, three quick things real quick. Uh, I'm glad the parents came in here today to express their concerns about the AP criteria and I just want to encourage uh the district and our faculty and everybody to not push for the don't ask culture. Uh, that's disheartening to me to hear kids get a decision made about their education and then tell them don't have your parents calling up here advocating for you. uh there's nothing we can do about it. Um that's part of what they're trying to do with the whole access billing and ways to silence students voices. And as a district, we don't need to encourage that type of behavior. I believe every child should ask every question they they have a want to understand enough of and to do
256their own research and not just take answers from us. So, uh I want to make sure that we're not pushing this whole don't ask culture and just accept whatever comes to you because that's not how you get things done in society. you have to question what you don't believe in or what what you're curious about uh to have a impact on and and be a policy maker. Uh the second thing is uh I heard a lot of talk today about the uh well not a lot of talk but some talk about the millillage and I I think it's important that uh whatever way possible that we can educate people on the millillage and the uh the benefits of it uh before it's time to vote. Uh, I think that's always a good idea to do
257some type of voter education for people that they have a better understanding of what they're voting for. And the last thing that I want to mention, um, Mr. Bailey mentioned like one of the biggest things as far as budget wise during the summertime is like wondering about vandalism. Uh, I'm never going to be the person to say, you know, just heighten up police patrols and uh make it a a more um in more investigative traffic stops and all that type of stuff. I don't push for that, but there's ways we can push for public safety and just being creative. So, I I just want to encourage uh us as board directors and and um people with the Little Rock School District to think of some creative ways where we can uh make our community safer,
258especially around our schools. There's so many different things going on this summer when the weather gets a little warmer where we have pedal parties going around town, uh, running clubs, uh, different events, popup, markets, and just encourage our community to be as close to those schools as possible cuz crime usually doesn't happen when people out on in the community and keeping eyes on the community. And you don't always need police officers to uh, monitor that. You can keep the peace in your community by just being active. And so if we can encourage our people to have those groups in the community and say, "Hey, one way we want to keep our schools safe and don't want to spend that type of money is bring your events around our school uh encourage walking, bike riding, uh
259any type of positive activities that improve the morale and the health of the community, but also keep our community safe. >> I just want to piggyback on something you said about the parents. When you tell a kid not to tell their parents, that is not what we're trying to do is disengage the parent. We are trying to engage the parent. And to me that is not great customer service. So if you intend to keep the students in the district, you need to engage their family, their parents or whomever. Never tell a kid not to tell your parent. That is not great. So please don't do that. We need to strive on giving great customer service. And that's it for me. Oh, director Adams. >> Thank you. I just want to say you know last week
260with the graduations I wanted to add our congratulations to the graduates and the teachers and the families and all the people who are involved in that. That's a long day for for many of us long day for the team you know to do that. Uh but it's really one of the more um gratifying experiences I think is to see all the people see the why we're doing what we do um you know from prek on up and um to see people reach their goals and be able to transition to something else. And to add to um the the perspective that director Bali has expressed, I think that that when people are frustrated and we had people frustrated about several things and they came and talked to us and and that's really what we want. I
261think, you know, we want we want engagement because our and I've said this before now, but I'll say it some more is, you know, our the biggest um threat in public education is not people who are frustrated and want us to do better. The biggest threat is apathy and people who buy who buy out and and give up on us and leave us and and and don't think we can do any better and and are not invested in us anymore. But the people who want us to do better and are willing to be a part of doing better by helping us understand the problems and the concerns, those are people that are on our side and and we can learn from them. And and just like all the things we heard tonight from the families
262from the softball to the um accelerated classes and and the the graduations, we will do better because of some of the things we've heard tonight and in the last couple months. And we we need people to do that. So I really appreciate that. >> Sure. >> A motion for adjournment. >> So move has been moved and second that we adjourn. Good night. But the people who want us to do better and are willing to be a part of doing better by helping us understand the problems and the concerns, those are people that are on our side and and we can learn from them. and and just like all the things we heard tonight from the families from the softball to the um accelerated classes and and the the graduations, we will do better because of
263some of the things we've heard tonight and in the last couple of months and we we need people to do that. So, I really appreciate that.