001Good afternoon. So, we're going to go ahead and get started. Here we are. Board meeting August 28th, 2025, Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Welcome and greetings. So, we're going to go ahead and call the meeting to order where we do have a quorum. And let's go ahead and move first into to celebrations. >> Before we kick off our uh >> maybe >> celebrations and our partners in in education, I do want to um take a minute um in addition to celebrating the start of the new year. We want to pause to remember our colleague uh Miss Michelle A. Butler whose loss deeply touched our school family last week. So, we want to take a moment of silence in her honor. If we can just do that before we get started. May her memory inspire us to
002move forward together with compassion and purpose. We'll now ask Miss Block to come up to present this month's partners. >> Thank you. As always, I'm excited to be here. I missed you over the summer. Did you miss me? We did. I was think you might not have missed me, but I know you miss our wonderful volunteers and park. >> I missed you. I was thinking about you. >> So, we're so I'm glad to be here because I just have I just have the best honor in the world to celebrate these people and I'm always so glad to do it. Can you believe tomorrow we'll be 15 days into school. That means we only have like 160 more to go or something. But the really good news is our community members and volunteers and partners help
003our schools get ready in a way that I hope that you saw and witnessed because it's just spectacular all the work they do with school supplies and uniforms and campus beautifification and everything else. So always when you see a partner in education be sure to thank them on behalf of the Lorac school district because they do exceptional work tonight for us always. Now, my job, my task tonight is partners in education. Everybody knows this. And we have a special evening because it's dumbar highlighted. Principal Kane, get up here with me. >> Charlotte traffic. She's trying to get here. >> We understand. We understand. I have the honor of focusing on several groups. He They were They wore me out. And some of these groups we've been working on for a couple of years, but it's
004it's spectacular the work that they're doing and we want to give them all their highlight. Okay. So, what we're going to ask I'm going to introduce them according to the slides, let them come up and take a photo with you and everything and then if you have comments because I know you want to thank them if you if you do that at the end and then we'll all do a group picture outside. Do y'all follow? Everybody cute? Okay. So, where's my photographer? Right here. >> Right here. Okay. I don't know where you want them, but let's introduce our first ones. Seal Educational Consulting and Lauren Consulting Firm. Come on up. See, I've already given them their certificates because I wanted them to have everything. I'm going to let you hold this as you stand now.
005President Wesley, come join them. And Dr. Wright. And who's our Dumbo rep? >> Johnson. But she's not. >> But she's not here. Okay. So that's good that that President uh Wesley can do this. I am so proud of these folks. Renee Stevenson is helping these kids and and families and so is Dr. Stanley Ellis and Jackson. Take your photo. Y'all just look at him. I'll talk while y'all smile. And uh Dr. Ellis was on our board for a few years back. So we're proud that you're still engaged. Thank you for supporting Gumbar. Give these folks a hand. Okay, let's see. Let's move to the next one. J&H Cleaning, come on up. World Links Truck Driving Academy. Yeah. And Riverok CDL Training, come up. [Applause] I think it's great that these groups are supporting Dumbar by
006demonstrating to students the vast diversity of occupations they can go into and things that they can do and I think it's wonderful that they have said yes and signed up to support Dunar in this endeavor. Now I want say your name so that in the microphone HIV before you sit down so they know who you are. Okay. And my name is Lola Robinson and I am Miss Godley's recruiter. >> We're glad to have you. >> Hi LRSD family. I am a retiree 25 years with LRSD and I am so happy to be back and I support you greatly. I am Glattis Godley. I am the CEO and founder of World Link Truck Driving Academy. >> Thank you, Mr. Joiner. My name is Rodney Joiner of JN Cleaning. This is my first year and this is
007the year for the encourage children and sponsorship. >> Thank you. Glad you're here. We appreciate you. [Applause] >> Okay. We would also like to recognize and welcome Archwell Health and Creations by Nora. And I know uh Lenora um Ays is with here with us tonight. Come join us. Come out. We're glad you're here. She has she's doing some really interesting things at Dumbar where she's helping the students actually design things. Wait, wait. Yeah, Dr. Wright decided he didn't want to be in the picture. Um, she's helping students design things and then market them and sell them. It's like teaching an entrepreneurship. I think that's great because I get incentivized with creative initiatives. So, we appreciate you. Thank you. [Applause] Okay. Representatives in attendance from LRPD gyms program, Legendary Institute Barber College, One Oak Hair Studio.
008That is great. We have [Applause] >> Are you with one studio? Get in this photo. >> These are all for Dumbar. There's like a crowd there now, right? >> And I'm gonna tell you a fun story. >> Miss Charlotte and Dumbar has been working on these so hard and She gave me the paperwork and I had one that I didn't have an email for. My phone rang this week and it was Danielle. Tell me your last name. Morris. Danielle Morris. And she said, "I filled out the paperwork to be a partner and I'm ready to get started this school year. Tell me what you do." And I said, "I am so glad you called a Thursday night." So here she is. So thank you. All right. Yes. And then last but not least, we have
009two faithbased groups that have also partnered with Dumbar. Come on up. Paradise uh Baptist Church and Bethl AMV. Thank you for being here. >> We're so proud of these groups that engage with our kids and they I know I know Bethl's been involved for a minute. So, we're glad we're glad to make it official. Introduce yourself. Would you please? >> Hello every Hello everyone. I'm Pastor Leonard Burgess Singer, senior pastor of the Paradise Baptist Church. >> And he is also part of our story time with pastors initiative. So, we're glad you're here. Thank you. >> Hello, Little Rock School District. I'm Johnny M. Branch and I'm president of our local leoty. And that's just anybody that's not a member, not a minister is a leoty. And so, we love Donbar. [Applause] Okay. Can you believe
010it? 12 in and five minutes, but I know I know Principal Kane would like to share a word. >> So, I won't be long. Again, greetings board president, Dr. Wright, board members. I'm going re-echo what I said last time. Business, leadership, entrepreneurship. This is what it takes. Um, again, kids with unique needs, we have to be ready and willing. Our community is ready and willing. The kids are ready and willing. So, I'm so thankful to all of our partners because everybody plays a part. Everything from leadership to business to entrepreneurship. You're seeing that represented here. That's what we want to accomplish at Dumbar. So, again, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Again, thank you. >> And let's put the slide pan so we can have all of our partners stand up where they are so
011we can give you a hand. Thank you. [Applause] See, I I'll bring all my friends. Thank you. We're going to go outside, take a group photo, but sincerely, thank you for all you do. >> Thank you so much. >> You're welcome. All right, we will continue on with our celebrations for the month of August. All right. So, of course, uh, the first week of school in LRSD was filled with excitement, learning, and plenty of smiling faces. As you can see all of the first day, first week pictures on the screen. From the first day buzz to the warm welcome in classrooms, our students and staff kicked off the year very strong. We're also excited to highlight um, Hamilton Learning Academy, which is our al alternative school. If you haven't been to Hamilton lately, we want
012to give you a sneak peek as to what's going on at Hamilton Learning Academy. Innovation is expiring every lesson, keeping students engaged and reminding them that their full that the future is full of possibilities. Um, we have re-imagined our alternative school this year and we are so excited about all of the great and wonderful things that are happening. you can see examples of um we have u arts courses, yoga experiences, all types of things that our students are doing at our alternative school and we're excited about the great things that are happening at Hamilton. Members of the Little Rock Nine and their families were in attendance this past weekend at the Arkansas Travelers paid as the Arkansas Travelers pay homage to their legacy. Fans enjoyed exclusive memorabilia, concessions run by Little Rock Central students, a
013performance by the magical singers, and recognition of the Tigers baseball team. Just three weeks in, but Gibbs Magnet School fifth graders kicked off the school year with an international experience during week one. Students welcome special guests from Vietnam alongside our Rotary Club friends to share questions, stories, and smiles. Our gift students prove that the world truly is their classroom. [Applause] Highlighting another partner with Dumbar, the William H. Bowen School of Law made a meaningful difference at Dumbar Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship Magnet School this past weekend. From refreshing school spaces to providing support for students and staff, their efforts left a lasting mark on the Dumbar community. LRC is grateful for this partnership and the positive impact their visit brought to the school community. [Applause] All right, big congratulations to these LRSD students who placed in
014the 2025 soybean science challenge at the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair. Vish Vishak Mingchi, ninth grader at Central, won first place. Uh Bennett Chin, a central 10th grader, won second place and Richard Hugh, a Pinnacle View eighth grader. Uh he won the junior division award recipient. We are very proud of these students for their accomplishments. >> Last week, we held a milestone ribbon cutting ceremony um for Central's new science wing, the 67,000 square foot facility facility. Let me say that again because that's a lot of square footage. 67,000 square foot facility is the first new academic building on campus since guess >> 1927. >> How did you know that? >> Oh, since 1927. The three-story building feature state-of-the-art labs, collaborative classrooms, a 200 seat lecture hall, and unique learning spaces designed to inspire the
015next generation of scientists, including classrooms on the roof. We want to highlight uh Miss Charlotte Cook Bular. She's a gifted and talented teacher from Watson Elementary. She has been selected as a 2025 E. Paul Torrance Creativity Award recipient by the National Association for Gifted Children sponsored by the Future Problem Solving Program International. This national award recognizes educators who make outstanding contributions to nurturing creativity in students. She will be recognized at the NAGC convention later this year. Congratulations to Miss Bulmar Cook Bulmar. Last week we re recently celebrated our retirees from last year with a special reception honoring their years of service and dedication to students and families. LRSD extends a heartfelt thank you to all of our honores uh to HR for hosting the event and to Mr. for Renee Julian and First Community Bank
016for their continued support and sponsorship of this meaningful celebration. And of course, you hopefully you're not getting tired of seeing all of our reading in the rock activities going on, but um we want to appreciate our teachers who are going above and beyond to provide support. To the left you see a photo depicting of two of our amazing early childhood teachers, Miss Katherine Slay from Chico Early Childhood Center and Miss Sarah from Roman Early Childhood Center. And they both deserve a shout out for their outstanding participation. Their dedication earned special prizes for them and their students. We are encouraging everyone to take the pledge to read and to help us in our reading in the rock initiative. So, thank you to those teachers. All right, we had some well I had some illuminating conversations with
017a few of our high school students last week and believe you me they are truly unafraid to speak their minds and they uh and that really was what my visit with them was all about. What they had to say is featured on the right on education podcast channel as bonus material. We invite you to take a listen if you have an opportunity to do so. We're happy to report that the podcast is now featured on multiple streaming streaming platforms. You see those streaming platforms listed on the screen in addition to on YouTube and we are recording our next episode tomorrow which will drop next week. Sounds like we're releas releasing like an album or something >> just like Taylor Swift [Music] >> sort of. Um we're hoping to keep our parents, teachers, and students and
018community informed and engaged covering a variety of topics. If you have questions or to comment on podcast episodes, email write onlrsd.org. Thank you for starting the applause. Uh, and we're looking forward to something that we do every year at the beginning of the year. Um, our lunch with LRC dads and father figures is next week. Everyone who participated in the contest was invited to enjoy food, fun, and fellowship and a chance to win big prizes. The top three vote getters will either enjoy a Rock and Roll sushi dinner for six, tickets to the Little Rock Razerback game, or a round of golf. Thanks to Rock and Roll Sushi for donating the food for the lunchon. And I did not know this, but the owners are LRSD graduates. So, we encourage everybody to go out and
019please support Rock and Roll Sushi. Um, all of our mailboard members, we are inviting you to attend the lunchon next week. And we're also excited that we are planning to continue um our outreach to our dads and father figures. Um we will have all pro dads that will be here. That's Tony Dunie's organization. And so our goal is to um encourage our dads and father figures to form chapters at their children's schools so that we can keep this momentum going throughout the school year and not just have a one-time uh event at the beginning of the school year. And that is it for our celebrations for the month of August. >> All right. Very good. Thank you. All right. We'll move on to public comment. This is a place in the agenda when we hear
020from the public, parents, stakeholder, 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. So generally, you know, we just kind of keep a timer and it will go off and then I'll ask you just to try and wrap up that particular idea. Okay? Because I hate interrupting people, but you know, we want to work together. Okay. To be timely. All right. So Kathy Web is who? No. Okay. All right. Miss Web. Um Oh, you did say no. You did say no. Um, we just wanted to make sure that we were fair. Darius. Darius. Uh, what is that last name? Dear >> I'm sorry. >> Can >> Darius
021Canibru. All right. >> Good afternoon. Good evening everybody. >> Good afternoon. >> Hi board. Good afternoon. My name is Darius Kenner. I am representing the Hallai alumni association called the tribe. Also I am a product of Little Rock School District. went to fullbrite went to for sites and went to Hall High School. So when I think of excellence and when I was winter hall in 2003 I thought of people like General Wesley Clark I thought of people like Sydney Murphy which the gym I played for but just traveling even coming back that same time at home allowed me to have a great career not only um education and public policy that led me to New York and come back to help and serve my community here in Little Rock. So, when I drove last night
022over to the stadium that's connected to Hall on the other side, um that has Hall's names, but for sightes and Palaski Heights, we're playing there. You have Hall of End zone when you have the coloring even of the stadium is discombobulated. No edifice that can uh create a space where our students can thrive and be on point. And this is a reflective of the same thing I experienced when I was at Hall working for the war which was a journalism um space. Our school our students advocated for what it looked like to maximize the resources from our school district to make sure our school was on point and we had to hustle and tustle and fight with the school district at that point. So even now when I look at where we are and where
023we can be and even in the community where we're in Midtown in that area, what does it look like for those students to have a local high school students not only in the area of whether the hill crest and the heights but also in the west side to be able to have a fiveminute commute instead of going to overpop populated high schools who sometimes are not servicing our kids in the most efficient way. Um it made me kind of reflective of when I saw the letter and I may only have a minute left of how um it was talking about the finances or was the reason to close on the hall, but when we wrote that letter um to the school district um in our newspaper and we actually the school district pull our newspapers
024down. We talked about the zoning and how school how the school was basically created to in the time um to fail. Um and we had to advocate not only raising money for bayon uniforms in 2003 that they still have those same bay uniforms now but also things um as it relates to ensuring that um having proper leadership. We went through um three principles at the school um my sophomore year. I remember being student council president having to talk to the principal and telling them it's going to be okay. Students shouldn't have to do things that adults should do. And I think we have a great opportunity to ensure not only that our school district is on point, our city is on point, but we can maximize the potential of our school district to make it
025the school district it can be. Lastly, um being uh my age group, what does it look like when we talk about enrollment going down? A lot of my classmates, they won't send schools uh kids to the schools um in the school district because those schools are not there anymore. So what does it look like to create sustainability to academically um influence the community and also ensure that we are doing the best for that local community there. So we ask that you be a part of um working thinking and supporting some of the ideas that we may have and the great ideas that and the great work that you're doing as well. Thank you and appreciate the time. >> Absolutely. >> All right. Thank you. Um, thank you, Darius. Cammy Roland. Yes. >> Hi, my name
026is Cammy Roland and thank you for letting me speak today. I'm a product of the LRSD beginning at Metacliffe in 1977 and ending at Little Rock uh, Central High School in 1990. I'm also a district employee starting my 28th year this year as a speech language pathologist at Little Rock Southwest High School. I went ahead and wrote down um what I wanted to say so I could make sure that I get everything out. What was shared on social media about considerations regarding the future of Hall High School campus is very sad to me having started my career in the district at Hall High School as a speech language pathologist from 1998 to till 2020 when I and a multitude of others chose to leave and help start Little Rock Southwest High School or go teach
027at other schools. We all chose to do this because we had been all reconstituted. We all had to reapply for our jobs. Most had obtained our jobs back. But unfortunately, even then, we saw the writing of the wall on the wall of our school's future. When the demise of Wad Hall High School used to be became more apparent, I began thinking, what a great location for a ninth grade academy. I didn't think I don't think I'm the only one who works in our high schools um that feels like the climate of the high schools in our district has drastically changed since ninth graders have become part of our student body and that their educational growth and maturity would be better served on a separate campus before coming to our high schools through addressing social emotional
028learning and hidden curriculum skills more directly. The five critical core competencies of social emotional learning are the crucial um of navigating an adolescence. The period of a significant transition for them, identity development and increased academic and social pressures that would help them would be self-awareness, understanding their emotions, strengths and values, self-management of regulating emotions, managing time, developing resilience, social awareness, emphasizing and empathizing with others and appreciating diversity. relationship skills of effective communication and conflict resolution in building positive connections with others in responsible decision-making ethical decisions and considering consequences. The hidden curriculums that are um lacking in today's students are um the academic metaccognitive skills, organizational skills, time management skills, good study habits, self- advocacy, social emotional learning, which I just discussed, growth mindset and adaptability, problem solving, and responsible decision making. I even thought as
029far as to wow, what about renaming a whole high school the Wesley Clark 9th grade academy school of public service? And since Governor Sanders has put into the place the required 75 hours for students graduating in 2027 and beyond, what better renaming of the campus than that of community service. Not only will the students be able to engage in opportunities to accomplish their 15 hours required their freshman year, but they would also be able to grow in more independence and their curriculum growth, learning better how to grasp and handle the academic rigor that they will start and be moving into more fully in their upcoming high school years. and through our freshman seminar class delve deeper into utilizing the um hidden curriculum skills and social emotional learning that will help them better acclimate to the
030high school setting. I would truly hate to see those who have opportunity and authority to do so consider closing whole high school as a high school making it a billing for more offices for the district or making it an early childhood program when Fair Park early childhood program is just minutes away. Like I said, as a district employee of 28 years and having spent my first 22 as a speech pathologist at Hall High School, I truly feel the best utilization of the space and structure at Hall High School would be to create the ninth grade academy, not only for the future of incoming freshmen to thrive and flourish, but for the high schools that they would become a part of in the district and the one that will be opening in 2027. Thank you. >>
031Thank you. >> All right, Carrie McDonald. Carrie McDonald. >> Thank you. Good evening. >> Good evening. >> I will not take three minutes, I promise. Um, I'm Carrie McDonald. I am president of the Hall High Neighborhood Association and I'm here to talk a little bit about the future of Hall. I understand Hall's struggles. I do. And I really appreciate all things that y'all have done to help Hall. Whatever you guys decide to do, we will be supportive. What I'm here to ask is respectfully that the Hall High Neighborhood Association be included in the information stream so we can make it um accessible to uh everybody in the neighborhood. That's going to help um it's going to help you be transparent to the neighborhood because uh as you all know Hall is probably the only school
032other than maybe Central that is completely surrounded by a neighborhood and the people in our neighborhood are very concerned about what's going to happen in the future. Like I say, whatever you decide about Hall is fine with us. We'll support you, but we want to be involved on the future planning also. That's all I have to say. Thank you for listening. >> Absolutely. Thank you. >> I didn't take three minutes. >> 110. >> Very good. [Applause] >> Carrie Casease. Carrie Casease. Okay, I'm not being rude. I just made notes so I didn't >> Those of you who know me know I tend to wander a bit. Um, I live in the I'm Carrie Casease. I live in the neighborhood half for about 15 years about three blocks down from Hall. Um I am the mom
033of a Hall High graduate. Uh he graduated this past May. Um he was in the first class to go all the way through in the newly reconstituted um uh system there at the school. Uh the teachers and the staff I want to say have been remarkable. He had on the whole a very good high school experience there. And oftentimes, and no disrespect intended, that was in spite of a lot of things that happened from central office and not because of the it is a wonderful, wonderful um faculty and staff there. Um I was the PTA president, PTSA, excuse me, president for three years. And I understand that the obligation of this board and this and the administration in this district is to allocate all of the resources that you have at your disposal for what
034is best for the entire student body. I do in the whole district. I do understand that and that includes real estate and that may very well mean that whole needs to close. That seems to be inevitable as in the current form that it is in. Um, and this has been built, I would point out, as a thoughtful conversation, and I do appreciate that. My ask is that whatever is decided, that you commit to that decision, you be clear about that decision, and that you support that decision. During our time, our family's time at Hall, families were asked to give of our time, our resources, and our social capital to support the school. But it did not seem as if the district did the same thing. And by that I mean for the past four years
035while we were there, every year there was some kind of parent meeting at the end of the year where we would be told the plans for Hall for the future and it was never the same plan twice. It shifted and shifted and shifted and every time you started to get momentum on something, we had a new plan. And that is very difficult to recruit students and families and tell them what it's going to be for their student when we never seem to have the same plan more than one time, more than one year. There was a millage vote for engineering labs and every time I asked about those, nobody seemed to know what I was talking about. And to my knowledge, no plans were ever even drawn up. They weren't priced out like as far
036as I know. But I was told they were too expensive. That was the last I heard. Uh students who tried to register online were regularly reassigned to Central or Southwest. That happened to my son. We had to call and get him moved back. We know of many students, one year as many as reportedly 50 students who had tried to register for hall. We're told it was full. I think we all know that it is not full and that that continued to happen. So, I realize that when y'all are looking at these decisions that you're looking at spreadsheets and numbers and that is appropriate, but the decisions that you are asking families to make are about their lives and the decisions that you are asking staff and faculty to make are about their careers and they
037need full transparency and all of the facts to be able to make a clear decision about things that are incredibly important. So, while certainly I do have a point of view on what I would like to see happen at that building, I will support whatever is decided and whatever y'all think is best. But I really want to be clear to just ask you in the strongest terms possible to make a decision to be very clear about it because everybody in these conversations are grown-ups and not everybody gets treated like a grown-up. So thank you. >> Thank you. [Applause] >> All right. So those are all the names that I have. However, I want to open the floor up for anyone who um has not signed up. Anyone who has not signed up? Okay, hold on
038one second for me, dear. Anybody else that would like to speak who has not signed up? Okay, come if you'll just give us your name, please. >> Hi, I'm Katie Rutled. I live in the Hall High neighborhood and I support the school and I would like it to stay open. My husband is a product of the LRSD school district. He had a wonderful education. He had a better education than I did. Um, I love that there's a high school that kids can walk to in my neighborhood. That was a big draw for us moving there. Um, I just really would like it to stay open. I don't want it to be an empty building. I don't want it to be administration. I just want it to be a place where students can go and I
039respect that there are resources. Um, and then I'll just use the rest of my time to just say I dislike charter schools. I dislike the school choice. Um, thank you for all that you your work that you do in the LRSD school district. Um, and just thank you. >> Thank you. All right. So, we're going to go ahead and move forward to district committee report certified PPC. >> Good afternoon, everyone. >> Afternoon or evening. I like your shirt. >> Thank you. My class of 93. the certified PPC. We had our first meeting um last week and there were a um a few concerns that have come up and before you you will see that you will have three documents. If >> you should have three, there's a paper clip. So that you should have three
040separate >> and I and someone can have mine if you don't have enough. I thought I had eight. >> Let's look at um the first document that says effective July 1, 2025. This is the newly adopted language for the section 3 certified policy. This is 3.10 certified personnel teaching assignments and work schedules. If you would go to page 45, you will see highlighted teacher hours and load. If you will look at the first highlighted paragraph where it says an elementary certified employee may be assigned supervising supervisory duties during this time up to 1 hour 60 minutes per week without additional compensation. Certified employees assigned non-eing duties over 60 minutes per week will be compensated at their daily rate of pay. If you drop down on page 45 where it says non-instructional duty, it says certified
041employees may be assigned non-instructional duty for up to 60 minutes per week under the following guidelines. Number one, elementary certified employees will work with their administrator to establish the time and the length of when their duty will be assigned. Elementary duty may include bus duty, before after school, recess, lunch, etc. You turn the page. Step five. Secondary certified employees may fulfill their non-instructional duty requirements by subbing one period per week for up to 60 minutes. For schools on a block schedule, secondary employees, secondary certified employees may sub for one block every other week to fulfill their duty requirement. Any additional subbing required may be paid at the employee employees daily rate of pay. Now I would like for you to look at the expired personnel policy. Although we are not under the ppm anymore, there
042were some things that came from the PPM that is now adopted as board policy. Will you go to page 20 please? teaching hours and load and you can add it side by side with the first board document. Section T, teaching hours and load procedure two and three are the same as the current board policy that we share. Now, if you would go to page and 23 is also the same language that is now have been adopted in our certified board policy. The point in me showing you these things is because we have three middle schools where schedules have been set up for us to do 60 minutes of duty that is not sub. The language is very specific and it says that we may sub, but I know in three of our middle schools a
043schedule has been created. Two of the middle school staff are coming in either 30 minutes before school or 30 minutes after school to do duties, whether it's before school or after school. One middle school staff are coming in 15 minutes early or staying 15 minutes late four days a week. Two of the schools, one week they're doing before or after school duty, the next week they're doing subbing. one of the middle schools, they're doing subbing and an additional 60 minutes of duty, which means on that day that they're subbing, they're now getting paid for that because they would have exceeded their 60 minutes. The issue that um we're having is when we had our meeting, we suggested to all of the employees who this is affecting that they keep up with the hours that they
044are doing as far as the duty because we feel like there may be a group grievance to come about because there is nothing in step number five that says secondary will do before or after school. Although we are not under the personnel policy anymore, nothing about the language has changed. So when we were under the PPM, we never did 60 minutes of before or after school without being paid or compensated. Um there has been rumors floating around in one particular middle school that there is no duty anymore, which brings me to this document. if you will pull out. It does say 2425 stipen schedule, but it is um listed on the LRSD website as the stipen schedule for 25 and 26. So, it's just a date change. If you will go to page three where
045it is highlighted, you will see that we still have duty AM and PM duty. If you're doing both, you have a compensation of $2,634 for the school year. If you would look at I want you to drop down before we get to the second block and let's look at duty A.M. So that would be someone coming in in the morning and duty LN that would be someone doing um lunch duty. So, um, if we're going if secondary, especially the three middle schools that are doing it, if they're going to have to do an additional 60 minutes of duty that is not outlined in step number five, we feel as though they should be compensated for it. And that is why I'm bringing it to your attention. The other thing is the committee may have to
046come back together because there is a discrepancy. It does say that when you are subbing or you're doing additional duty beyond your 60 minutes that you are getting your daily rate of pay. So that would be your daily rate of pay divided by 7.5 hours which is going to be way more than the $358 that you see on the schedule especially if you are a veteran teacher. So, at the rate that we're moving with the three schools and assigning them additional 60 minutes of duty, it's probably going to become a hefty bill in one of the schools if a person has to sub the same week that they're doing the 60 minutes. And so, I just really wanted to kind of bring that to your attention. I don't have any answers really for the PPC
047other than don't be insubordinate and if that's what your supervisor has asked you to do, continue to do it until we can figure out what we need to do. But that's really what's going on in three of our middle schools right now. Um, we're having to do 60 minutes of duty. I can't really explain why for the many years elementary has done it, but I know that I've been in the district for 17 years. And anytime that I've been in the district, I have been compensated for doing um duty, whether it was before school, after school, and during lunch. So, this may be something um you know that you all may need to weigh in on. And before I kind of close, unfortunately, safety does cost and doing duty is part of safety. Um, we
048updated our buses over the summer. That has something to do with safety because we want our kids to get to school in the best mode of transportation that they can. We've purchased yonder pouches for safety. I mean, we know it's the bail to bail, no phone, bail to bail, but at the same time, it prevents kids from calling other people to come up to schools to start trouble and that sort of thing. So, unfortunately, safety costs sometimes and when you're on the secondary level and you are supervising kids, sometime they're bigger than us and we can get hurt in the process. And I think we would definitely not want to get hurt by not even being compensated. And sometimes you may get a better response if you even just recruit volunteers. Maybe the schools could
049have said, "Hey, we really need volunteers to assist with duty. Do we have anybody?" Some people will volunteer for things of that nature. So, with that being said, um PPC nominations are underway. September elections will begin voting and we will seek new members in October. My last final comment is that when the small committee met for section three, there was one thing that we failed to um mention and that was our previous um Little Rock School District certified personnel tuition reimbursement policy. You all don't have that yet because we just drafted some language. We're going to take it back to the PPC for our September meeting and then we will bring it forth for you all to uh look at. And we also want to include classified because we're seeing a lot of classified people
050go to school and get their four-year degrees and they should be just as eligible as we are if they're trying to better theirelves in their um life. So other than that, if you have any questions, I'm here to answer. >> Any questions? >> I do. >> Yes, ma'am. Miss >> Okay. Have you um have you went went through the process to get this addressed because it it it seems like it will be a HR issue and something that should be um resolved without having the board to lean in on. So, what have that experience been like? >> We brought it up at our PC at our PPC meeting. Um and I just haven't heard anything. Mhm. >> So the we did ask where did it even come from that it was allowed to be done
051is really the question because like I said under the many years that we were under the the personnel the PPM it had never been done that way and it's like it went out the window and I think they maybe certain people may have thought hey we can do this now but we still have to follow board policy regardless even with the handbooks that are being created. No matter what the principles are putting in their handbooks, it can't override what the law and the board policy says. And I know that it does say may sub, but it doesn't say that I can substitute it with something else or if that was meant to be, then that's what the language would have said. So, I mean, I'm sure that HR will, you know, reach back out to
052us. But we really need to know cuz we're in the third week of school and people are doing 60 minutes of duty in addition to subbing in some buildings. >> And how long have this been going on like uh by since the shift? So before it was and how how long have have the certified class um certified staff been dealing with it? >> They've been asking me, "Have you heard anything? Have you heard anything?" I'm like, "Have a meeting. you know, I'll go on record and and and voice your concerns, but we just haven't had had any um correspondence as to just really where did the directive come from? >> Okay. Um and then so and so the time frame is is it fair to say it is three weeks like since school started? >>
053Um most schedules took place this is our third week. So most schedules took place last week. >> Last week. Mhm. Um, schedules were created and like I say in two of the schools, one week 60 minutes of duty, the next week they will do subbing and it just kind of flips back and forth. >> And then like I said, one school is all combined. >> So, one lady reached out to me. She had she comes in two days a week, 30 minutes early, and then she had to sub within that same week, which she got paid though. >> Mhm. >> But it's not the percentage of the daily rate of pay. It's the 13th, the 3508. So that we would definitely have to come back and revisit because that language is a discrepancy there. >>
054And so the question is where where did the directive of change come from? >> That's what we want. That's what the certified PPC wants to know. >> Dr. Wright is um are you able to provide the board with that um information too? So >> I can answer that. >> Okay. Is it in writing? >> I can type it in writing. I mean clearly it had to come from the individual principles because that is not anything that we would have uh and if if it's only in three middle schools and not in all of them that is something that came from the individual schools. I don't know who the schools are so this is my first time hearing about this. >> Okay. And so will a re so can at some point hopefully by the our
055next business meeting at the end of next at the end of September then we can hear about a resolve if there's a resolve on that because it sounds like it it is a campus issue um from what I'm hearing and so if that's the case then that's personnel dealing with personnel to get that taken care of. >> So hopefully that can be taken care of and we can hear a report back on that. >> Yes ma'am. So that's what I'm looking for. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Is that doable? >> That's whoever. >> This doesn't sound like it's something that's big to solve. >> Yeah. Okay. >> I just didn't know anything about it. >> Gotcha. Okay. >> I have a question. >> Sounds great. Yes, ma'am. Miss Callaway. Thank you. >> How you doing? >>
056Um, what about the K8 schools? >> Are they having the same issue? one K8 and two middle >> are having the same issue. >> There are three schools total. One of them is a K8 and the other two are middle schools where this is being implemented. >> Oh, so it's not districtwide. >> No, ma'am. >> That's doesn't even make sense. >> It doesn't. >> I've never heard of this before. Now, uh prior to uh the state takeover, of course, you know, none of this existed. Well, even before the state takeover, it's always been in the language that secondary would sub and it's always been in the language that elementary would do the 60 minutes. Now, that was before, you know, my tenure into the Little Rock School District, which was 2006. >> Um, but it
057Yeah. >> Uh, from from what I remember. Okay. Yes, ma'am. uh it was optional any of those things and I didn't I guess I just didn't realize that it was a requirement as of yet. It it the language doesn't say that it's a requirement and and of course all of the concerns that I'm getting are people that I personally know who already are coming in early and staying late. So now they're coming in early early or staying late late. >> I did that anyway. But uh I've never heard of this before and and this is quite disturbing to hear. >> It is. Okay. >> And like I mentioned before, you know, unfortunately safety does, you know, really kind of cost and that is a form of supervising um children. And if we're if secondary is
058going to have to do it, especially when you got other middle schools that's not doing it and of course um high school is not doing it at all because we still have duty cycles. And I just want every, you know, the administrators to know that we have duty statements and just to not say that we don't. >> Any other questions? Miss Callaway, you finished it. >> Not exactly, but I'm done. >> No, go ahead. Go ahead then. Go ahead. I'm sorry. >> Because, you know, I I'm really, you know, pro but um I just didn't know that was going on and I wonder how that even became a thing. you know, really what making up rules as you go. >> Yes, ma'am. >> And so that's what we're saying. >> Okay. Some of these schools
059have made up rules as they went along. >> Okay. >> All right. Any other questions, Mr. Rose? >> It also sounds to me as though the three did not operate in vacuum. >> Say it again, M. >> The three did not The three did not vacuum. The three of them sounds to me like they worked together and came up with this idea. >> Well, that part I don't know, but >> Well, no, but I'm not asking you to Yes. >> weigh in on it. I'm just >> throwing that in on my own. >> I didn't know that. >> All right. Any other questions? >> Thank you so much. Thanks so much. All right. So, we're going to go ahead and move forward to consent agenda. Madame Chair, if we can go ahead and pull 5.5
060out of consent, that is a contract that the board haven't seen or talked about. Yeah. >> As a unit um and it was just placed in in uh it was just placed right in the consent agenda without the board's knowledge or approval. >> Any objections to that? >> Strongly support. >> Okay. Any objections to that? Okay. Okay. All right. And any Yes. >> Yes. I I'd like to to pull the donation of property from the consent agenda because I'd like to make a brief comment that wouldn't be consistent with a consent agenda. >> What was that? 5.6. >> Okay. And what is the pleasure of the board as it relates to 5.5? Are we asking that that's pulled and discussed separately on tonight or pulled and >> Yeah. on I mean it could be uh
061uh discussed normally the way the way we normally do things. >> Okay. >> Can't can't we discuss it at at at a work venure? >> No. No, we can just do it now. It should >> I mean it's fine to do it now. >> Whatever your pleasure is fine. I just wanted to be clear and 5.6 I understand. Is that correct? >> No objection. >> Okay. All right. So >> I'd like to move >> entertain a motion. I'd like to move the LSD Board of Education approve the consent agenda items as follows. 5.2 personnel changes, 5.3 purchasing reports, and 5.4 approval of schoolboard meeting minutes. >> Second. >> It's been moved and properly second that the LRSD board of education approve the consent agenda items as follows. 5.2 personnel changes, 5.3 purchasing reports, and 5.4
062approval of school board meeting minutes. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? The motion carries. Okay. So 5.5 seven of you know well yeah seven uh seven of arts consulting agreement >> speak to that >> okay >> start >> absolutely >> oh require >> I'll use your mic sir please >> I'm sorry >> for our ALS to be effective our AL we have to look for uh we have to look things with new eyes every time we we look um to find some effective strategies that worked last year, they may not work this year. You've got these you've got unique problems in alternative learning centers. Um there's no question in my mind that Miss Morning's uh qualifications are excellent for this job. Uh I'm not objecting to the financial impact. Um, but
063I'm going to vote no because this wasn't brought to me before from here. I didn't see it at agenda meeting. I said, oh, two months ago that I was going to vote no every time something came before us that hadn't been at the agenda meeting. So, that's my position. It's a wonderful thing. If only we had been warned and had a chance to say that sounds good. >> Okay. >> Other questions or comments? >> Okay. So, so for for for me it is more about the business um of the district and how the district moved about it. It's not about the vendor. It's not about the company. Um it is about uh taking a contract uh a teacher's con contract and um outsource outsourcing it. So what I mean by that, I've heard from uh
064teachers on this on a variety of topics and uh they have I had concerns around liability um and the overall efficacy of it um with the teacher of assignment um who is the teacher of assignment. a teacher of assignment cannot oversee um you know a a contractor you know like an employee can't oversee a contractor that's teaching um and so again it's not about the contractor it's it's about um circumventment uh the hiring process of um of taking a teacher out of the classroom and in um hiring a contractor which is going to perform work as an employee. Right? and ch that from what I understand from the email uh it have a full course load of uh students and uh my questions is around the risk the liability um information being entered into uh
065e school who is going to be responsible uh uh to do that have the AD approved this uh does the uh teacher of record wherever they're at in the district because they are not teaching the class there will be from what I understand the person that is just entering attendance entering grades and um and then as as as one contact that the state mentioned you know it might even get into testing even though it's arts but and so it's it's more about oh and then the contract cont. It is the language of teacher contracts. So, um I'm then I'm all for um like um yeah, it's it's it's this is not about the company. It it's it's about the way the district is doing the business of um replacing a teacher that was reassigned and
066um parsing out the duties. That's what it uh really is about cuz so I would like to know um >> Okay, Dr. Right. Let him have problem. Okay, I've come to Okay. Uh my issue is certificate. >> Let him >> Okay. I'm sorry. Go ahead. >> It's okay then. I'll be right. >> All right. So, um, several things I want to kind of speak to and I'm trying to figure figure out the best place to start. So being cognizant of what I can repeat from what I shared in executive session before, I know I can't talk about those things, but I want to go back to the fact that in the past in our in our AL program, our students have not had any elective courses at all. We all know the issues that we
067have dealt with in our AL for the last couple years. And so we re-imagined and and and redid the program to one that that I am extremely excited and happy um especially how things have been going for the first uh three weeks of school. So when we have several contractors who provide instructional support services in our schools, several, this is the only one where the actual service is actually occurring in the place of what the teacher would be doing. But we have tons of contractors who work and provide instructional support in our district. And I might might add that their contracts are typically three to four times this amount. And they don't they're not in school every day with kids. They're not working the same number of days as teachers. And so like and I
068I don't know if if the amount is an issue, but the amount in and of itself is is very nominal compared to um what we have done with other contractors. That's number one. Number two, this is no different than when we do not have teachers. Um, we have long-term subs in classrooms. Long-term subs are not the teacher of record. Um, they in essence try to substitute for what the teacher is doing. And sometimes you find good ones, sometimes you don't find good ones. What's exciting about this particular case is the person that we're contracting with um not only is highly skilled in the area in which they're providing service, we're actually combining both arts and anal approach which goes handinhand with what our students at the um AL need and we're having an opportunity to
069use a curriculum that she actually created and produced um which is another benefit uh for us. And so when you have a substitute or when you have an apprentice, we have apprentice teachers now. So apprentice teachers teach under the direction of a teacher of record. They do everything. They provide the instruction. They provide the surveys. They do not intergrades. The teacher of record does that. So this is the exact same thing. The teacher of record for this particular course um is actually in the AL building. So the teacher is actually there. We have a middle school arts AL teacher and we have a high school AL arts um position. This is the high school AL position, but the same teacher who's teaching the middle school kids. And we know it's a small number of kids
070over there, but it's it's the same teacher. So that concept of someone working under um a teacher record is not anything that is um foreign or something that we just created or something that we just made up. The other thing I want to speak to is the actual contract. And so we worked I worked very closely with Mr. Paradise who is our director of proc procurement on how this should be done. And so the contract that is in the agenda um is a contract that has been drafted between the district and for what I between the district and the Friday firm years and years and years ago. because when we hire contractors to provide instructional support services, there was no um standard template. And so this is a standard template that we use for all
071contractors. So this contract is not something we just created. This is what procurement has been using um for for everybody. Um I'm not going to I have some other notes down here, but this is more so to the amount. But I do want to say that in this case um people well remember there's a total cost for an employee versus what the actual salary is. And so when you look at this $80,000 it's actually the same or close to the same amount of the salary that we would have been paying the teacher who was in this position before without the benefit. So, this is a significantly lower cost um than we would have been paying if we had contracted I mean if we had kept the teacher. Um I don't know if I've I think
072I've at least addressed a couple of things that I've heard thus far. I think >> uh Miss Callaway >> forgot there was one thing and this was to uh Director Rose. Um although I do somewhat understand your position about not discussing something in an agenda meeting, but this wasn't just added to the agenda without the board's knowledge. I actually talked to everybody um about this in this particular situation before I put it. We talked about it in executive session. >> We talked about >> we did not talk about contract. We talked about >> No, we talked about the the problem is paying them to a different Yeah, that's not >> And that I was going to replace that person >> and and that you what? >> And that I was going to replace them with
073with with the person that we're talking about now. >> No, I No, you didn't say that. >> No, you didn't. You did not say >> Well, I know I had the conversation. I know I had it with you. >> No, you didn't. >> Yes, you did. Because you even said to me that that was a great idea. >> No, no. What I said it was at dinner. I mean, it was at breakfast and you said uh that like you would you said in passing because we were talking about other things. You said, "Oh, I'm working on so many things and then I'm then I'm working on on on getting a contract with Sandria and I'm working on that contract." I said, "Oh, okay. Well, that might that that that that may be a good contract."
074You never said we you you are writing the contract to replace right to have a a student load and for it to mirror a teacher contract because as AD says teach um contractors don't teach and so um they don't have co uh case loads of of of um of um students. And so be clear on when saying that you did mention you was working on a contract with the vendor, but you didn't say what it was for and what area because this is something that like um you have been wanting to do for some time now um prior to even the transition. And so, um, that's not so please don't put that out there because if that was the case and I knew about it. I didn't, and I was okay with, you know, I
075knew about it, then I wouldn't be pulling it from the consent agenda because then I'll go against it. I'm I'm um and to be clear, this is not to be extremely clear, this is not about the vendor. This is about circing the process. Now, now, and now, now the teachers that reached out to me about it, they have an issue with it with with the amount of 80,000 because they said you have to work, I don't know, Mrs. Callaway would know better than I, 20, 30 years or whatever to get that amount. They have an issue with it. My then my concern is very clear. It is about whether or not the AD um have approved the um uh curriculum. It was about the teacher of record. It was about the liability. Is about the
076risk. What happens if something happens in in in the classroom? It it it was um um I I I will ditto a um administrator's um um concern uh uh two of them. It was uh had concerns about grade inflation e and the the efficacy of that whether or not uh the teacher record is going to be in the classroom and uh is is the curriculum aligned with the curriculum guide guide for the art and has the ad um approved uh this as well and then there were some other um concerns that I had previously mentioned and so for me this is business is it's not even about the contractor, but it is about how um the district is going about the business of educating um or putting someone in the classroom to educate the the
077students. And I'll put a button on this so I can throw it over to Mrs. Callaway. Hold on one second. >> Okay. Um, every student in the Little Rock School District and their parents if if if they're being taught by a non-licensed, non-certified, and it's a core master schedule course, uh, they're able to request their child not to be taught by no and then and then right by that person and the district have to get a licensed and certified teacher to teach that um, course. Yeah, that >> How many How many parents have to object? >> I don't I mean I've done it before. >> Just one? >> I've Yeah, I mean I did it when my daughter was at man. >> All right. >> And Yeah. So, um and then other parents have have
078done it as well. >> I believe you. I didn't mean that to sound like >> No, no, no, no, no, no. I do you know what? Then I answered that not directly for you, but for those who maybe had the same question. So, I do apologize. Um and so with that, that is that is really what it's about. It's it's not about the company. It's not about the person. I know what type of work um the company does. Uh this is about it being a master because it is part of the master schedule and it is a core course. >> It's not a core course. >> Well, that's what you said in you. Well, it's a part of the master schedule. Let me look at the email. But I'll I will go ahead and pass
079it on and I'll go ahead and respond to that. I just don't want to believe. So I wanted to say that the course code for this particular course is a general arts fine arts related course code that is approved by AD. The teacher of record who is in the building is licensed uh for that particular course code. It is again it is not uncommon to have a teacher of record and someone else providing uh the instruction for a particular course. That is not something that is we have it when we have substitutes, we have apprentice teachers working in schools. Um that is not um anything that is foreign. what we are trying to do and this was an attempt to be um innovative with this particular student population and provide them something different that they
080hadn't had before um which has greatly um enhanced the program. Um the other thing that I wanted to add that I forgot to mention is I don't know that we have done something to this degree like this before but the reason so when we hire teachers for positions teachers and I believe correct me if I'm wrong Miss Burgess but I know we do it for teachers and I believe for par profofessionals as well when we hire them they meet the criteria they are hired onto the district they pass their fingerprinting background checks those folks start working immediately. Um, and sometimes they're brought to the agenda for approval after they start because I remember my first year here we had this very long lengthy conversation about um it's okay if we need to get teachers and
081folks in classrooms to once they, you know, pass that background checks and all that stuff to get them started. And so that was the same case for this particular contractor. We didn't allow her to start until her fingerprints and background checks and all that stuff was done. And so that's the I took the same approach that we would have taken um if it was um a teacher apparel that we were hiring for that particular course because we wanted to make sure that day one that the students had um the person there to begin. >> Okay. Uh Miss Callaway and then uh Miss Strong. >> I'm sorry. really uh my question uh was primarily about certification and and and uh he's really kind of answered it. Uh I'm this is definitely um different >> uh without
082a doubt. Uh I I I I it doesn't feel right. I mean it might be it might be exactly what what's needed but like with with so many things going on period the certification and whatever unless you could bring an aid in to do the same thing but for $80,000 and like I didn't know who was doing this if till late till until I reread it but I just was like maybe it work and maybe it won't. But I just have a bunch of questions I think we can talk about in executive session if we have one at some point. But uh my uh is this going for a voter? Can we just table this right now? >> I think that we can make a decision to table if we desire. >> We can table
083if we want to. Yeah. If we're going to work, >> I think she's already working and and it was changed >> and and and it was changed. You said you changed it to an arts digital course for the contract. So, it was changed. So, I went back and read the email. >> Okay. But >> never mind. >> Go ahead. >> Did you? >> You don't want to hear this. >> Okay. >> I mean, is that right? >> Okay. I mean I mean I you know me pretty well. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, Miss Strong. >> All right. >> I want to say out loud that I am not opposed to this contract. I know that we do this. I knew that we did this last year when we needed teach when we needed teachers to
084be in um rooms and we were having trouble hiring. I knew I know we've done this before and I really appreciate your creativity and I love that that Missing I I mean she just brings such a great energy in general and I am really excited about this. Um, I do think though that as we do this, I figured this was probably some sort of standard contract and I think that this contract needs to be revisited to better center some student safety. I was glad to hear you say uh something about background checks and other things because that's not in here anywhere that we will do that for this. And it also gives the contracted entity uh the ability to have to hire subcontractors that uh it says they can they can engage other subcontractors of
085their choosing to also be in the schools. And I think if we're going to be doing that, we really need to make sure we have the background checks and all of that on the entire team. And I think that needs to be in the contract. Um it also I mean I do have some concerns and I know that I understand the difference between employing and contracting. And here and under in number two under the um statement of work um it very much says that the district has absolutely no specific control or direction over the contractor's particular means, methods and or procedures for performing these services. And I understand that's to get you around contract or not get around but like to facilitate the execution of this as a contractor rather than a teacher. But that
086makes me honestly uh I mean the contractor is exclusively and absolutely in control of the time, place, and method of its work. I mean that doesn't really fit when you're talking about somebody who needs to be in a classroom all day long. Um and then the other I just so I would I would love to see if we could revisit some of that language to make sure that we are providing a contract that we can what if it's used in the future for things like this that that can help us if there is a bad actor. I don't think think Miss Morning in any way would be the bad actor, but I do think that if we um we need to be able to have a little bit better control over that. And just a
087couple other things. Um um the profession the payment for professional development days, teacher conferences, and things like that. Um if it's a if it's not the teacher of record, I would think the teacher of record, especially if they're in the building, would be performing those services. could maybe I'm wrong about that, but I don't know why we would need to be paying a contractor for professional development in our building. >> That's not paying her to provide professional de development. That's when professional development and training the days that teachers are required to be in worksheet. It's just saying she's required to be there. >> It's the same days that teachers >> I I guess but I don't really understand why we would they would need to be there if they weren't teaching student if there weren't
088students there. If they weren't >> it's the same thing for classroom teachers. This this >> I know. Do subs come in on I mean if we're kind of thinking down the line of >> these are these are you have day-to-days where you're planning you have all different types of professional development that teachers do when students aren't there and if she's providing the instruction to students she will need the time just like anybody else does to >> plan to look at data to do all the stuff that that that any other teacher does. >> Just encouraing as a student as a teacher but but yeah just um so the last piece on here is just I mean She doesn't the the contractor a contractor not Miss Morning I know she would be great but um would
089not have to follow any of the personnel policies um and any of the onampus requirements and expectations of our certified teaching staff necessarily. Um and anyway it just there are some things in here that I think we can do to better improve student >> safety. Like I said that contract was a standard >> and it's let me say one more thing. Well, let me just make sure he doesn't have anything particular to speak to specific to what's been said because we don't want to lose momentum. Go ahead, Miss Cow. Go ahead. I just want to >> Okay. I have a problem with this really and and and I think that uh I in prior years, you know, and other in another life and time, you did bring people in to teach things. This is unique.
090If the board decides that they want to do this, it would be uh really a uh a a different kind of thing. Me for myself, I would resent it. if I were in that person's I don't you know uh uh position and like you have to look at time spent going back and forth and whatever and then you got all this money. I would just resent it. I don't know how anybody else would feel and um I don't know maybe I I I I just I needed to see what are you going to be teaching uh and and how how how's it is this person coming in like a a a a guest speaker maybe but that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about having somebody fulltime to come in and teach and then
091they just hand the records over to whoever and then the other person just um I don't know maybe I just a as a former educator well still but >> so I'll try to frame this again. >> Okay. So >> in our AL program there is or should be a component first of all our kids should be able to have electives and outlets and things beyond the core content courses >> but a big piece that was missing in our EL program was around SEAL restorative practices activities and things to help build the um build up the kids who have been dealing with all different types of things. And so this was an attempt um with a person who I know is overly qualified to do it. And maybe the way in which it was done um
092is it's a it's a something we haven't done before and it's innovative, but it's no different than and I don't want to call out other vendors, but we we use other vendors to come into school to do SEO programming. We have them to come in to do groups with students. We pay and we pay them four and five times more than what this is. and they don't they may work a couple of hours >> a couple days a week. This is Monday through Friday every day with kids for three periods a day with a curriculum and a and an approach that I mean I wish you guys could see what is happening um over there and maybe the conversation needs to be about how you know we have a a contract that better reflects what
093is happening or to make sure but but it was our attempt to do something innovative and creative and to provide the kids with something that they need but having a contractor to provide the services is not foreign. um is something that we do as a district all the time. Um I do understand some of the concerns that people are bringing up. Um but um yeah. >> Okay. >> All right. Um Director Adams and then do we have anybody else on this end that I need to anybody in? So I've got Miss Hatter and then I've got >> me first ahead of her. >> I was ahead of her. >> Were you Okay, you guys you guys can see better than I can cuz I was down here. Okay. So, you guys work it out. Okay.
094Mr. Adams, >> thank you. I'm I'm concerned just listening to the discussion about whether or not we have enough support to move this tonight, but I hope that we can find a way to go forward with this. And I think that to me the the context is is comparing to where we've been and where we've been and we is we didn't have these services for these students and now we could have services for these students and we could have not just ser any services but we could have perhaps a very creative engaging effective way and that's part of what innovation is which is doing something different than the typical and and trying to see if it works. and and I think that if what I'm hearing is that in the begin that our first indications
095are have been positive and I think that I really want to support um the administration's idea of of putting a lot of energy and and focus and extra creativity into this program because it is sorely needed it and I and it's really exciting to think that we we could really take it a lot of levels and and do some things that would be really special for students. And so whatever it needs whatever we need to do to to get you know the the details you know worked out and I'm not sure Miss Wesy what it would take tonight if we if that would mean if we don't have a consensus tonight what m Dr. I don't know what happens if you know if if if we could if there's a way to bring this back
096at our next meeting you know for our first meeting in in September in order to work out these details so that we could go we would have enough of support to go forward >> because I would hate to see this die on the vine, >> you know, for for these students. Okay. >> Um okay, let's uh complete the question. >> The longer I've sat here, the more something has begun to tickle me listening to y'all. Um, what would you be saying if it was 40 contractors and they were going to all be teaching? No, no regular teachers, just contractors. I wouldn't be for that. I'd say it's a very slippery slope. That's the That's hiring out our responsibilities in a way that we shouldn't be doing it. If she wants to teach, hire her as
097a teacher. She doesn't want to do that. I can see that. That's why we have the contract. But I don't understand what's different here. Then uh no, I see what's different and it does shouldn't be different there. There if you had a a a poet and an artist who comes in and says, which we apparently have, I want to do this at the AL and I've got all these ideas and I'm I'm I'm bright and I'm innovative and I'm great, but I sure as hell don't want to be a teacher. I want to be a contractor. I don't get that. And I'm getting more and more negative the longer I sit here and think about it. So, it wasn't that we never even the the idea for the contractor idea came up because it was
098the quickest way. It was the quickest way to get it done to where she can start um at the beginning of the school year. And again, we have other contractors who who who do >> we don't have other contractors in the classroom as as a teacher. >> Correct. >> And correct. >> When you tell me that you did something to get it in a hurry and to do it faster, I way pull back and say, "Hang on a minute. Our job is not to do things the fastest way. Our job is to do things the best way." And >> and both can be true. In my mind, >> it can happen. They can both happen. It can happen. That was the case. But I don't. You're tell Now you're telling me that it could just
099as easily have been a regular teacher contract. Is that what you mean? >> That is not what I said. >> No, it's not what you said. Is that what you mean when you said the way we did it was to get it done the fastest? >> We never had conversations about her hiring her as a teacher. That those conversations never even occurred. It was always about contracting because she was >> I accept that and understand it. That's what I assumed. But you're telling me that you decided to do a contract. This is what you said. A contract so we could get it done faster. Faster than what? And the only other option is hiring her as a teacher. Those are the two things. Or oh, you could you could also hire a uh one of
100those uh uh what are they called? State calls them transition um >> those companies that are going to transition schools and run schools instead of us. We don't like that. We're not going to do that. The thing that's really bugging me is that we've decided to do something that's probably a good idea, but I sure as hell don't like the way we've done it, the way we've come to it. >> Okay, >> that's good. I've said I've repeated that twice. I'm sorry. >> No problem. Thank you. >> Um, it's messy obviously. Um, and that's what I said before. It's just the way it's done being done. it is uh messy. Um and and then I don't want it to get confused because we're adding the person into this when really it is about the way
101is being done. It's about the business and the way Little Rock School District is now doing business and hiring practices and liabilities and teaching of new curriculum without it being properly approved. Um, I don't know, my phone is lighting up from educators and administrators with all kinds of questions. And Director Strong, they said, "Thank you for asking really good questions." But um I just um at the end of the day, my concern is still that is it's the way that this is being done. Um and and and contractors, you spoke about contractors coming in for two hours, three hours. They're coming in a week. I mean, uh you know, a a couple hours a week a month from New York or Chicago or or somewhere else in the district. Uh they're they're coming in from
102all over. No, I'm talking about people local. >> Okay. Right. Talking about local people. >> But but but but those contractors are coming in for a for a exact amount of time to um to consult and move out. Those contractors, and I could be wrong, um to from my knowledge and from the ones that I've met throughout the the district, um they do not have a student load. They are not. And so in this contract it is like circlling um hiring a teacher and um hiring a contractor but they bottom line is you're hiring what what would be an employee and you're and and you're paying them as a contractor which makes it muddy because because contractors we don't control time. That's that's the whole point of being a employee is that your employer control
103your time on when you're there, what you do, what you do when you're there. And a contractor, they have a scope of work. So for for for for me um and I know this is already working and she's and and this is underway. It seemed like the votes are here. I don't want to um um hold it up or or or belabor this thing, but I do have have issues and I just wish that we as a board just really just start operating like that to where we are able to have these real converse conversations to where when we get in our business meetings, we're able just to run it run these motions and things through and and and move on without having to have these um these these these type of conversation because it's
104it's an issue. And the last thing I do want to say is that Hamilton AL they did actually have um arts at one point and I believe they had to cut those arts which is why the teacher that was there um even even prior to um movement on the master schedule um we there there was arts there. So, I just want to we can move on and and and go from there. >> Mr. Adams, you're here. >> Yes. I'd like to make a motion that we table this um item until our next >> There's no motion before the board. >> Yeah, there's no >> There hasn't been a motion made, so we can't table the motion. >> I move that we move this item to our next board meeting. Thank you, sir. >> Second. >>
105That would be of postponing to a to a certain postponed to the next meeting. >> That's a proper motion. It is debatable. It is amendable. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Rose, for for keeping me straight. The reason that I would make that motion is I >> It's been moved and probably second comments. Go ahead. >> Thank you. I would like to see if there's a way to to salvage this plan and but I I would like to give the administration a chance to to respond to the concerns that were raised and see and and then bring this back. >> Okay. So moving properly second. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any oppose? The motion carries. Okay. Okay. So the other piece, wow, we're at 5. So wow, we're we're at 5.6 donation
106of property. And my hope is that we can move move on uh a little more quickly. >> I'll make a motion for that. Um I move that we approve the donation of property report and if we get a second, I'd like to make a brief comment to that motion. >> Second. It's been moved and properly second that >> we approve the donation of property report. >> We approve the donation of the property. Is there any comment or discussion? >> The one brief comment I wanted to make was I noted you know every month we we hear that there of the generosity of our community who give money to our schools and different projects. This particular month um I just wanted to felt like we needed to note that there was the city of Little Rock.
107there organizations or individuals who gave thousands of dollars to help relieve the lunch debt that have been publicized in the recent months. And I just thought that we should note that and and say an extra word of gratitude to all the generosity from our community which to help our students. >> Absolutely. >> All right. >> Uh I'll go one step further. I have let's read their names. >> Okay. Wonderful. >> Yeah. Uh, John and Katherine Allen Fourth, James and Patricia Dyer, Roger and Rebecca Sanders, Karen V. Huber, Richard and Jennifer Robbins, I've got a glare, an Anderson, the City of Little Rock, the Clinton Presidential Center volunteers, Kathy Wells, Downtown Neighborhood Association, uh, Unite to Fight Poverty, Arkansas Community Foundation, Second Presbyterian Church, uh, said the Downtown Neighborhood Association, and that's it. Those are the
108ones that have put forward money to retire the student lunch debt. And that's >> okay. >> Also, in the past, and I'm always talking about, well, we we did it in the past, >> we always read all the donations >> to honor the people who are who are putting their money where their mouth is or their gifts where the mouth is, whatever. >> I would really like to encourage to do that every time. >> Remove it from the we can still leave it in the consent agenda. Just read the names. >> Okay. Any other comments, questions? Thank you so much for that. It's been moved and properly seconded that the LSD Board of Education approve the donation of property. All in favor say I. I. >> Any oppose? The motion carries. Okay, we're going to
109move on to 6.1. >> Madam Chair, I'll go ahead and make the motion. Just put it up there. Uh, I move that the Little Rock Well, I move that the board of education approve and support continued implementation of the civilian civil >> civil civil literacy is important. Um, okay. Uh, of the civil air patrol uh cadet program at um Dr. Lacy K8 Academy as a strategic enrichment partner with ongoing uh monitoring of cadet enrollment, academic performance, and family engagement outcomes to evaluate expansion potential at other campuses. And I know they're here, but um there go my motion. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> It's been moved and properly second that um >> we approve. Madam Chair, do we want I I went ahead and put them on the go ahead and
110get the motion on in a second, but in discussion, can we go ahead and invite them up because they have been sitting here and so we can hear from them. >> I'm just going to read the motion. >> Okay. Yes, ma'am. Okay. Go ahead. >> We're interfering now. Sorry. >> I mean, never mind. >> To move and properly second that the board of education approve and support continued implementation of the civil AR patrol cadet program at Dr. Maryan G. LACK8 Academy at a strategic enrichment SA strategic enrichment partner with ongoing monitoring of cadet enrollment, academic performance and family engagement outcomes to evade way expansion potential at other campuses. Would you like to come up? >> Good evening ladies and gentlemen on the board. We appear this evening just in case there was any types of
111questions or anything. Uh we began the program at CI at Cloverdale Middle School uh two years ago and this is a renewal of theou that we had at the time. Uh since that time uh cadet Lieutenant Crawford here was the very first cadet and we have now increased our enrollment to over 40 cadetses uh that have shown improvement in both academics and character development. Uh they also we also have flown all the cadets have flown air airplplanes and Lieutenant Crawford uh even went to Washington DC to represent Arkansas at National Legislative Day for um Arkansas Wing. >> So we have been very active, very busy uh at our time at Coale and we just wish to continue the program. >> Thank you so much. Any questions or comments? >> Yes. Okay. Um, and thank you
112for the partnership. The question I have though is that the the agenda says there is anou, and you just referenced anou, but there's not anou attached anywhere in our um it's just a fact sheet and then kind of a 101 presentation. Is there anou that we need to read and approve? >> I mean, I don't know that this is a >> is this anou that the the board needs to approve? is there there's not a cost to it I'm assuming I think there is no budget mentioned on here so minimal direct cost to LRSD so >> I just thought of Dr. Cooper isn't here and I'm not sure. So, we will have to I wish I >> Sorry. I know what I know. We were supposed to meet this week and I did not get
113to do that. >> We will we will just I I don't know. So, we'll have to >> I don't Okay. >> Oh, you finished, madam? >> Yeah. >> Okay. I I do want to just make make a comment really quick. Um it has nothing to do with you, but >> the comment about I wish y'all would have read we did read and it didn't say no. >> Okay. Well, well, I didn't send you. >> Okay. A hit dog. >> A hit dog on Holla. All I said was the comment that was made. Um, so what I'm saying is it is incumbent upon the administration to ensure that all documents are given to the board. When it gets to the board, like we we we should not catch things that should be caught by administration and
114the staff. It's it's too many of y'all. I mean, and then we're paying too much money for it. So, um, so I I I I just wanted just to make make that clear to where now there is a motion on the table that I have to probably pull back because we don't have we don't have the theou to read. >> I think we can support >> Yeah. >> the continued partnership, but I think if there is anou that you want board approval for, >> that we need to do that. we want approval for. >> Well, actually, >> I mean, I don't know that we don't sign we don't we don't approve. Sorry, I should use my mic. I don't feel that we have to approve every single the district signs if there's not a financial
115cost to the district. And so, that's what I'm saying is that if we don't if there is not anou that needs approval by the board, I think we could probably approve this motion. I just asked because it mentioned anou that needs renewing and I don't see theou. So if I am fine with supporting continuing to vote to on this motion because it is a partnership but if you want our approval on the mo theou that does not happen. >> Yes. And allou should be through the board because they are partnering with the little rock school. They are partnering with the board of education which is why they come before us. If if people didn't want to do that they wouldn't come before us. But I do and and even in past a big hoop to
116do was done over anou that had no cost to the district and it drag on forever and um and so >> with that I I then the motion it doesn't speak to aou it just speaks to the partnership which is similar to partners in education so I'm okay with with moving forth with this with this absent of theou because that's not what we're voting on and we can always come back and and vote on right on that thatou >> and and in the motion it does not readou I'm not seeing that. Okay. Okay. Any other questions or comments? Any other questions? It's been moved and properly second as read previously. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any oppose? The motion carries. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Sorry. >> All right. Okay.
117Okay. So, let's move on to 6.2. >> Madam Chair, on this it says it's a motion, but there's nothing to um talk about. Yeah, it just it's it's on the motion list. >> It's in recommend. Yes, ma'am. >> Yeah. And and and with this, we have talked about hall for forever for since 2020. And um we had five options. One of them was a slow close option which is kind of indirectly. Um we went ahead and we built on um although there was years of gaps of uh not having students in there, we still committed to the cost of that building which is pretty significant. It's anywhere between 7 and 9 million at the time to um operate and um and even fast forwarding to um all of the different things that we have done
118when we moved west over to Hall. We said then as a board here that those students will then move over to Pinnacle View. They'll have that option to move um out west. And um this is just going off of recollection and not trying to belabor this point because we talked about it a while. Um we also >> I think he was going to present. >> Okay. But but I Okay, great. But um and and and and I'll just button it with this piece is that uh we had administration come to us with different options on what they was going to do in that building. Um, and so part of it was having more staff in that building or or doing something else. But of course with our declining enrollment, we still need to continue to
119um bear that in mind um whatever we uh decide uh to do and um and and then just follow through with it and not allow the political um pressure or else the intimid um folks antsyness about making a decision to make a decision because we could have been made a decision But the board didn't want to make the decision because it was too um heavy of a decision to to make for some reason. So >> that's all I have on. >> Mr. Adam, I think Mr. Adams is going to initially present on it. Is that right, Mr. Adams? >> Okay. >> Thank you, Mie. I had asked >> and then whatever questions you guys have. >> Thank you. I had asked for this to be put on to be put on our agenda for some
120discussion and that Since we we do have West opening the Kuckle View High School opening in two years and we are in a position now with with such a low enrollment with Hall and with having no freshman class this year then it seems that we should think about what we need to do now. do we you know we you know one do we need to make any actions before two years from now and and what would be some of the pros and the cons of that. So I would like to hear um some discussion perhaps just a a summary of some of the things that were sent to us from the administration about some of the advantages or disadvantages of continuing you know hall as it is um or or making a transition to something
121else. You know that's it that's a big decision. um whatever we do whether it's whether we make a decision for this year or next year or or any other year I also want to acknowledge that that for the community people who have students at hall this year people who are um supporters of hall because of their community because they live in the neighborhood because of they are alumni that that this is a really disappointing conversation to have to have. I'm disappointed to have to have this conversation. Um, you know, I would have I wish that we were in a position where we were thinking, what are we going to do because it looks like it's going so well and what are we going to do, you know, uh, because of that. And so this is
122really disappointing and frustrating and I and I hear the the the stress of people who felt like that we've not um, we've not been good stewards of some of the past plans we've had. And I know we've had multiple multiple plans to try to make things work there and um and but we can't go obviously we can't go back and do anything from the past. We we're just where we are today and where we are today is less than two 250 students and trying to figure out what's the best decision to make. So, I'd like to to hear some from the administration for some of the report the preparations that you all brought to help us have a a really a thoughtful consideration about that. >> Can I can I say something before y'all get
123into this? Yes, >> please. I am not for closing yet another high school in Little Rock and I think that we will be serving ourselves. It it's a disservice to close hall. Um I really feel that I love the suggestion because I'm not in on it really and that's not my district, you know, but I want to know what they feel about it. the people who lived in and around Hall cuz the only place that really Hall and Central are the only place that got really neighborhoods around it. I know how I felt when they closed Ja Fair. Okay. And probably how people felt when they bombed Mlullen or whatever they you know but that was decided before I was on the board. Now, uh, the decisions I think some decisions need to be made
124about Hall, but I'm hearing, uh, some people wanted to go to Hall, but they were assigned to Central. Central didn't need another student. Why' that happen? You know, I'm think I wrote that down. How'd that happen? you know, and uh I really want to hear like if if you all if if the neighborhood if the parents who have kids that are potentially wanting to go to hall would have a community meeting and come up with something uh before I mean come on y'all I know that what we're seeing is everybody's making decisions without asking the people. So let's don't do that. you know, uh really I think it's premature. Uh I feel that it's it's going to be the death of the city. We're killing we killing Little Rock >> to me. Uh of course
125now I didn't see the need for but never mind. But uh anyway, um the if we could come up with some good ideas to bring their enrollment up, you know, is there a issue? Why does Carl have kids? They're going to charters. They're going to um uh what else? Private schools because they can go for you know what she did. And uh um but any anyway I I just want to hear from y'all before decisions are made and what suggestions you would have to make because we I feel that our hands are tied because every time you look around every time you look around they taking money from our district. Do y'all know that? >> No you don't. I mean, everybody read the newspaper such as it is. No offense, uh, but every time you
126look around, they're taking money out of this district. >> And I think what we've tried to do, what I think what the administration has tried to do is to keep it afloat. But if you can't keep it afloat without the people standing up and saying something, Jesus about why this is not happening. Why did my kid get automatically I bet you you're not the only person that happened to and and and and then I I look at that that that gym. I remember when they built I remember when they had the little bit you know back in the day and see look at that gym all of a sudden that's going away. I look at fair that went away. We didn't have any option about that. I retired by that. But we had no option
127and you all need a voice. That's my opinion. Nobody has to have it. That's mine. >> Okay. Administration, could you give your summation, please? >> Well, this isn't a summation. I don't want to um I wanted to to attempt to clarify. So, Hall, as it stands right now, does not have an attendance boundary. And so in the registration process from my understanding because it does not have an attendance boundary you have to select it every year when it's time to reenroll. So if you >> Yeah, >> that's as I have been spending a little bit of time with SRO this year in this transition trying to understand how things work. From my understanding, >> I'll just say this, but you normally just roll up >> it it >> it is not a clear process. >>
128It's not that. >> Yes. But typically from what I've been told and the way that it has worked at least the last several years, you have if schools don't have an attendance zone, you have to select it. And if you don't select it, you automatically get put back into whatever your attendance zone school is. That's the way that it's been explained to me. >> No, that's not how it is. Like that park view is like Park View doesn't have an attendance zone and um >> Parkview's process is completely different than I calm down. I understand this. What I'm saying is you know right since you know we we got we everybody in in my SRO is new so no >> um just about so >> that process you are not like like like if you're
129in in in that school in ninth grade you are not going back to registration and saying I am I am re-registering to be at that school again. >> I have never ever heard that and I've been a part of this whole process the entire time. So I >> reconstitution up until now. >> So I think the focus of uh what Mr. Adams who is sponsoring this agenda item spoke on is that he like administration to speak on the pros and the cons the specifics of Hall High. Is that correct? >> Yes, M. I think there's probably several points that would be helpful for us and I know we got some of this writtenwise, but I think it would be helpful for us to to have it out on the floor for us to think about
130>> without their input. >> No, ma'am. No, that's this is just a a part of the process >> is for us to have this discussion and then before any future before any final decision is made, we would we would need to have a bigger process. >> But this is a beginning. This is part of the process is is for us to have this kind of discussion. >> Yeah. >> And having >> So, so part of that is is the thinking trying to look at the pros and the cons for the people there, for the that school, for the whole the district as a whole. >> Okay. U another piece would be that um you know do we have any thoughts or any insights about why things went why the enrollment has declined >> you know
131as a as a um aside from the the points that were made about reg registration I I think it's bigger than that because with this was in the the ninth grade and and so I I I think it's big something else is going on and I don't know we there's maybe some speculation, maybe some ideas about that. And then the third piece for me, you know, to try to think about this as carefully as possible would be that, you know, if we came to the conclusion at some point, and that's not tonight, but if we came to the conclusion at some point that that a traditional high school there is not viable um for us or sustainable partially and it may be part of the bigger context about how many students in our district can
132how many high schools can we support? But if we come if we if we did come to that point, what would be the the options that we would have to still use that facility for students and to still use it, you know, to to help and support students in our district. So, those are really the kind of the three things I'm thinking about. >> Dr. So, um, to answer the first part, I'm not going to, you know, regurgitate everything that's, uh, that's on here, but of course, I'll just quickly state the pros of having a small high school or small school in general. You know, you have a strong sense of community, uh, personalized learning and support, increased student participation, flexible and responsible environment, and a safe and supportive environment because of because the environment
133is small. So those are uh some of the pros and I will also add and I don't know the number of students who attend hall who actually live in that particular neighborhood but if you know another pro could be the fact that you have a high school close to where you live but I don't I don't know this to be a fact but I don't know that that's the majority of students who attend hall actually live in that particular neighborhood. Um the challenge is um of course higher peral cost is just more expensive. Uh, one of the issues that we we ran into this year when we didn't have a ninth grade class trying to do a master schedule with so few kids in every grade level, it is just extremely hard to do. Um,
134it's just extremely hard to do because you have teachers teaching multiple grade levels, multiple preps. Um, and you don't have the opportunity to provide a wide array of electives and other things because it's just it's just few few students. So limited program availability, staffing inefficiencies, facilities and operational costs, transportation costs are more exp more expensive. Um the student experience can be compromised. Um and then the big thing which kind of encompasses all of those things are just uh funding limitations. Um I don't know why like I felt real good about um last school year when we combined West and Hall. you know, my number from a budget perspective was trying to get that enrollment up to 500 and we got very very close to it last year. And so um I was actually feeling feeling
135good about um the way that the enrollment was looking and so it was kind of a shock to me uh when we had so few ninth graders that uh selected hall um for this upcoming school year. Um but I think surrounding that is just there's been a lot of um instability with like before we even had this conversation, people are already like I mean, you don't have to be a rocket scientist, a rocket scientist to know we're building a new high school out west. We don't have enough students to fill the high schools that we have now. So, it just doesn't make I mean, something has to give some type of way. Like, we we >> we don't have enough students for the four high schools that we have, and we definitely aren't going to
136have enough for the fifth high school once it opens in 2027. And so, you know, some of these decisions um of the past just just I think just over time just hurt the fact that Hall doesn't have a attended zone. The fact that Central's attended zone currently is pretty much the whole entire city almost. I mean, it's just a lot of >> people >> a lot of decisions um I think of the past have just kind of hurt. And so I know if I was a parent of a nth grader or a ninth grader and I was questioning, you know, is the school going to be around for me when I get into 10th, 11th, 12th, 12th grade? I mean, the lack of confidence in terms of what Hall's future is going to be, I
137know impacts um students ability to to students desire to choose and that's just an assumption. >> Well, >> and then the last one, what was the last one? options for the way >> the alternative uses of the building if if we if and when we don't have a traditional high school there. So, we we shared a couple of um we did not share these ideas publicly because we pulled this off of the list when we were having those conversations last year, the year before. Um I can't remember exactly what year it was, but uh a couple things we have already like we shifted ACC, which is our accelerated learning center program. Um we shifted those students to hall um this school year. Um, we want to get out of the current building where AL is
138currently housed just because of the the condition of that of that uh facility. And so we were looking at the 700 building in hall which is currently not being used and is separate from the rest of the school. Um, using that for um, uh, Hamilton. Um, adult ed, we have a very thriving adult ed population and I can't remember the name of the building, the old school that it's in. What is it? Is it >> What is it? over M. It's on Madison. >> Yeah, I just know where it is. I can't think of the name, but over in the love community. >> Yeah, but that building um is barely standing and so we need to get out of there as soon as possible. And so um we thought about using Hall for our adult
139ed programs. We have we have a wide range of programs in adult ed that ranges from early in the morning to late at night. Um and so we thought about using Hall's building for our adult ed program and then trying to problem solve for the issue that we have with Parkview and no football field um in their basketball arena which has some handicap accessibility issues and some other issues that we just have not been able to fix over the years. And so we thought about using Scotfield and making that Parkfuse home um football field which would get us out of having football games in >> War Memorial and then um using the arena for parfu which will be compliant for uh ADA and everything else because right now it's just you know we have issues
140with with their current building. So those are some ideas that we initially uh threw out. We also thought about ECE um but we did get some additional ECE seats this year and we have not been able to you know fill all of those across the district and so I don't know um how good of an idea it would be to try to add an additional ECE center um at hall when we haven't filled you know all of the seats that we have. But these these are just ideas that we we floated out >> and for the public ECE is early childhood centers. >> Well, I tell you what, >> go ahead, Mr. >> Thank you, Mr. Adams, and thank you, Dr. Wright, for um for making sure that this was on our agenda. Um I've
141I've talked to a couple people in the hall neighborhood. I'm glad to see such a great contingent of folks here tonight. Um uh but not I've not heard a lot honestly I not as much as I thought I would about this agenda item tonight because Hall is kind of on the edge of of my zone. Um >> I I just I I think there are some really good idea. It's it's it's Paul Hall's in five >> no next year. >> Oh yes it will be in six after Yeah. after the resoning. Yeah. It's it's currently in this one. Um, >> so I I think there are some really good ideas and some good steps in the right direction um happening on that are on the slide that is part of the agenda. Um, I'm sad
142to hear that about the ECE piece. Um, and I have some thoughts on that just from a zero to3 perspective. We've had several early childhood centers in the city close in the last year that served the zero to3 population and I know LRSD has some of that. My kids went to Rockefeller when they were little in the zero to3 program and we loved it very much. Um, and it charges it's a I think a pretty budget neutral um opportunity for the district to be able to invest in early childhood access. Um, so a couple of other other just like completely out of the box ideas that I want to throw out there. Um, if we do all of the things on this document, um, a reimagined AL, the ACC, adult education, etc., would there still
143be room and shared resources that could allow for one for a small traditional high school within that space? Are there shared resources like the counselors, you know, physical education? I mean all the things that you have to have in I mean are those also needed for things like metro or adult education. So I'm just thinking about our educator burnout right now and that maybe carrying a class load that was some traditional small students who preferred a smaller environment and carrying some classes that were AL could help our educators who really want to serve that population of kids who need some of that extra wraparound support etc. But but maybe doing that full-time all day every day is hard. Um that that could be a way to still incorporate in there and even have some it
144would maybe even make it easier for kids who are in that alternative environment to transition back into maybe a smaller smaller traditional high school environment before they may go back to their home campus. I'm just throwing that idea out there as a way to kind of maximize resources and all those shared resources that make it hard when enrollment is 200 students. but if we had, you know, a bigger population when you combine all of those things, if we could potentially make it work. So, just throwing that out there. Um, a couple other things. Um, I love the idea of early childhood being in the same place where potentially our students who become parents while they're teenagers or young adults going back and trying who have kids and are trying to finish. I love the idea
145of being able to bring your kid to the early childhood program while you do school all day and then you are right there to be able to take your kid home. It helps facilitate breastfeeding for moms who are doing that. I just think there are so many potential good options for colllocating infants and toddlers with the with young parents that help with that parental bonding as well as making sure that those kids who are super high at risk of of not completing high school do so. And then I'm also going to throw this one out and I may get, you know, skewered in my own district for this, but um Palaski Heights Elementary um needs a lot of a lot of work. We have window air units. It is it's not ADA compliant. Um could
146PH move there for a year if we were able to find the funds to do capital improvement project at PHE >> and then move back to PHE when that's done for a year or however long that could take. So, I'm just throwing ideas out there that I think are out there. I don't I've what I've heard about PHE is that we can't do any of the renovations that are needed without closing the school for a period of time. Um, I think it's a risky time to do that um in our current environment broadly, but I also think that it could help make the school an attractive place for our community in the longer term if it is modernized and updated in ways that help protect um its long-term viability in our community. Um, those are
147just Oh, and one other idea. Uh, my predecessor Alli Nolan and and her husband have talked a lot about softball. They have a softball player in their family. Um, and I know there's that big like field out beside hall. Um, and I I think that right now like Little Rock has their horses hang out there some maybe. Have I heard that? Is that right? On the like the Yeah, the horses on the Little Rock Police Department >> hang out in that >> campus of No, this is not true. Okay. practice field, >> right? I know that. But I have all I have somebody told me that at some point. I don't know. Okay. So, it's a practice field. So, if it's not a practice field for football in a band, I don't know if it
148if if that is always going to be the case for that, if Scottfield is going to be a a a field for others, but we don't have a softball field in Little Rock. And could that be an idea to help bring folks into the Hill, I mean, into the Hall High neighborhood community and see the beautiful campus and all of the things. Um, anyway, those are all of my ideas I just wanted to throw out there as we're thinking about this. Can I >> talk? Not public ones. >> Thank you guys. >> Okay. Uh, first of all, we do have a softball field in in in in our district and um uh we do >> do what? >> We have a softball field in our district. We have a softball, a baseball, a uh football
149field, and a track at J Fair. you know, when it was subsequently dumped by uh, you know, after I left, but anyway, it's still there because I looked at it this weekend. >> Now, >> I think that they were specifically talking about public that could be shared with the public community and I don't know if that one is or not, but anyway, West >> there is another spot, but Jair has those facilities that I don't know if anybody's using all those facilities or not. I know it's there and I think everybody's forgotten. Period. Okay. Uh now I sincerely I just have such a problem because prior to when the road kept going down before the learns act and it was going down before then uh people I think they were subsequently being steered away from
150>> Hall. I I you know it doesn't take a rocket science and I I don't know what was done but she gave me some insight cuz I just couldn't say that and so that's what I like to know what can you do about it and just I know everybody like to have a nice place to be and whatnot and in my tenure I I I was at hall quite a bit going back and forth doing different things and they've gotten rid of Asa Hudson back when um it's called a spade a spade and he we got rid of a lot of programs that were >> uh really uh people were interested in and we we specialized when we made Park View into a singing and dancing magnet. I was there then and it cut out
151our programs that would have subsequently made u a difference. I think now I think you look at what they're doing at hall now I'm hearing we got the alternative learning situation in the seventh hall and uh well I didn't I was I was at hall yesterday helping with a uh student council election and um those kids love their school They do. And and uh where we gonna go next, you know, I had my little badge on. They said, "Well, where we going to go next year?" And I said, "I don't know. We're gonna talk about that tomorrow. I don't know." Um they feel very alienated that we even having this conversation >> really. And uh it's kind of premature really, but it does bring about we need dialogue. We need you guys to get together
152and have dialogue and you come up with suggestion and pour them in before you just decide, well, this is what we're going to do. But I and the same thing I think that the district has done what was necessary in order to just keep it open. Now, let's put the uh let's put the ball back in everybody's court that's interested in Hall High School Warriors. And what y'all do with the Indian uh Anyway, but uh I don't know. Uh let's have I don't want to see it closed at all. And that's my problem, you know, uh because we have all of these buildings who are getting turned into charter and private schools. I come from Kansas City, Missouri and uh that whole district went to charter and um schools and magnet schools and my high
153schools closed. You know, I'm hurt and I've been out of high school almost 60 years. Okay. And uh then they opened it back up and so and so and that. I don't want to see that happen to Little Rock because it erodess the city. And even riding through after I left hall yesterday, I saw a lot of things that I didn't like. You don't know where people are going. You don't. If you all are truly want, come up with some suggestions how we can keep it. I think First of all, we need money. Period. But our government chooses to take money from us. >> Public schools. >> They do. Let's I mean, you know, I ain't scared. >> Okay. >> Can Are we good? >> Am I good? No, I'm not good about that. >>
154No. To I know Mr. Mason had some comments as well >> and then I've got a page of them cuz I'm last. So we we don't want to uh you know I mean so we're having a discussion so I'm about to make a motion to end discussion of this at a particular time that's fine >> because I have plenty of bits to throw it >> madam chairman I just had I just had a few I just I just want to >> I just wanted to say that first of all you know since I'm a Central High graduate >> nobody cares I care. >> You do care. >> I care. I care about Hall cuz you know I spent some time at Hall. You know why? >> You know, my mother was a teacher at Hall
155and I I had and I played in the old gym. >> Let's get on topic. And I um you know I have an affection for Hall and I would I would like to add and I agree with you Director Callaway if the administration would do some focus groups with the neighborhood to get some ideas on some of the things that may be done with the campus. Uh I like uh someone mentioned earlier about uh General Wesley Clark. >> I'd like to look at naming the campus, >> General Wesley Clark campus. So that's something. And I see some of my mother's students in the in the audience also. So I see you, Miss Moore. But you know, that's my idea. That's my thoughts. >> Okay. Um, >> I'm the only one who hadn't spoken. If you
156shut me up, I'm gonna be curious. >> I'm not I'm not gonna shut you up. I just I just need to as the chair, I need to >> what? >> Entertain a motion to end discussion on this agenda item in five minutes. >> Who made this motion? >> Nobody. >> We haven't made a motion. I'm talking about ending discussion on this agenda item. We've been on this agenda item for a while now and so not at this moment but in a particular time. Okay. >> These people don't want us to stop talking until they've made their point. >> Okay. So, >> and they're going to make it through me. >> Okay. >> So, >> there is structure that we have in this meeting. Okay. And we have other forums and I'm hopeful that we'll you
157know engage in public meetings quite frankly that we'll have plenty of time to do that and we have an agenda meeting coming up as well. So there's a forum for everything. It's okay. >> Now so we just want I'd like to make a motion to end discussion of this agenda item in five minutes. Is there a second? >> No, you can't. >> Can I make this motion? >> Yes. >> Or can I add Okay. Is there a second? It dies. >> Motion. >> Is there a second? >> Okay. The motion The motion fails. The motion. It's >> my turn. >> Okay. Yes. >> I got a little bit of uh stuff that's uh really kind of background that y'all haven't thought about. Maybe you have. Every time that LRSD has monkeyed around with the high
158schools, it's always been to add more white students. Hall was built to add white students, the students who didn't want to go to school at Central. Uh Mlen and Fair, the judge gave us those. >> Uh Park View got double funding because it was an interd district mag interd district magnet. >> And then we built Pinnacle View. All of those, every one of those is a step to add white students. And it doesn't work. It hasn't worked. It's not working. Now, one of the things we could do, I don't know which one of these people mentioned it, but I thought the idea of a ninth grade academy was great. Um, I've never liked the idea of middle schools. I've always thought that we needed junior highs, that the ninth graders didn't need to be in
159high school. So I think we should give the idea of superend. Superintendent >> I'm listening. >> All right. I think we talked about this really early. Kind of look at me when I'm talking. >> A ninth grade. >> We said it at the start. >> Please don't entertain. >> I am listening to you. >> Thank you. >> Um >> yeah. >> I prefer I prefer ninth graders to be in junior highs. But a ninth grade academy sounds like a great idea to me. A wonderful idea. Another idea is we could actually create attendance zones and just kill ourselves. Just cut our throats because they'll they nobody will support him even though it needs to be done. >> We're going to have to do it. >> We have to do it. >> Few years. >> Well,
160we're going to have to create We're going to have to tell central the people at Central PE a people at Central. We're going to have to tell her that they're going to have an attendance zone and it's not going to be one here and a part of it over here. It needs to be all in one place. All these schools need their attendance zones except Park. Park View doesn't need an attendance zone because it's got a special purpose as a as a specialty school. Uh that Park View has ADA problems at the gym. How long have we known that and why haven't we fixed it? >> ADA? I've known about it since I've been here. >> Well, why didn't it been fixed? That's the law. >> It's not >> We have We have several buildings
161that have ADA issues and and not all of them. There's some grandfather. >> There's a grandfather. You can't get to the second floor. >> We need to fix that. >> We need to go in the hole and fix it. Um, >> since I have the floor at the intersection of Coleman Creek and Fush Creek, >> which is to the south of ULR. >> Um, that's where the federal horses were kept. That's the federal horse stables were there for the army and for the militia, the horses that were being borrowed by the militia and uh, post horses. Those that was the federal stable. So that's where your horses were hanging around. You didn't know that. I've also just seen horses on the campus, but I know that >> I've never seen horses at that at the
162intersection of Coleman and Fush. Uh it would be very foolish to close schools right now in the situation we're in. I mean, I know the money says close schools, but that's just the death spiral. We can't take another closed high school. And then they're going to be elementary schools that are closing and we're just going to just slowly sink into mud and then we'll have to tell still the state, oh well, go ahead, take us over. There's nothing we can do. We can't run a school district. >> Oh, wow. >> Well, that's the way I feel. >> Other comments or questions? >> I want to wrap up. Oh, >> okay. Mr. Adams, >> thank you. I think >> Thank Mr. Adams. Well, I think it's clear that you know that we are far from a
163consensus about >> clearly >> about what what to do. I just just wanted to add this. Part of the reason I want to talk about this is because >> it because I think now is is the time to come up with our thought and our strategy for where we're going to go because families going to be making a decision for next year >> and and they and they deserve to know what where things stand for next year. And I think for for us as a board, I think we also have to entertain the possibility that if we are in the same spot next year where if if these trends continue despite whatever efforts happened and we didn't have enough for another ninth grade class at at some point then it just becomes it becomes untenable.
164and and we have to and as painful as it is, we would have to think about what's the best we can do with the resources that we have to do the best for their our students. And I understand we don't have a consensus about that right right now, but but I think we're going to have to to work toward that and and I appreciate at least this being a start. >> Yeah. >> Okay, Miss Hader. >> Oh, >> and and I will say this, guys, I agree. We're not going to come to anything tonight and I don't want you to take my energy as I just want to cut it off. But what I know is that we're not going to come to a consensus tonight. We're not going to do anything but say the
165same thing. You guys have to recognize that, you know, in my profession. I listen for a living. I mean, really. And so I'm hearing the same things because we have the same ideas. So I just don't want that. >> I just I just don't want to belabor the point. >> I want us to have community meetings. I want us to have fruitful, productive conversations about what we desire, not monotonous, you know, communication that is nondescript and nonproductive. >> You can point over and say he's doing the right thing. >> I would like to speak when I speak and I'll let you speak when you speak. >> Okay. >> All right. So now, Miss Hatherer, go ahead, dear. >> Praise the Lord, saints. How are y'all doing? How y'all doing? All right. >> Um, well, you
166know, I just wanted to shift the energy in the room, right? >> Um, former pastor, daughter, but whatever that whatever this is, this is a this is a discussion. And so, a discussion was had. And and the thing about discussions is people talk and um sometimes they have to go down the road years to bring it back because it may be relevant for today. Um what I do want to what I will say that um probably may have been mentioned or not mentioned um we do need to pay attention to the fact that our enrollments continues to decline. We're at 18,000 students. We cannot sustain buildings that cost 7 to9 million to operate. um especially if the city is not choosing it. So it doesn't um and and and so we are just we will
167have to make decisions and this is a conversation that we've had since 2020. This is a conversation that Amen. And so and and and so we we know for those of us that been around when the state board of education reconstituted that we reconstituted hall and and and it was like deer in the headlights when they realized in that moment that next second everybody was fired and they had to go pull that thing back because some of us in the room was there and we spoke out against it. That was the death of Paul. So, um, now fast forward, they went and they said, "Oh, well then we're going to have a magnet school." And the SBE, the the SBE is the one who created Magnet Hall as a magnet, not not Little Rock School
168District. So then when you fast forward to us having a conversation about it again, I think maybe I was sitting chair at the time. I'm not. Yeah, I think I was cuz uh we and then we had the conversation about hall and we had five options and guess what remember it was people didn't want to make some of the same people up here did not want to make a decision >> and so we chose an indirect slow slow closure because we knew that that was what the deal was going to be and then what if intentionality wasn't done the districts tried things that is when themmies came in that's when robotics came in. That's when the e the the the the elab came in. You remember the gaming thing that happened. And then from there
169it was engineering. And then from there we did something different. And then from there we went ahead and um >> and um we did something else. Oh >> okay. Well that was but then what hap well then with changing well >> yeah well I'm going to move on from that because I can't speak to that but Um but then after that you guys because like this is important right because I don't want you guys to think that we have not done anything because right now it's it's a moment and we can reinvent. No no no no because some of the ideas are going to be rehashed and brought back forward again. So, I do want to just say this like um after we did that, remember we had that big community meeting at Park View
170and then it became a clash of classes, folks around Hall did not want their kids to go to Hall. They wanted to go to Central. It was this big blow up. Rand Randy Rutherford was there. Mike Po was there. I mean, it was a whole thing. So, and so it became a class issue. So in that we have to be diligent and we have to be leaders and I'm going to I can't remember which one of the city director said this is that sometimes we have to help along our community to move forward with the way things are moving based off of facts. And for me, maybe I'm sitting in a different seat because this is like the sixth, seventh time we've I'm I'm hearing this. And now, guess what? We got to make a
171decision. And there is no no way to kick this can down the road. So, I want to just say that we are going to make a decision. And when Wes moved to Hall, I want you guys to remember remember when the students came. Remember when this board said after once once once the new high school is built, everybody's going there? You guys, that was a slow. We told y'all then that we're closing the school because there was nothing else coming behind it except for um a different programming coming into the um that building. So now this is the official conver, you know, this is another conversation that we're going to have. So, I just wanted to just walk you guys. I mean, history is good, but I wanted to show that like this started in
1722019, really 2018. It it it came to head in 2019 in in in December. >> I I I know, but I just wanted, you know, >> 1972. I get I I I I get all that but but but sometimes we can go too far back in history >> and then we just kind of want to only focus on one I'm I just want to talk about within the last 10 years on on what have happened because there was a disinvestment there was a disinvestment on multiple levels there was a disinvestment from community around it was a disinvest investment from at the district at one point it was a disinvestment at the state level at one point and so now we just going at some point have have to make a a decision and hopefully those
173decisions are are guided by data. But I do want to say and then I'm done with it and we can move on so I can make the next motion whatever that is. is um I do it is Little Rock is watching and Little Rock is also watching at how much time and attention we give communities above Markham versus when we're talking about closing schools below Markham and down and Markham and and then below 6:30 East and and Southwest and all these other schools. And so I appreciate this conversation, but to my colleagues, every time we're talking about shifting in schools, shifting or closing in whatever way where we we are modifying, we need to give the same respect, the same regard, and the same time regardless of class, regardless of race, and regardless of where
174people live. because when we were talking about closing Brady Bale, >> Brady and all that, members up here didn't even want to have a real conversation with the community until it was forced. So, um, and so I just want us if if we're talking about equity and equality, particularly equity, um, let's show all that in practice. But but hopefully we we could come to we can get some decisions or ideas from administration just like we did with our last administration so we can debate those and not be out in this ocean because this ain't the role of the board to decide what are we going to do because if because if it is then I'm I'm I'm sure a few of us can get get together and figure out something to do with that building.
175So that's all that I got. >> Mr. Bailey, I think he had a comment as well on the subject matter. >> It won't be before you long. Good evening. I've been here about 16 years, so we've had this discussion about facilities quite a while from the million-doll facility study we paid with Fanny Howland and some of y'all have been on as well. We had a task force that we talked about capital improvement in in those buildings as well. So, it's a lot of history. We have a lot of data there and we talked about making data uh driven decisions there. All is kind of been on life support for a while. It's not the first conversation we had in the past. So from the newcomer center to the three to about 350 to 400 students
176we busting for Southwest Little Rock there. We knew when we opened up Southwest High School that population is going to come out. Uh we had a discussion about closing it. We left it uh open because I think a three-year look at over the next three years. So uh we combined of course Southwest not Southwest but uh Little Rock School innovation there. So smaller schools there are very inefficient. We never want to close the campus ever. That hadn't ever been a discussion. It was always going to be repurposed. We spent millions of dollars of trying to on the infrastructure. Some of the the pretty things you may not see, but the chillers and boilers and things like that, electrical upgrades and things like that we spent over the years making sure it's not leaking as much
177with all this rain. We having leaks everywhere. Uh but uh we've invested quite a bit over there and the facility is a nice facility. They have, you know, the gym space, they have the athletic facility across the street. So it's always going to be a repurpose and we want to keep that that area there for the neighborhood. So it's never going to be something we close. We've actually invested in 600 wing having administration there. But we're to a point right now where these decision we talked about it a few months ago and I did some presentation about important versus essential. >> Uh everything essential is important. Everything important is not essential. I I use this example. I like all my fingers here but if I cut them off if I cut it off and get
178it stitched up, I won't die. But I can live without my finger. I can't live if somebody cuts my head off or takes my heart out. So that's essential. So everything we're talking about, I mean, we're down to the point where we're making decisions about important and essential things. We have to look at the essential. We have to keep those, but everything we're looking at now is important. We've cut out all the fluff I think we can cut for the most part, the easy stuff. So the decisions going forward for this board and for administration is going to be hard decisions. But I don't want you to think or go away thinking administration hadn't been talking about this for years. I know some of you all been on the board for a while and been
179looking even from the community advisory board. So we've talked about this for a while. So these are the decisions we're making with the declining population. You're probably going to see that with enrollment when we do some projections, but the next two meetings you're going to have a lot of information to go. We're we're doing it quite a bit on budget and trying to to get it in a presentable state for you. But this is the decision we're going to be faced with. So, uh, Miss Hatter was on that. She co-chared that, uh, that committee, that task force, and we looked at those declining enrollments along with those facility usage as well. So, uh, not going to be an easy decision, but it's one before us and and we don't take it lightly from administration. So,
180we never want to close schools. I mean, it affects everybody around us. So, that's that's the last thing I know. Any superintendent I work with, I've worked with, I don't know how many I work with, eight, nine or so over the years. None of them takes pride in closing schools and Dr. Wright has told us personally he doesn't want to close any more schools if he doesn't have to do right. >> Exactly. >> So, so this conversation, I know a hard one for us, but we have to make those decisions. We're going to keep this district afloat. Otherwise, it's not going to be a float. >> So, you open yourself up with questions. >> Me? >> Yes. >> I'll take them. >> Adult education building. Why is it Why are we still in there? because
181we don't have a place. So, this is one of the the transition we talked about moving a lot of these smaller programs to, you know, those campuses. And I mean, I think it was in I'm not sure which one was 1.0 or 2.0. >> 2.0. >> It was in one of those studies. >> So, we we talked about it. So, >> adult ed is of the district. >> So, Oakharen, y'all may be kind of familiar where it is. We have adult ed, we have care there, and we have some special ed there folks there. So, if we could move those, the hall would be, you know, great because we're paying for a building we really >> need to get out of. >> Yeah. Need to get out of. So, and we're not making any other
182renovations there along with the uh ACC moving from Metro uh and just using that space. So, like we said, we want to use that whole campus, but we can fill it up, I think, with those programs. So, >> and I think that the overall vision is I know we use AL. When you hear ALE, you always think about kids with behavior problems, but AL is really >> any program that's outside of a traditional school program. And so, because we have ACC there now, we have our virtual program there now. We're talking about moving Hamilton there now. And so, there are to uh Director Strong's point, there is a vision for a kid who a a teen mom or a kid who needs a flexible schedule. They may be working and they come to school at
183night. I mean there's but that campus could serve all different types of populations and students and having a daycare there to facilitate those. I mean those are those are things that I think um could be valuable for hall and when we like since I've been here even last year when we were doing the 2.0 no process. You know, we were talking about our finances and and uh declining enrollment at that point. You know, we don't have our official numbers yet for this year, but you all we're looking at close to we're close >> we're at 184 right now, >> 600 students less than last year. >> And so that is significantly um drop in enrollment. And so you have to think about we want to do all these we've have we have more students for
184more needs less resources that we have to figure out how to meet all of these needs with fewer and fewer resources and so we just have to be realistic in terms of where we are like nobody wants to close schools but we also have to be realistic with with what we're dealing with. >> Okay. Um, if we're are you ready for your I was going to move forward to finance and operations if you're ready for that, >> Mr. Bailey. >> Yeah, >> I'm sorry. >> We got somebody right before Rockefeller. >> Oh, I'm so sorry. Rockefeller. >> So, so >> and you know, Madam Chair, as they're coming, >> um, >> I'm glad you're here. I'm not applauding for you leaving. I'm glad you're here. >> Oh my gosh. >> Thank you guys. Um why
185is right as we're waiting as we're transitioning I do want to just um make a point to say a closed school doesn't mean that a school is not operating >> or else it doesn't have different things operating in that building. It just mean that the student population is is is not what is traditionally in in that building. >> Miss Wesley, since we've been here for two and a half hours, could we take a five minute or so break? >> Sorry. Absolutely. >> Absolutely. >> Get this last one out. >> Oh, yeah. They have Do you guys mind just this one presentation? They were just 7:00 duty. >> Oh, rock. >> Okay. I Well, >> well, I what I don't want to do if if if this is I I don't want to cut them off
186at all, but I also don't want us to be less than attentive because we need a break. And so, if if this is not a long thing, then then then fine. But if it's going to if we need to have a you know a lengthy discussion then I don't I want I'd rather take five minutes and come back and be give them the kind of attention that they deserve. >> Mr. Elamine what um what's your pleasure? What are your thoughts? Is it are you able to provide us with a pretty concise some information on the you know recent event and how it was addressed and >> Yes. Okay. Well, come on down. >> You don't have questions? >> Okay. Okay. Well, we can control the questions. >> And it's Miss Freeman and >> it's Miss
187>> Yeah, it's Miss Freeman who's going to lead it. >> All right. Good evening. >> Good evening. Thank you all so much for coming. >> Oh, no problem. No problem. Um just on the safety and security aspect of the Rockefeller incident, I wanted to first dispel some myths that was placed out there. One was that there were students present at the time of the incident and that is not true. U so I wanted to make sure I publicly said that so that u we can put those rumors to rest. I will say that the Rockefeller staff uh handled the situation wonderfully. Uh they conducted the uh lockdown drills perfect. I mean they they were perfect. You know uh usually I don't like to use the word perfect but it worked. The strategics worked. Um you
188know everybody was safe and uh we handled the situation uh quickly and effectively. So, but I'm gonna turn it over to the principal, Miss Ring. >> Good evening, everyone. >> Good evening. >> I um I really just want to speak on behalf of where we are as a school. Um basically, um the community, businesses, everyone in the state of Arkansas pretty much. It seems like we have had an outpouring of love, support from our community and families and especially our families. They have embraced us with open arms. They've been there. Our students of course did not know. Um, but we as a staff have put forth an effort to continue to put our students first, making sure that we provide that quality educational experience for them and making sure that they're safe like we did
189last Wednesday. Everyone was safe and every child was met their parents. They went back to their parents uh with the exception of our Michel Butler who has a son there. Unfortunately, he did not get to see his his mother that day. However, we have embraced him. I've been in constant contact with his mother with with the grandmother and the grandfather. And Cole is back at school with us. He's continuing on. So, we're making sure that not only him, but all students are continued to be safe and loved and nurtured at Rockefeller Early Childhood Center where I am the proud principal and I continue to hold that dear to my heart. I do have some staff with me. I do want them to stand, please. [Applause] And not only my staff, I do have Miss Gore
190who is our early childhood specialist. Would you please stand? And I just want to say and I talked to Dr. Wright about this when he came to visit Doc and and Miss Hatter who was who was right there and not only that day but the day after. But I told Doc, Dr. Wright, I said, "You know, it was so ironic that our theme this year for our inservice at Rockefeller was what? >> We're all in this together." It has made us stronger as a team. It's heartbreaking and I'm not going to say that it has been easy, but the district has provided so much counseling and so much love to us. They have been there every day that we are making we are stronger because of that. So I appreciate your prayers. I appreciate I
191know my staff do. I appreciate everything and Dr. right for being there. It made all the difference in the world and I cannot thank this man enough. >> He is a lifesaver and I cannot thank him enough and especially my supervisor. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> A quick question. >> Who's that guy? >> That's my husband and I tell you >> my husband was there that day. He I called him and told him, you know, we're he was there and I tell you, he wanted to make sure Well, I'll tell you the truth is my daughter called him and said, "You better go lay eyes on my mama." So, but um he was right there and he's still here supporting. Uh we have a love for our district and
192I have a love for early childhood in this this whole district. So, again, thank you. >> Any questions? Um >> yes, m >> first I I just wanted just to commend you on um going in into um crisis mode and and then like um securing uh your school and every person in that uh building while at the same time understanding the severity of what was going on outside. Um I'll share this again with you. That was your 3:00 a.m. call. Leadership is often. Um, we get praises when things are going right because that's just what it is, you know. But but but the true test of leadership is what happens when when crisis hit because that is when you truly see what type of person you have and what type of person you are as
193writer as a leader. Um, and I commend you. You were you was that steady calm hand although I could feel as right as I shared with you privately I then I felt it but then you didn't show it and you created a safe and steady steady environment right for your people inside and so um I appreciate you again um for your leadership you're tested and trusted pride and leadership. Um, and then I'm I'm I'm just happy to have you uh right in the district. And I do want to give some praise to and some um acknowledgement, Mr. Freedom. Free Freeman, if you could stand up. Oftent times we hear behind every good man there is a good woman. But that's a two-way street. So, I do appreciate you for uh constantly being Mrs. Freeman's rock
194and all the things that you are. >> Any other comments? We thank you so much and we thank your staff for the work. Thank you so much. Okay, so we'll take a 10-minut break and come back for seven points. Two. Stand by in the boardroom, please. >> In four, three. >> No, I'm just kidding. >> That's what the gabble's for. >> There you go with that gabble. I'm almost there. >> See, if you had gabbled, she would have sat down. But instead, she ran off. [Music] >> Two. >> Okay, we are back from break and we're going to go ahead and move forward with finance with Mr. Bailey. >> Right. Good evening again. I'll try to be as brief as possible. Uh this is this is a June 25 uh final statements course we just
195closed out. So submission for cycle 9 was is due tomorrow. We just submitted today. So wanted to give you all uh view of what we kind of where we ended up at. So you have the same kind of summary pages here. We'll go through it real quick. So all these here are final numbers as we uh got had our tax collections here. Uh well >> they ran away. >> That means a motion. I'm talking good, but y'all not seeing nothing. >> Okay. >> All right. So, go back here. I'm going to have to start over. Get me through my sec. But this is summary pages here. We have uh the first seven through 10 is a revenue and then we have expenditures and we'll look at the fund balances as well. >> As we look
196at our revenue update, our property tax collections came in. Uh the first half, so you know, we break it out by two halves. So from July to December and then from January to June, uh we account for those a little bit different, but the first half came in about 2 uh $2 million over our projected amount. Uh second half came in under the budget by 1.2 million. So they kind of, you know, kind of washed out. You can't really you try to predict how people going to pay their taxes, but most our tax collections come in for the mortgage companies are paying for all the estro. delinquent tax. We missed it by about 619,000 as far as what we projected to come in along with excess commissions minus 116,000 and then about 203,000 on uh
197land redemptions interest on it. The other portion, I'm not sure if you can see that good, but it was up 245,000. Uh revenue and lure taxes, those uh minus $24,000, but overall local tax collection came in 332,433 more than what we budgeted. So that was good. So we met projections. Interest on investments of course came in more than we projected. We had uh favorable interest rates with a lot of our holdings out there whether it was a larger tax collection that we were before we spent them along with our capital improvement fund. So we collected almost $2 million $1.88 million of that. So state foundation funding came in about million dollars less uh that was due to we have something called uh revenue the revenue in L taxes. So that calculation is based on a
198calendar year. So in this calendar year we actually received two payments uh because one payment came usually get one in de we usually get them in December but uh the payment was delayed and we got two one in January and one I think in December. So it reduced the amount of actually state foundation funding that we would actually get. Uh that's going to I think for the upcoming year since we received that other payment this year uh what we have on preliminary state foundation funding I think is going to increase uh on the midyear. As far as salaries and benefits uh we actually came in about 630,000 under budget. This is in excluding the additional compensations you see on the screen there. Uh so classified overtime uh we didn't actually budget much for classified overtime
199because we had several vacancies out there. We knew we were going to have some out there, but we didn't want to kind of double count that and been more of a deficit as far as our budget wise. So, uh, we're going to look at that and probably put a little bit more emphasis on on getting that budget uh, shured up a little bit for this upcoming year. Uh, the certified additional compensation, you'll see when we're looking at report $1.4 million over. That's because we didn't have the initial budgets out there for these pieces you see here, additional money that came in from national board certified teachers that come in from the state. We also had merit pay that came in along along with Arkansas recognition funds for those uh uh schools that actually got that
200and they have the autonomy to actually issue bonuses or do other things with that funding as they choose fit with their committee. We also had certified and classified unused sick leave. That was a policy that was passed. So we had about $416,000 that people that you know took place participated in that with our weldings and sick leave payout and other professional service. some of these transportation uh most of that I think we'll be able to absorb that we a lot of that's part of our athletic transportation for practicing and different things. So our new athletic director is looking at ways you know reduce some of those expenses and combine some of those buses that we were getting out there and we talked about that a little bit uh a few months ago along with our
201supply center. These are kind of areas we're looking at making sure when departments or or schools send their budget in we can we can adjust some of these down. So, the supply center really wasn't over because they spent out a what's called uh general supplies 66100 instead of 150. But just wanted to highlight. I know y'all ready for me to sit down. It's been long, >> but I'm I'm running through here. >> All right. So, >> any questions so far? >> No. >> This is probably the I'm going to start from the bottom up and go to the last one. So, child nutrition fund balance. We're going to do a little bit different there. We ended the the year positive uh which is always good. 1.2 two million and we've been positing child nutrition I
202know at least 15 out of the 16 years we've been here we I think might have sent like $150,000 to child nutrition one year a lot of districts that's not the case they having to to fund the child nutrition because they can't be in a deficit state now we do have some outstanding you know collection from parents but overall the operation runs very smooth federal fund balance ended uh $834 uh,890 uh that was in along with capital improvement is currently at uh almost 14.5 million. This is June 15th. We spent that down. We're about $7 million as of right now because we have projects keep going on. So the operating fund b currently as of June 30, 2025 was 14,485 with budgeted 15,471. So that's a difference about 965,000. Uh if you go back to
203that that previous slide, we had some of these things that we did after the budget, the sick leave policy that came in play where people could sell sick 10 up to 10 days. We also did an increase for stipens across the board for instructional and athletics. So that's pretty good for the as I think we absorbed probably $2 million in that in those uh statements along with that those wellness policy >> federal fund balance um are we expecting any more money from feds or is that >> uh we we're getting all our allocation right now. Okay. So yeah so it's nothing >> at risk that we know as of today. So all our title programs are scheduled to flow along with the carryovers. Miss Adam, >> yes. I'm sorry. >> Sorry. >> No, that's all
204said you wasn't gonna have any questions. >> No, no, no, you're good. >> Um qu uh the question is on the um fund balance. Um right right when I came in position, we were at 32 million. Now we're at 154 mil. Um tell it it it continues to fluctuate down because we haven't went back up. Um what is a a a threeyear or fiveyear projection >> for for us u roughly then you know at some point we're going to get to doing a um a financial a strategic financial plan but >> the plan wasn't to get this low. Uh so this is this a low part here. So, and we've had this conversation over the last So, July is a hard month for financing because we don't have we don't get state funding that month.
205Uh, it starts in August. Uh, so your cash flow issues become, you know, pretty low. Your cash flow is low. So, we're we're watching actually AP right now. So, we did get payments in today. So, a lot of when we looking at our federal fund balances and different stuff and our federal funds out there, say we $42 million spent last year. that money is spent then you wait on reimbursements or whatever the the grant might be. So when your fund balance the fund balance and cash balance are a little bit different. Fund balance is just a snapshot of time. The cash flow may be a little bit different at times. It's usually lower than this. Uh payroll runs about six million five and a half to $6 million of payroll cycle. So you can tell
206that you want to I would you typically want to have about two months of payroll out there available. So you'd be looking at about 20 at least $24 million of of fund balance that keep afloat. And that's I mean you may have a government shutdown. You can never tell. So you want to make sure you have enough uh wiggle room there to uh actually pay make payroll. U payroll is always the most important thing along with your utilities things like that. Uh you're going to have those debt service payments that are due twice a year and you have the other pieces. But you when we talk about important and essential, >> you don't make payroll, >> people not going to volunteer in most cases. You may have some, but yeah, you're not going to have
207a whole lot of people just volunteering to work for free. >> Uh, but 24 would typically be about what I would be shooting for. Uh, it depends on your total operating, you know, budget. And that may go down a little bit depending on, you know, enrollment and our footprint that we have there. Uh, but it's been very tight these last two months. So, uh, hopefully it'll it'll open up a little bit for us. >> Thought you were going to say it's been tight for the last 15 years. >> Well, it hadn't really been as tight. So we and and we talk about the the trends there. I know we talked about hall and I but we have a lot of we can see our trends. We see the data. We see the enrollment. We I
208mean we have a lot of a lot of information. We hopefully have turned that that data into useful information for us to make decisions. So it's really up to us to kind of put a a gate up and and stop some of the you know some of the things going on. So I see um you have uh 15471 for >> that was budgeted >> budgeted. >> So all that's not >> only 14 >> Mhm. >> in the bank. >> It won't be 14 in the bank now, but 14 is what we ended with at that time. So you won't ever have 14 in the bank because we still had Yeah. So even on your federal fund balance, we might had 500,000 title one that was still owed from the state. So yeah, it but that's
209a snapshot as far as yeah the health of an organization or school district at least. So >> Mr. Bailey, when we get our our October 1st numbers with the warm bodies in the seats to and then we'll get our federal dollars at that point after that date. um that will contribute to the overall operating fund balance. Correct. I'm just trying to track and make sure. Um >> and I'm I'm gonna flip to this next slide here because that gives a kind of pictorial. >> I forgot I had this slide in there. >> So that that kind of shows you your fund our fund balance. The orange or gold color is our capital improvement fund, our fund three. The gray color is our our general operating balances. And you can kind of see where it gets
210low in June. It typically gets low in June. If you see kind of where our circle there, it's a little bit lower this June because of the fund balance. But I mean, typically September is very low because we're waiting on that people to pay their October tax. You know, they're due by October 15th or you get penalized. So, we get a major influx at the end of October, November. So uh that fund balance you can you can see it shot back up in this November and then we spin it down because we don't get additional money till around April or May when that the second portion that's usually when the banks and mortgage companies pay their so yeah >> okay at one point then when you get to our bond payments um I know we
211typically don't talk about that as much but I do want to talk about our bond payments and projecting out for the next couple school years and so we can have a realistic um view financially um so we can you know plan accordingly. >> Yeah. >> Other questions, comments? >> Anything else you'd like to share? >> Finished. >> Okay. The chair will entertain a motion. >> I move the Little Rock School Board accept the June 2025 financial report as submitted. >> Second. It's been moved and properly second that the Lar School District accept the June 2025 financial report as submitted. Any questions or comments? All in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you, sir. >> Okay, I think we're moving on to nine. >> Right, policy, personnel, and legal. So, we have 9.1
212social media adolescent addiction litigation. Madam Chair, I I do want to go ahead and put a motion on this and hopefully get a second. We can still hear. >> We don't have a motion on the floor unless you >> No, I'm ready. Yeah. And we could still hear from it, but just so we can have it on there. >> Sounds great. >> Okay. So, um I move that the Little Rock Board of Education H I got to think about my motion. My motion is a good word. >> Enter. I move the Little Rock Board of Education entertain um >> I'm trying to get get this wording correctly. >> Is it positive? >> The litigation against social media companies. >> Just skip that and just say join the boss. >> Oh, there you go. Join us.
213Yes, ma'am. Go ahead. Sorry. >> You see that? >> Yeah, I see that. I move that the Little Rock uh Board of Education join the existing uh social media adolescent addiction litigation um as a a presented. So that's the motion. >> It's been moved and properly second that the lower board of education join other litigants in a lawsuit against social media companies. Is there a discussion? >> Uh, well, I'm I'm ready to to hear whatever. Yeah. And I just put it on the mo on the table so we could come to a consensus on what we're going to do. >> Sounds good. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. My name is Eric Spencer Buchanan. Um, first of all, I'd like to say I'm a proud graduate of Hall High School. Proud graduate. We're proud
214to have you. And I got I got an outstanding education as evidenced by my existing >> Yeah. Uh I uh I first raised the issue of a social media adolescent addiction addiction litigation in 2023. Uh Miley Rice and the Buchanan firm presented all relevant information regarding this litigation on about uh May 3rd, 2024. I think most of you were here for that. >> Uh I subsequently forward to the board members any additional information that was requested to evaluate this matter. Local newspapers uh report that uh the Fedville School District, Palassi County School District, Sylum Springs School District, and North Luck School District have joined uh this social media litigation. The evidence is overwhelming. Meta's own leaked research shows that Instagram worsens body image issues for one in three teenage girls. This is not isolated. This
215is not an isolated finding. Internal studies confirm that social media use amplifies anxiety, depression, and self-esteem problems, particularly among young users. >> Internal to whom? I'm sorry to interrupt, but >> internal to meta their own data. >> Okay. Yet instead of yet in instead of addressing these harms, these platforms doubled down on their engagement tactics, refining their algorithms to keep users scrolling longer regardless of the mental health consequences. On June 13, 2025, Judge Ivon Gonzalez Rogers selected six school districts to serve as the first bellweather trials in the social media addiction litigation MDL which is in the Northern District of California. The districts are located in Maryland, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Arizona, and they were chosen for their geograph geographic uh and socioeconomic diversity. A bellweather trial is designed to achieve value
216asertainment function for settlement purposes or to answer troubling causation or liability issues common to a universe of claimments. For the tribe cases to achieve these purposes, it must be representative of all cases. Excuse me. The defendants, the current defendants, uh this is an update. The current defendants have raised statutes of limitations as an affirmative defense in nearly all of the school district cases that are expected to be tried next year. Accordingly, the potential exists at some point in the future that the court may determine that one or both of our claims, Little Rock claims are time barred and subject to dismissal. That's a standard. I mean the the the the defense is going to have defenses and one of those defenses is statute of limitations. A long but larger list of defenses. Time is of
217the essence. This litigation presents an excellent potential opportunity for the Little Rock School District for monetary compensation at settlement or favorable verdict. We need to and must file our lawsuit on or before September 24, 2025. Therefore, I'm asking you for uh an up or down vote to decide whether are we going to participate in this litigation because we're running out of time. >> You have any questions? >> Questions? The cost and I think I've seen that >> there are no cost. >> Okay. >> There are no cost. >> If we don't prevail, >> it is clear. But I want to make sure that >> if we don't prevail, >> absolutely >> you don't pay anything. I think the only thing that I saw about cost was if we speak on that piece, >> right? If
218there if we recommend settlement. >> Yes. >> And you decide we want to go to trial. >> Yes. >> And we lose a trial, >> right? >> The board is responsible for those districts. >> That's the only cost. >> Absolutely. >> There's no cost to you, >> right? >> Zero. >> Just want to make sure. >> And our fee is our fee is 25%. >> In the event >> that we prevail. >> Exactly. which is which is low >> right >> for cla >> questions >> how what's the >> yes >> how are we going to describe the monetary damages that have been done to LRSD >> that's going to be uh we're going to do an investigation we're going to speak to employees look at our data and we can that'll be a financial
219pecuniary calculation we have experts that are have a capability doing that. There are hundreds of districts that are involved in this litigation. So we have a formula >> would that be? So as as you know we have the law where it's no sale bell to bell and from what I understand and and I don't know if my colleagues have been hearing this same report uh I have been hearing directly from educators from the foam and and stores and around that that like their classes are more attentive like students are more involved because they are not on their their devices. I think we heard that earlier today with our one of our classified >> Southwest >> PPC I'm sorry the library of Southwest is reporting what 50% gain number circulating. >> Yeah. So I >> she
220she attributes it to >> No phones. And so I think um from my just just from my standpoint >> um we would be able to assess that right since this is our first year without no sales. we're starting to hear that students are more engaged, more involved. Um, and again, I think we I know from a parent standpoint and as as someone that deals with um or that interacts with youth, there is a a a a difference in students and even adults, right? When we have our devices, I mean, I think most of us have a device. I mean, I have three of them right here in front of me. I mean, um, so I I could see some some some benefit uh coming out of this, especially since it's not at a cost to
221us and whatever cost it will come out of the um settlement. So, that's all I have. >> But um I'm going to I'm going to know on this for a variety of reasons. Um and and a couple of the reasons behind this. Um in my day job, I work a lot with the National American Academy of Pediatrics and they very clearly do not use the word addiction when talking about problematic use of phones and social media. they are doing a lot of research in this space and I find it really um it it makes me nervous about entering into something that's using this kind of this addiction language when that is not been proven by the people on the front lines of doing the research and and doing this work. Um so I that is
222that worries me. I secondly, you know, you mentioned having to come on campus and interview people and I just think well I just think we have if you you you said you'd have to do an investigation and come that takes staff resources come on our campuses interview our teachers about things. I feel like we have a lot of other fish to fry right now frankly um a lot of other things going on and I also think we have we have moved in a direction where we have state laws that will limit the damages to a school district for this. Um I I feel that there is um you know not having phones on campuses like y'all have been saying what y'all said said this we're seeing improvements in what's happening on campuses and therefore the
223damages to a school district I think would really be decreased for for that and then and and it just feels like a lot of I don't I just don't see right now given all of the pressures we have on us and all of the things we have going on that this is um a high priority. So um I'm a no on this. I also I mean just I think the languaging in it is just not con aligned with the current research around what's happening with social media. Yes, there is problematic use but the word addiction is not used by experts and I think that says a lot. >> I'm sorry. Did someone say something? >> Yeah. >> Oh the other lawyer. >> Yeah. >> That's my trusted interns. >> You know you know >> director
224Rose. >> No. >> Did you did you did you want to respond? essentially, you know, we're not going to be disrupted when we do our investigation. Most of it's going to be done by phone, >> okay? >> And and the damages that have been that have we're talking about the past, okay? >> We don't I mean, the bell the bell has just been in existence for for 35 years. I understand that there's been significant damage and harm. We're talking about harms that have that have occurred. >> Yeah. >> But it's all based on the the idea of addiction, which is% that's my word. That's my word. That's my >> It's fine. I'm still a No. I mean, you're not going to change. >> Director Rose, >> I want to just, of course, I'm going to
225be accused of saying the same things over and over in monotony. At the uh agenda meeting, I said that uh if it could be demonstrated that social media had caused lots of damage to kids >> and thus created the need for the AL and interventions, reading interventions and all that, then it is a serious problem and it's just as big as any of our other problems, if not bigger. I'm also inclined to agree with you though that the science >> uh doesn't use that kind of language. Um I also said at the agenda meeting I wouldn't be the no vote that caused us not to do this. So we'll just have to see what happens here in a minute. >> We just >> Was that Was I a lot bigger when you am bigger when
226you look over here? >> Oh wow. >> Don't pay attention. He's He's getting too tired. Yes, we have a question. >> I I just I I just want to say we just looked at our financial report and we you know, if we can get free money. >> Okay. Can we speak about it? >> If we can get free money, I I'm I'm all for it. >> I'm for it, too. >> You know, so >> Okay. Thank you. Any other question? >> And I think that we need to pay attention to this. I mean, we have at many different levels we've seen, whether it's from Congress down to our local boards, there's this cognitive disconnection about social media and how it interfaces and how children social media is a friend. It's a confidant. It's a companion
227to some of these kids. and and and and to say that it doesn't have impact and it haven't had a destructive impact on uh students. >> Well, you were saying that well I don't want to say you but it was said that it is it it's not addictive. Have have anybody ever lost their phone or left their phone or um their apps are not working on their phone? All of that social media is social. is interacting electronically. Um, so um I I I and this is really for Little Rock and beyond or the boardroom and beyond because um if it wasn't if it didn't have a detrimental impact >> on our students brain and their development and their social interactions. we wouldn't have a law saying no cell phones. No cell phones is just another
228way of saying no social media. >> That's a good argument. And so, um, I I do want to put things in perspective and then to take the, um, to take a position for those that may silently, uh, agree with the position that because one entity haven't called it a thing, it doesn't mean that other credible entities have not or else have moved in that same d direction or moved away from that. And so I think we all know addiction um is anything. If you can't go without your Coca-Cola, you can't go without your phone that that could be considered an addiction. So >> well, Coca-Cola, sir. Okay. >> So I have some co >> any any other comments? >> I just Oh, I'm sorry. You have a Mr. Adams? >> Thank you. I have I'm
229about this, but I'm going to come down on supporting it and and I'll tell you why. I I don't know. I'm not I can't argue with confidence the issue of addiction or not, but I do feel confident that these companies have had a detrimental impact >> on our students and that they knew that and they continued that not just our students but the rest of us too. >> And um and so I don't know if that will win the day. I mean, if I don't know if that's a valid enough argument to get to get um damages from, and I'm really in this regard trusting the court. If if it's not a strong enough argument and the court won't do that, I will trust that. But if they did, if a court did decide that
230there were detrimental effects and and that there there was culpability on those part of those companies, then I would want us to be the beneficiary of that and because because of that I I would vote in favor. >> Okay. Um are we ready to one thing respond to both of them each of them? That was a very good argument. And did you make note of it if you hadn't already? The very fact that we've passed a law in Arkansas says that the government's on the side of this is bad. >> So, >> um, these companies have very deep pockets and if a judge is going to, uh, punish them in any way, it'll have to be an enormous settlement. >> Yeah. Yeah. I I wouldn't, you know, in all due respect, I wouldn't want to
231hold up the wisdom of the Arkansas State Legislature and as as a guide for rightness or wrongness of things >> even when I agree with him on some points but >> and maybe we'll make the argument to somebody who's never heard of the Arkansas legislature >> whole world >> well can I make one follow yeah um I just there is a clinical definition of addiction and there is a clinical definition of problematic use and those are very different and they have different criteria um and so when the headline of this is addiction. It seems like you're trying to make it about something that scientists I know that the world doesn't believe in science anymore, but I do and the scientists have not said it is a thing. So, that is I think if you're going
232to participate in this on behalf of our district, I would urge you to consider reconsider using that word. Um, I also think I just want to note that this is not free to participate in. I mean, maybe we don't have to pay you a check, but it takes our district's time. there's going to be have to be a staff person working on this on our behalf to make sure our staff are protected and not asked to work after hours and all kinds of other things. And I also want to mention that just as you think about this, there are so many mitigating factors that go into what has happening on kids mental health over the past particularly the past five years, but with COVID and other things, but even before that, mental health concerns were
233were rising incredibly quickly among youth and and adults in this country. And so it's very hard, I think, to parse out that piece of this. That being said, um I I want to say out loud that I absolutely think social media reforms are needed. I worked to pass laws this past session in my day job to help make sure that that happened. That we have currently been sued by these companies as a state because of the laws I helped to pass in my day job. So I do not want to pre pretend that I don't care that this is happening. And just wanted to put that on the record that um I have worked really hard with some really great lawmakers in our state legislature. um to make that happen. >> Madam Chair, I called
234the I called the question and um yeah, >> okay, call for the question. Um our um training, it says that we're not supposed to mix it as and promote it on the board >> particularly. Does you have a motion to end debate and you need a second? >> Second. I'm looking for a second. Second. >> The question has been a move. [Laughter] A question has been called. >> A second has been made. All in favor for the question? >> No. >> Yes. >> You're voting. >> Oh, no. That's my vote. No. >> Okay. We had to madam chair. >> Yes. >> This is for calling. >> You have a motion to end debate. So your your vote here is on ending debate, not on the underlying. >> Just need two. Who is the second on
235the >> second is a Mason Mason is the second and we're voting on the question, right? >> You're voting on ending debate. >> Yes. >> It takes two. >> That is to end debate. >> It takes a majority. Yes. All in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? >> On principle, no. >> Okay. No. Okay. Now, we're moving back to the main motion. The main motion on the floor and a second has been made for Lura Board of Education to join other litigants in a lawsuit against social media companies. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any oppose? >> No. >> One. No. >> Thank you very much. >> Absolutely. >> Thank you. >> All right. In the title, >> I'm not mixing up. It's just not a quite effect. >> Okay. So the
236>> chair will entertain a motion um for executive session to move into executive session and entertain a motion. >> For what purpose? >> What purpose? >> Yeah. Why are we doing that? >> Executive session for the purpose of considering the possible employment appointment promotion and resignation of an employee. >> Who called it? >> Apparently somebody did. >> I entertain a motion. Nobody wants >> on there just in case. >> So moved. Is there a second? It's been moved and properly second that the LSD >> board of education enter executive session for the purpose of considering the possible employment appointment, promotion and resignation of employees. Is there comments, questions? >> Comments. >> Go ahead. Comments, questions. >> Are we going into executive session? >> Well, first comments, questions. If there are none, >> oh, I'm sorry.
237If there's if there's no um objection, we are um adjourned to executive session. >> If we have comments or questions, Okay. Yes, ma'am. >> All right. We're returning from executive session where no actions were taken. The um chair will entertain a motion. >> I move that we return from executive session. Second. It's >> been moved and properly seconded. There is no objection. We are returned from executive session. We'll move forward >> where no action was taken. >> I already said that. >> Okay. I wasn't listening. >> That's so good. >> I was talking I was talking with Tats up all your time. I'm let >> Okay. So, we're going to go ahead and move to board comments. Board comments. What? Board comments. >> Yeah, I have one. >> We It's been moved and probably We
238have >> we have a whole another agenda item. >> We do have another agenda item, but I think but I think if you move it >> is have a motion and a second. >> If you have a motion and a second, then think you're good. Okay, been moved and properly second. If there is no objection, we are adjourned. >> Good night everybody. Can I can I get