LITTLE ROCK — YOU CAN tell Roy Brooks isn't superintendent of Little Rock's school district any more. It's not just that petty politics and extravagant spending have replaced his emphasis on making Little Rock's the best-performing urban school district in the country. Efficient, economical management seems on its way out, too. Did you see Cynthia Howell's detailed, as usual, story about the school district in Wednesday's paper? It was about the attempt to revive what may be the longest-running piece of school litigation in the country.
It wasn't bad enough that the narrow majority in control of Little Rock's school board voted to mediate that landmark case after the school district had finally won it in federal district court. That 4-to-3 decision to mediate was taken over the objections of the school district's own counsel and that of the state's attorney general. It was such a bad idea that in the end the federal mediator took one good look at this much convoluted case, which has been in the courts since 1982, and said the equivalent of No Thanks. We don't blame him. It needs to be left to history.
This school board, however, hasn't been satisfied with victory. Instead, its foursevenths majority seems unwilling to settle for anything less than defeat, or at least litigation and/or negotiation in perpetuity. Now it turns out the school district is even helping opposing counsel with his expenses. To the tune of $2,000 for a 612-page transcript of the latest hearing in the case before federal Judge Bill Wilson. Naturally the board's own lawyer is ticked at this latest abuse of the public trust, but he should be used to being ignored by now.
The sum involved is minuscule compared to the half-a-million dollars or more that it'll take to buy out the old,reform-minded superintendent's contract. What really dismays is the secretive attitude of the new superintendent, who's never been in charge of running a whole urban school district before. (Little Rock's school district has some 27,000 students and a $300-million annual budget.)
When asked by our Ms. Howell if she'd authorized this payment for the court transcript, at first Superintendent Linda Watson said she wouldn't discuss the matter. How's that for open communication with the public?
The Democrat-Gazette had to make a request under the state's Freedom of Information Act to find out what was going on, namely that the new superintendent herself had approved paying $2,000 for this transcript. Thank goodness for the FOI Act or the public might still be in the dark about just who made this decision.
It's unlikely that the wrecking crew now in charge of Little Rock's school board is going to do anything to prevent this kind of expensive thing in the future, considering all the public money it's wasted over the past, tumultuous year.
At this point, only the voters in the school district's crucial Zone 2 can change the balance of power on the board by defeating an incumbent and letting some fresh air in.
Those voters can do the whole school district-and Little Rock's reputation-a great service by electing the challenger, who promises to work for a renewal of civility on the board and open communication with the public. Her name is Anna Swaim, and election day in Zone 2 is Tuesday, although early voting will still be going on at the Pulaski County courthouse tomorrow. A lot depends on the outcome of this election, mainly how long this farce is going to be allowed to continue.
Editorial, Pages 98 on 10/07/2007