LITTLE ROCK — Charles Hopson, the incoming superintendent of the Pulaski County Special School District, announced plans Monday for leadership changes at Jacksonville High School.
Those plans call for the appointment of a “director on special assignment” who will report to Hopson. He will also appoint a one-year interim principal, who will report to the director.
Kenneth Clark, the school’s principal for the past six years, will leave the Jacksonville campus to become the school system’s assistant director of facilities management, Hopson said in a letter that was widely e-mailed Monday to parents of students at Jacksonville High as well as to Jacksonville city government, civic and business leaders.
The leadership changes are planned for a school in a community that has worked for a decade or more to form a new public school district that is independent of the Pulaski County Special district.
Hopson, who will become the district’s chief executive officer on July 1, said when he was selected for the job in April that he would like for Jacksonville to remain with the county district.
In his letter Monday, he said that he was making the changes in response to comments made to him in recent weeks. The director assigned to Jacksonville High will focus on the areas that were identified as community concerns, Hopson said.
Specifically, the director will work to address academic performance disparities, create a safe and orderly school climate and improve the condition of the campus, including its cleanliness.
Hopson said he will announce the director and the interim principal shortly. He will review the appointment of the interim principal in one year.
Arkansas, Pages 8 on 06/22/2010