PB looks at school closures

Enrollment drop has cut funding

PINE BLUFF -- The Pine Bluff School Board is to consider Tuesday night whether closing Oak Park Elementary School will help improve district finances, which have been sagging because of a steady enrollment decline, Superintendent Linda Watson said.

The district has averaged around a 150-pupil decline annually since 2010, she said, adding that each student represents about $6,300 per year in state and federal funding. There are currently 4,304 students in kindergarten through 12th grade in the Pine Bluff district.

The School Board voted to close Greenville Elementary in March 2013 for the same reason. The building is now used for pre-kindergarten classes.

Oak Park Elementary currently has 346 students and 29 teachers, and it is one of the oldest schools in the district, Watson said. If the board approves the closure and a time frame for closure, kindergarten through fifth-grade students who attend there will be dispersed among Southwood Elementary, Broadmoor Elementary, Thirty-Fourth Avenue Elementary School and W.T. Cheney Elementary School.

Another cost-saving proposal includes closing Southeast Middle School and sending fifth- and sixth-grade students to Belair Middle School, and seventh- and eighth-grade students to Jack Robey Middle School. All ninth-grade students would be shifted to Pine Bluff High School, Watson said.

Various other combinations -- all including closing Southeast Middle School -- are also being considered, the superintendent said.

"We are still in the process of figuring out exactly what we can do to better serve our students and maintain financial stability," Watson said. "It's a hard balancing act."

Pine Bluff School Board Vice President Phyllis Wilkins said Friday that she wasn't sure if she will vote to close Oak Park Elementary, even if the issue will be decided Tuesday night. She said she has been talking with administrators, students, teachers, parents and community members to better understand any effects closing the school would have.

"The vote could be tabled," Wilkins said. "Anytime you are talking about closing a school, it's a very serious decision. It's very painful, but we know we are losing students in the district. I just want to make sure I am making the best-informed decision I can."

Wilkins described one encounter with a disabled parent whose children attend Oak Park Elementary as "profound."

"The woman was in tears," Wilkins said. "She lives right across from the school and enjoys being so close to her kids. This issue really affects a lot of people. It's very emotional."

Candice Jones takes care of her niece, who attends classes at Oak Park Elementary. She said losing a school is like losing the heart of a community, but she understands that hard financial times sometimes means making tough decisions.

"We are all struggling," Jones said. "I want my niece to get the best education possible, and I have hope and trust in our school district. If closing a school means more money and more opportunities, then I will support it. It just won't be easy to see."

State Desk on 02/16/2015

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