Arkansas Education Commissioner Tony Wood announced Tuesday his selection of Little Rock attorney and businessman H. Baker Kurrus to lead a committee that will evaluate and make recommendations on Little Rock School District finances.
Kurrus, 60, who served on the Little Rock School Board from 1998-2010, will recommend to Wood the members of what he expects will be a small group tasked first and foremost with addressing the loss of up to $37 million a year in state desegregation aid to the state's largest school district, which is now operating under state control.
That state aid is scheduled to end after the 2017-18 school year.
"It can't be business as usual with the loss of the desegregation funds," Wood said about the need for the district to be financially sound and his desire to involve community members. "I contacted one person that I just have tremendous trust in to lead an effort like this."
Wood's selection of Kurrus to head a financial advisory committee comes three weeks after the Arkansas Board of Education voted 5-4 to dismiss the elected Little Rock School Board while retaining Superintendent Dexter Suggs on an interim basis under the direction of the commissioner.
The Education Board took over the district largely on the basis of dissatisfaction with efforts to improve achievement in six of the district's 48 schools. The state classified the six schools as being academically distressed because fewer than half of the students scored at proficient levels on state math and literacy exams over a three-year period.
State board members also said at the time that they didn't have confidence in the district's ability to make the necessary budget cuts in a way that would be in the best interest of students.
"I'm just trying to help," Kurrus said after meeting Tuesday with Wood, Suggs and members of their staffs. "I'm a volunteer, but I'm going to do my very, very best. I'm in a position to devote my time to it. I don't know there is anything more important that I've ever done. I just think it is critical that we build public confidence, get our fiscal house in order, and then figure out how we can improve the achievement of these students who aren't doing as well as they could be doing.
"It's urgent," Kurrus said about the need to cut in round figures about 10 percent out of the district's $320 million operating budget, three-fourths of which is spent on personnel.
Kurrus said his business background, which includes being a former president of four car dealerships, can be a benefit.
"That's the thing I bring to this," he said. "There's a sense of urgency in the private sector -- especially in sales-oriented business like automobile businesses -- that needs to be brought to bear here. I can do that."
The Little Rock School Board took initial steps last summer to form an advisory committee that would assist the School Board and district leaders in identifying adjustments to the district's operations to offset the loss of the desegregation aid.
Kurrus said Tuesday that he had applied to serve on that committee -- which never met before the state Education Board vote to take control of the district. Kurrus speculated that his name probably came to Wood's attention as a result of his place on that committee.
Between now and the first of March, Kurrus said he will review resumes and make recommendations to Wood on members for a small committee that will work with district and state administrators on budget projections and recommendations.
He said he will consider both the applicants for the first advisory committee as well as others with expertise in large organizations.
"What I envision is working hand in hand with the superintendent and with the [district's] chief financial officer, Kelsey Bailey, to try to fund -- under the new reality -- the things that the superintendent thinks are essential to improve student performance across the board," Kurrus said.
He said he hopes to make the district more "nimble" and able to live within its means -- while delivering more in the classroom.
"We will look to build efficiencies and ultimately, sustainability," Kurrus said. "We are far beyond the point where we can sit back and do nothing. That's not an option. There are going to have to be dramatic changes made, and you want to make those in ways that don't impact the student experience negatively. In fact, if done correctly, you can make changes that improve efficiencies, improve communication and improve the ability to make prompt changes in an organization just by simplifying things, and that can save money."
Little Rock School Board members before their Jan. 28 dismissal by the state Education Board had employed a team of engineers, architects and educational planners who did a facilities study of the district's campuses. On the basis of that study, the School Board had approved a list of building priorities and was headed toward asking voters to approve a millage increase within the next year to finance a $350 million building plan.
The plan included the construction of a new west Little Rock middle school and replacement schools for McClellan High and David O. Dodd Elementary.
Kurrus said Tuesday that the pursuit of a building plan and a vote on a tax increase are probably not material to the task at hand.
"The first order of business is not to add on to the house, but to put the fires out," he said. "This is unbelievably drastic and urgent right now."
He said he wants to build public confidence in the district and, in so doing, build enrollment, which in turn can increase state aid to the district.
Lawyer, consultant
Kurrus is the former president and general counsel for The Winrock Group Inc. Most recently he has been practicing law and serving as a consultant on business and corporate issues for select clients.
He is a graduate of Lakeside High School in Garland County, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and Harvard University School of Law. He and his wife Ginny Kurrus have three adult children, all of whom graduated from Little Rock Central High.
Both Baker and Ginny Kurrus have a long history of involvement in public education and the Little Rock School District. Ginny Kurrus, former state president of the Arkansas PTA and former president of the Little Rock PTA Council, is currently a member of the steering committee for the Forward Arkansas initiative to develop a strategic plan for improving public education across the state, particularly in academically distressed schools.
Baker Kurrus was a founding member of Little Rock Alliance for Our Public Schools in the 1990s before he served four terms on the Little Rock School Board. He also served in leadership roles for the Quapaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts.
Metro on 02/18/2015