150 turn out, say LR schools, not state, know best

Jim Ross, who at the time was still a Little Rock School Board member, speaks to a full house Monday during a forum on the future of the Little Rock School District. Seated right is Sam Ledbetter, chairman of the state Board of Education. The Board of Education took control of the district Wednesday.
Jim Ross, who at the time was still a Little Rock School Board member, speaks to a full house Monday during a forum on the future of the Little Rock School District. Seated right is Sam Ledbetter, chairman of the state Board of Education. The Board of Education took control of the district Wednesday.

Teachers, parents, students and community members defended the Little Rock School District against a state takeover at a forum Monday night, during which they also implored one another to stay involved to improve student achievement.

A crowd of about 150 people varying by race and age packed the auditorium and spilled into the hallways at the Willie Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center for the "Protect Our Little Rock Schools Forum," which was organized by Arkansas Community Organizations.

The forum, which included remarks from six of the seven Little Rock School Board members, was held in advance of Wednesday's Arkansas Board of Education 10 a.m. special meeting that has been called to decide what, if any, action the state should take to raise student achievement in six underperforming schools in the 24,800-student district.

The state last year classified Baseline Elementary; Cloverdale and Henderson middle schools; and J.A. Fair, Hall and McClellan high schools as being in academic distress because fewer than half of the students scored at proficient levels on state Benchmark and End-Of-Course exams in math and literacy in a three-year period.

State law gives the state Education Board the authority to remove a principal and faculty at an academically distressed school; require a change in curriculum; remove a school from the school district's jurisdiction; close the school; or take over the district, removing the school board and/or superintendent.

State Education Board Chairman Sam Ledbetter of Little Rock attended the Monday forum but did not speak. As the board chairman, he typically votes only to break a tie. State Education Board members are appointed by the governor to seven-year terms.

While some city and state business leaders and some parents have encouraged the state Education Board to take over the entire district, they did not speak at the Monday session.

Current and former high school students who spoke Monday received some of the loudest applause.

"Please don't give up on the Little Rock School District," said Ivan Martinez, a 2009 graduate of McClellan High and 2012 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, adding that his teachers at McClellan were "incredible" and didn't give up even though they were often frustrated by students who didn't see the importance of school.

"Despite what some may say about the Little Rock School District, I think it is a great, great school district," said Martinez, who hopes to become a lawyer and professor.

Andres Moreno, a senior at Parkview Magnet High School, told the crowd that state officials don't know the Little Rock community the way the elected School Board does.

"I live in southwest Little Rock where some of the struggling schools are located," he said. "Those schools are in my neighborhood, and so I realize the problems that are going on in those schools. The problem I see with the schools is that students don't care about going to school because of the problems they are facing in their communities."

One of his friends was shot and killed "like 30 seconds from my house" this past weekend, Moreno said.

"Why would somebody want to go to school if stuff like this happens in their neighborhoods all the time?" he asked. "If the state department takes over -- they don't know what is going on in the community. This School Board knows what is going on in the community. They know all the problems we have. They know what to do. The state won't know what to do."

Malik Marshall, senior class president at Central High School, said he was "sick" of being the only black student in some of the Advanced Placement courses at the school and tried to do something about it by working last year on Jim Ross' successful campaign for election to the School Board.

"Then the government comes in and starts telling me that they are going to remove my voice," Marshall said.

"There is a big, big gap in the school district between high-income students and low-income students," he continued. "I really feel in my heart that if we give this School Board enough time, they can make a big difference. I really believe that. If they come in here and I lose my voice and you lose your voice and the teachers lose their voice -- the teachers and students are the ones who spend all day in these schools. All day long we go to school. We know what needs to happen, but they are not going to listen to us."

Toney Orr, a parent, recited a long list of schools that his five children, including two who have graduated, attended in the district. Some of the schools are those identified as academically distressed, and others are some of the district's highest-performing schools. His children thrived in each, he said, adding that each of the schools worked with him as a team for his children's success.

Others who spoke Monday have had a long association with the school district, first as students and then as employees and parents. Those included civic activist Annie Abrams, retired Principal Joyce Williams and former Associate Superintendent Beverly Divers White.

White told the crowd that she hasn't seen many of them at School Board meetings, and they need to get involved.

There are too many instances of overrepresentation of black and Hispanic male students who are in special education programs or who are subject disciplinary actions such as suspensions and expulsions, White said, and there are too many instances of underachievement by black and Hispanic male students.

"It is not all up to the schools," she said. "We have got to get involved. The faith-based community has got to get involved across the city. Community organizations have got to get involved. Parents, you have got to assume responsibility for your children. You know when your children come home and can't read, can't compute.

"We've got some issues," she said and questioned whether the current Little Rock district leaders educate black and Hispanic children to achieve excellence. "Can the state Department of Education do that?"

Williams praised the newly elected Ross for so clearly articulating what she has long seen as the problems and needs in the district, including the lack of adequate teaching of literacy skills to students.

Georgia Walton, a teacher at Hall High, said she "would like our elected board to be given the opportunity to make change to move our students up."

Jennifer Lusk, a Central teacher, said: "No one is asking the teachers what we need. You don't realize how broken our discipline system is."

"We do have some bad teachers," she added. "Shame on all for not getting rid of those few."

Ross kicked off the forum by saying that the Little Rock district has done a good job educating middle-class children of all races and differing economic backgrounds but has faltered in teaching poor children, particularly in literacy skills.

"It's far worse than the test scores show. It's a horrific crisis," Ross said. "We have failed generations and generations of poor people in this city."

He also said students in the district have unequal access to highly qualified teachers -- that some schools are staffed with under-prepared, exhausted teachers and long-term substitutes.

There are exceptions, he said, and cited Terry Elementary School and Geyer Springs Gifted and Talented Academy for raising student achievement in a short period of time.

He proposed resolutions for the district's challenges that included empowering teachers in the classrooms to develop solutions with resources and support from a School Board that will cut back on administrative services to afford changes at the school level.

He called for more pre-kindergarten programs, with help from the state for the funding, and for more support for social services for students, such as the new health clinic at Franklin Elementary.

"This board is going to move teachers around," he said and added that teachers will be provided incentives to work in the schools with high levels of poor student achievement. Those incentives could include smaller numbers of children per classroom and more teacher preparation time.

Ross said the district has made a great number of changes in the 18 months since Superintendent Dexter Suggs started work in the district. He predicted that within the next 18 months, every school in the district will be different from how it is now.

"Good days are ahead," said Ross in urging that the community to be involved. "Change is happening, and more is coming."

Metro on 01/27/2015

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