More than 500 people took to the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol on Saturday denouncing Arkansas Education Commissioner Johnny Key's decision not to renew Little Rock School District Superintendent Baker Kurrus’ contract beyond June 30.
The rally, organized by community groups such as the Arkansas Public Policy Panel and the Little Rock Education Association, featured several state legislators and Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, as well as parents and students.
At the rally, speakers called the decision a “slap in the face” that took away the stability that Kurrus provided.
City Director Kathy Webb said Kurrus united the school district “in a way I haven’t seen in many, many years.”
Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, said people in the district no longer feel like they have a say on the city's schools.
"Every time we look up, we hear about small government, yet the state turns right around and disregards the wheel of local government," she said.
Kurrus will be replaced by former Bentonville School District Superintendent Michael Poore, who Key believes will be able to "move the district forward and maximize the academic progress that is needed to return the Little Rock School District to local control," according to a statement released Friday.
The state board of education voted in January 2015 to take over the school district, where six schools were in academic distress.
Read Sunday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.