Superintendent: Little Rock School District plans to close or repurpose 4 schools

Little Rock School District Superintendent Michael Poore on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, addresses planned school closures within the district.
Little Rock School District Superintendent Michael Poore on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, addresses planned school closures within the district.

Little Rock School District Superintendent Michael Poore on Tuesday afternoon announced plans to close or repurpose four schools within the district as part of cost-cutting efforts.

Schools set to close are Franklin and Wilson elementary schools as well as Woodruff Early Childhood Education Center, Poore said. The shuttering of those facilities would displace more than 730 students, based on the latest enrollment figures. Hamilton Learning Academy will be repurposed.

Carver Magnet Elementary School, which was previously among schools being considered for closure, will remain open.

The move comes as the district looks to make more than $10 million in budget cuts after the loss of $37 million in desegregation funds, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported.

"We know that we have to address things," Poore said. "We can't just kick the can down the road. We can't just say, well, let's wait another year."

The superintendent, who acknowledged the difficulties of consolidating, also outlined efforts to move students to other schools within the district.

Franklin Elementary School students, if the plan receives final approval, would move about 1.3 miles east to Stephens Elementary School.

"It creates anxiety. I know it does. But one of the things I can promise you is that we will work through transitions," Poore said, adding that the district will "make this as comfortable as possible for students first and foremost."

Wilson Elementary School students would be transferred to four other area elementary schools: Bale, Romine, Brady and Western Hills. Brady, which represents the longest commute, is nearly 5 miles north of Wilson.

Eventually, Hamilton Learning Academy would move into the Wilson Elementary School space, Poore said.

With the closure of Woodruff Early Childhood Education Center, students would move to two other schools — half to Carver and the remainder to Martin Luther King Jr. Those schools are within 5 miles of each other.

The state, which took control of the school district in early 2015, will be the deciding factor in whether the recommendation to close schools will move forward.

Poore said he intends to present the proposal to Education Commissioner Johnny Key before the end of this month. Plans for repurposing the Franklin and Woodruff campuses, subject to approval, would begin in February with community input.

Earlier Tuesday, a group of parents, educators and students gathered in front of the Little Rock School District administration building in protest of school closures, Arkansas Online previously reported.

Community meetings will be held Wednesday and Thursday at Franklin and Wilson elementary schools, respectively. Each meeting is set for 5:30 p.m.

Additional information about the planned school closures within the Little Rock district can be found by visiting its website.

Read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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