Financial officer to retire from NLR
Denise Drennan, the chief financial officer of the North Little Rock School District, is retiring from the district at the end of the fiscal year.
Drennan began work for the district after the school system was classified by Arkansas in May 2011 as being in fiscal distress, the result of repeated audit findings regarding failure to reconcile financial accounts in a timely manner.
The district hired Drennan, a certified public accountant with experience as a legislative auditor, in partial response to the classification.
The state released the district from fiscal distress in December 2012.
Superintendent Kelly Rodgers said district leaders are considering options for filling the job, which is becoming vacant at a time when the district is cutting expenses to offset the annual state desegregation payments that will end after the 2017-18 school year. As a result, the job vacancy has not been posted, he said.
The fiscal year ends June 30.
Principals depart 2 LR elementaries
Principal positions are opening up at two Little Rock School District elementary campuses: Carver Magnet Elementary and Jefferson Elementary schools.
Ramona Sawyer, principal at Carver Magnet, has been named director of gifted and talented education for the district, effective in July, at an annual salary of $98,556.
Roberta Mannon, principal at Jefferson and a district employee since 1986, is listed among the employees planning to retire. Also on that list is Linda Kindy, coordinator of the district's adult education program and an employee since 1979.
LR district closing fields for summer
All Little Rock School District football fields and tracks -- with one exception -- will be closed to the public beginning June 1 for regular summer maintenance.
The sites will be closed until maintenance is completed and the district notifies the public.
The exception to the closing of the fields and tracks is the facility at Booker Magnet Elementary. The track and field at Booker will remain open.
Hot Springs plans free school meals
The Hot Springs School District is the latest in a growing number of school districts across the nation that will provide school breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge to their families.
The Hot Springs School Board voted earlier this month to adopt the Community Eligibility Provision of the federal Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 to provide the free meals.
The provision allows schools or school districts that enroll high percentages of low-income students to feed all students at no cost to the families and without requiring the families to fill out applications or any other paperwork to qualify for the meals.
"We're proud to be the first school district in Garland County to sign on to [the Community Eligibility Provision]," said Superintendent Mike Hernandez. "We know that when students eat nutritious meals regularly, they do better academically and developmentally."
Parents' day set by virtual school
Arkansas Connections Academy, a virtual public charter school for students in kindergarten through 10th grades, is holding an informational session for parents of prospective students early next month.
The session will be at 6:30 p.m. June 6 at the Courtyard by Marriott Little Rock North, 4339 Warden Road in North Little Rock.
The online school, which has been in operation for one year in Arkansas, provides all curriculum materials. Each Arkansas Connections Academy student is assigned a professional teacher to oversee learning and assess student progress.
Arkansas Connections Academy is governed by a board of directors made up of Arkansas residents, while its curriculum and other services are from Connections Education, a national provider of online learning.
Metro on 05/30/2017