ROGERS -- An interim chief executive officer will guide Arkansas Arts Academy through the next school year.
The charter school on Monday announced Allison Roberts, senior education adviser to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, will fill the position while the Board of Directors conducts a national search for its next permanent CEO, according to a news release posted on the school's Facebook page.
The announcement came about a month after the board opted not to renew the contract of then-CEO Richard Burrows, whom the board hired in August following a nationwide search.
The board decided not to renew Burrows' contract during a special meeting June 9. His last day with the school was June 30.
Jeff Hunnicutt, a board member, said during the June 9 meeting the decision to let Burrows go "was not made easily, as there are many positive qualities which Richard brings to the job, most notably some much-needed structure for operational procedures such as finances, virtual schooling and more."
Hunnicutt, when reached by phone Monday, declined to explain what factors led to the board's decision.
Arkansas Arts Academy operates two campuses in Rogers, one for grades K-6 and another for 7-12. Its enrollment stands at about 1,215 students in grades K-12, Hunnicutt said. The school's enrollment cap is 1,225.
Burrows, when contacted Monday, said a change in board leadership led to his departure, and it was "absolutely not" his choice to leave. He said two longtime board members resigned in protest of the decision.
"So I guess it's a new ball game," Burrows said.
He said he and the board are still in negotiations on the terms of his departure.
The academy hired Arts Consulting Group, a Boston-based organization, last year to help the school fill the CEO position left vacant following the retirement of Mary Ley, who had held the job for six years. That search ultimately landed Burrows. The Walton Family Foundation provided the school a $50,000 grant for the nationwide search.
Burrows, 68, was director of community outreach and engagement with The Historic Trust in Vancouver, Wash., prior to joining the Arkansas Arts Academy. He's also been director of arts education for the Los Angeles Unified School District and executive director and board president of the Institute for Arts Education in San Diego, according to a news release from the school last year.
Howard Alsdorf served on the arts academy board for 20 years before resigning June 8. He said he resigned in protest of his fellow board members' decision on Burrows.
All things considered -- including the various challenges that came with conducting school during a pandemic -- Burrows did a "fantastic" job, Alsdorf said.
Roberts, 55, has experience in numerous roles including visual artist, kindergarten through college art educator, arts consultant, national professional development facilitator, author, school administrator, accreditation evaluator and education policy adviser, according to the news release. She has a doctorate in leadership for educational equity from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Her salary will be $120,000 for the year, according to Hunnicutt. She's expected to begin the job the first week of August. The new school year begins Aug. 4.
"We wanted to make sure we found someone who could keep the ship going in the right direction," Hunnicutt said.
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Arkansas Arts Academy
Arkansas Arts Academy is one of the state’s oldest open-enrollment charter schools. It opened in 2001 as Benton County School of the Arts in Rogers before changing its name in 2014. It serves grades K-12.
Source: NWA Democrat-Gazette