Barbara J. Warren, the appointed superintendent of the Pine Bluff School District, recently sat down with the Pine Bluff Commercial editor, Byron Tate, for an exclusive interview for the Pine Bluff Commercial's web series, The Newsroom.
Warren, who was the state-appointed superintendent of the Dollarway district since 2015, was appointed in May of 2020 by Arkansas Secretary of Education Johnny Key to serve a dual role as superintendent of the Dollarway and Pine Bluff school districts. Warren replaced Jeremy Owoh, who left the fiscal and academically-distressed school district to become a deputy superintendent in the Little Rock School District.
The Arkansas Board of Education voted to annex the 920-student Dollarway School District into the Pine Bluff School District in December 2020, with the effective date of July 1, 2021. The annexation plan would continue under state intervention for the Dollarway community because the Pine Bluff district was also operating under state control.
A native of the Pine Bluff community, Warren has been described by Key as "uniquely qualified to serve in this innovative role due to her familiarity with the community. "Key told the state board, referring to Warren, that the Dollarway School District had made significant progress both fiscally and academically. According to Key, under Warren's leadership Dollarway now had stronger financial management policies, practices and procedures, and teacher salaries had improved.
Despite the improvements, the state-appointed superintendent faced public scrutiny from those who did not agree with her leadership and the decisions she made for the newly annexed Pine Bluff School District. From a student walkout, community pushback after suggesting the possibility of relocating Pine Bluff High School, to a "no confidence vote" released from the staff of Robert Morehead Middle School and Dollarway High School, Warren was referred to as "unsubstantial."
"I definitely think everyone is entitled to their opinion," said Warren. "I don't have enough hours in the day to explain to everybody and to do the job at the same time just how much this takes, how challenging this job is and why, in fact, I am a good candidate for the job."
Warren has served in several educational leadership roles in the community and region. Prior to her current role, she served the Pine Bluff School District as the special assistant to then-superintendent Frank Anthony for four years. She also worked in the Stuttgart School District as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, vocational director and junior high principal. Additionally, she has also served as both the assistant director and the director of the Arkansas River Education Service Cooperative.
Key said progress has been made in the Dollarway and Pine Bluff School Districts, and the appointment of Warren in this dual role will ensure growth continues toward providing quality educational options for all students.
Since the state board put the legal order in place, according to Warren, growth has taken place under her leadership but since acquiring the Pine Bluff School District, the community feedback, in some instances, has been negative.
While she admits that there have been some challenges and disappointments, there have also been some success stories. The Watson Chapel graduate said she will continue to serve in her role by building and promoting a positive collaborative culture. She believes that intensely focusing on student-centered results is the key to the success of any school system.
"I think the fact that some people are putting the demise of the Dollarway School District squarely just on my shoulders is actually unfair. This is the effort of a community," said Warren. "If something doesn't happen as it should, I'm not saying that leaders aren't responsible, I'm not saying that I don't play some role as well but we got to look at ourselves. We have to see where were we."
From academics, leadership, her thoughts on charter schools, crime and public opinion, Warren gives her perspective in this latest episode of The Newsroom.