Forum scheduled on schools' future
The Rural Caucus of Arkansas will host an in-person and online panel program on the future of Arkansas'public schools starting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Arlene Cherry Memorial Library, 909 W, Main St. in Cabot.
Guests opening the event will be 2022 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Jones and current Republican state Rep. Jim Wooten of Beebe.
Cabot City Council member Corey Spangler will introduce the panelists and kick off the discussion portion. Spangler, a graduate of Cabot High School and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, was elected last year to the Cabot City Council.
Rural Caucus of Arkansas Chairman Steve Grappe will moderate the discussion, to be followed by audience questions.
Featured panelists will be Allison Sweatman, Melanie Duerkop and Jennifer Chosich. They will share their perspectives based on years of service in public education, where their areas of expertise include rural education, federal funding, special education and homeschooling.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
RSVP to attend through Facebook event or on this Google form: https://bit.ly/3TFUu6f.
Questions for the panelists may be submitted in advance or virtual attendees may comment on the livestream video with their questions during the event.
The Rural Caucus of Arkansas is a nonprofit grassroots organization established to help elevate rural voices across county governments and the Arkansas Legislature, and to support Democratic candidates who seek election at all levels of government.
Board meeting set in county district
The Pulaski County Special School Board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the board room of the district's administration building, 925 E. Dixon Road.
The meeting takes the place of the board's regular monthly business meeting that was scheduled for March 14 but was postponed at least in part because Superintendent Charles McNulty was a finalist for a job in the state of Washington and was away from the district.
The Monday meeting will be livestreamed at this link: https://www.pcssd.org/article/1051470.
STEM Festival on the calendar
The LISA Academy charter school system is hosting its ninth annual Arkansas STEM Festival in person and online from 10 a.m. to noon March 31 at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds in Little Rock.
Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva and Tina Moore, director of workforce development in the Arkansas Division of Higher Education, will be among the featured guests at the event.
The theme of the event is "Let's Experiment Together." The concepts of experimentation, innovation, creativity, curiosity and invention, both relevant and creative, will be presented in fun and interactive ways.