Arkansas State Board of Education votes to take over Marvell-Elaine School District
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas State Board of Education has voted to take over the Marvell-Elaine School District, allowing it to go forward with plans to turn over operations to a private education company.
During the Friday meeting at the state board headquarters, the board voted to permanently remove the district’s board of directors and superintendent, placing it under state control.
This move, state officials said, will allow the district to go ahead with a contract with the Friendship Education Foundation that would turn over all operations, including the hiring or firing of faculty, staff or administrators, to the company. The contract for the turnover is scheduled to start August 1.
In a statement sent after the meeting, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) claimed the move allowed the board to "save" the district and will let Education Secretary Jacob Oliva name a new superintendent and move ahead with the planned turnover.
Oliva noted this decision reflected the desire of the community to keep the district viable.
“At the April board meeting in Marvell, community members overwhelmingly expressed their desire for the district to remain open,” he said.
The Marvell-Elaine district has been at the middle of a prolonged legal fight over the Arkansas LEARNS Act, an omnibus piece of education legislation pushed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
The new law broadens the scope of how districts can work with education companies and allows communities to move away from some traditional public school policies.
A number of teachers and parents from the Marvell-Elaine district, along with the group Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES), sought a restraining order after district officials announced the plan to turn over operations to Friendship Education Foundation.
The group claimed the emergency clause attached to the LEARNS Act was not voted on properly, meaning the law would not go into effect until August 1.
The restraining order was initially granted by a Pulaski County judge and then lifted by the Arkansas Supreme Court, though the Pulaski County judge later ruled for the group, delaying the start of the act.
On Friday, Olivia again called out the lawsuits, claiming the legal wrangling went against what the community wanted for the district
“It’s unfortunate that a frivolous, politically motivated lawsuit is interfering with the department’s efforts to carry out the wishes of the school and local community," he said. "Every day that passes that delays enactment, student learning is in jeopardy.”
Later Friday afternoon, CAPES released a statement on the vote, claiming that the ADE had already gone through a "decades-long failure to provide the resources and support" for the district and claimed the ability to "sell off" management of districts to outside companies gives a reason for the department to "fail more districts in our state."
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed an appeal earlier this week of the decision delaying implementation of the act.
from KARK https://ift.tt/y2WQzfu
0 Response to "Arkansas State Board of Education votes to take over Marvell-Elaine School District"
Post a Comment