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A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 26 sepTember 2019

Plan for Little Rock schools stokes fears about segregation

By ANDREW DeMILLO covered all those after the
Associated Press fact," Board Chairwoman
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Diane Zook said.
A plan to only grant Little Parents and educators ad-
Rock partial control of its vocating for local control
schools is stoking fears that say the district is being pun-
the district may return to a ished for the state failing to
racially segregated "sepa- meet its own goals. They
rate but equal" system 62 also note that there are F-
years after nine black stu- rated schools in other parts
dents were escorted into Arkansas that aren't being
an all-white high school. put under state control.
The state took over Little "We deserve one district,
Rock's 23,000-student dis- not a three-tiered district,
trict in January 2015 be- not a segregated district,
cause of to low test scores not a district with two lead-
at six of the district's 48 erships," said Vicki Hatter, a
schools. With the five-year Little Rock district parent.
deadline for ending the "We deserve one district,
takeover approaching, the one full district, and a duly
state Board of Education elected school board."
last week came up with a The plan wasn't released
plan to return only limited until the morning the board
control of some schools to voted, which critics said
a local board that would kept the public in the dark.
be elected next year. Other steps taken by the
Many details remain un- state have sown mistrust,
clear, including what lim- local control supporters
its the new nine-member In this Sept. 26, 1957 file photo, members of the 101st Airborne Division take up positions outside say. The contract for the
board would have on its Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. first superintendent ap-
authority and who would Associated Press pointed by the state to run
run the remaining schools. ments to leave state con- "If you do this, you're help- lawsuit saying we're not Little Rock schools wasn't
However, the plan has al- trol. Under the plan, schools ing to perpetuate a divide meeting our obligations," renewed after he opposed
ready prompted compari- that are rated at least "D'' that was put there delib- said Republican Gov. Asa the expansion of charter
sons to the 1957 crisis over by the state would remain erately," Democratic Sen. Hutchinson, who dismissed schools in the district. The
Little Rock Central's inte- under the control of the Joyce Elliott, referring to the the notion that the plan state board in December
gration. Opponents argue board. Schools rated "F'' interstate, told the board amounts to re-segregation. voted to waive employee
that the move would effec- would be placed under last week. "If you do this, "That is wrong, it is not protections for the district,
tively create two districts, "different leadership" in you will be furthering that based in fact and it is really despite complaints that the
with several predominantly partnership with the district, effort to keep us divided trying to resurrect old histo- move would make it dif-
black schools still under though it's unclear what deliberately." ry that has no application ficult to recruit and retain
some form of state control. that means. The plan also Proponents say the plan to today," Hutchinson said. educators.
"Why Little Rock? Why, 62 says another category of gives parents and commu- The testing system and ac- The board will take up an-
years later ... are we right schools that are being re- nity leaders the local con- countability measures for other plan next month to
back where we were be- configured "may" be run by trol they've been seeking schools have changed no longer recognize the
fore?" Democratic Sen. Lin- the local board. but offers the schools the since the 2015 takeover. district's teacher's union,
da Chesterfield asked. All but one of the eight cur- state support they need to Education officials say that the Little Rock Education
When the Arkansas Board rently F-rated schools in the address academic prob- although the district hasn't Association, as its sole bar-
of Education took over the district are located south lems. made the academic gains gaining agent. The propos-
district, it dismissed the lo- of Interstate 630, which is "If the state ignored the it hoped to make, it has im- al was tabled after it came
cal school board and put historically viewed as the academic performance proved in some areas, such up moments after the
the district superintendent dividing line between Little measures and returned all as its facilities and finances. board passed the frame-
under state control. The Rock's predominantly white schools without sufficient "There were a lot more work for Little Rock schools,
state's board last week and predominantly black support, then we would problems in Little Rock than eliciting complaints from
approved a "framework" neighborhoods. The lat- surely have dedicated civil just the way the academ- community leaders,
for the district's future if it est grades for the schools rights lawyers that would ics was showing up when teachers and the district's
doesn't meet the require- come out next month. immediately be filing a we intervened, and we dis- superintendent.q