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The Pine Bluff School District turned down the opportunity to apply for school improvement grants from the Arkansas Department of Education in May for Pine Bluff High School and Oak Park Elementary that could have brought as much as $12 million into the district.
The decision was made not by the Pine Bluff School Board, but by the teachers. The potential grants were turned down after members of the teaching staff took issue with the amount of time they were given to make the decision, not having a permanent principal and staff at the high school and extra work that would be required.
Ryan Roberts, who was then president of the Pine Bluff Education Association, said that a teaching staff vote was held and that the majority voted to forgo the grant.
The Arkansas Department of Education formally notified the school district of the availability of the grant money on April 12 and was notified May 18 that the district would be forgoing the opportunity for the grant money.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Pine Bluff School Board Vice President Donna Barnes said that the board was never officially notified of the grant opportunity.
“Nothing was formally presented to the board by the superintendent,” Barnes said. “It was never put before the board to take action on.”
What a shame that the district turned its back on that kind of money.
Scholarship times
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This is the time of the year we look forward to and publish lots of stories that Southeast Arkansas high school graduates have received scholarships. Some are for special talents, others for athletic abilities and many for academic accomplishments.
The latter help put to rest some of the negative news generated by schools.
Noting those accomplishments represents some of the good news we publish daily.
FOI verdict
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The mayor and three aldermen from the Craighead County town of Bono withdrew pleas of not guilty Tuesday and pleaded no contest to violating the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. One element of their penalty was most appropriate. The special judge who accepted the negotiated pleas in Craighead County District Court ordered the four to attend a Tuesday workshop on the FOIA at the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law in Little Rock, The Jonesboro Sun reported.
The workshop is in addition to suspended 30-day jail sentences and $250 fines for each alderman and a $200 fine assessed the mayor.
The officials acknowledged holding a discussion on a pending municipal issue following a March 21 Bono City Council meeting.
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and the Arkansas Press Association are hosting the FOIA “Road Show,” designed to provide assistance to public officials who often handle FOIA matters. The workshop is also open to all Arkansans who are interested in learning more about the state’s open records and open meetings law.
Participants will hear presentations from the AG’s office about the law’s applicability and its exemptions, question-and-answer sessions and a panel discussion by journalists and attorneys.
As the four elected officials left the courtroom, the judge admonished them to “go forth and be careful.”
We recommend that officials from our area counties, cities and school districts attend the FOIA seminar. Make that — highly recommend.