Dollarway School District Superintendent Barbara Warren discussed Monday night with future patrons the challenges she faces, along with her vision for the future.
Warren gave an annual report to about 50 people, including many employees, at Robert F. Morehead Middle School.
Appointed to her current post in December 2015 by the Arkansas Board of Education, Warren took the reigns when the state dissolved its local board of directors because the district was struggling fiscally and academically. Dollarway has been in academic distress since 2010, as fewer than 49.5 percent of students have scored at a proficient or advanced level in math or literacy.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” Warren said. “Some people will see my smile, see how excited I am and think I have my head in the sand. No, I don’t. I realize we have a lot of problems. … But I also realize that being negative about it is not going to get you where you want to go. I am a very positive person. And I feel positivity is going to take us much further than the negativity.”
Warren said Dollarway enrolled about 1,108 students as of Oct. 31, 2016, of which more than 91 percent are black people, about five percent are white people, and the remaining people are of other races. By way of comparison, Dollarway enrolled about 1,210 students as recently as the spring of 2016.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The decline in enrollment is problematic, Warren said. As a result, Warren said the district reduced its number of employees.
Tammi Dockett-Wilson, assistant superintendent, discussed taking steps to improve student achievement. She said reading is a foundation to learning. She said Dollarway educators are doing curriculum alignment, learning assessments and professional development.
Warren acknowledged Dollarway students are not meeting academic standards and the district is in fiscal distress.
“We are trying to take steps toward being a better district,” she said.
Treasurer Dennis Johnson gave a report on the Dollarway finances. The district entered fiscal distress because it has declining balances and federal audit exceptions. Dollarway had an ending balance around $3,210,000 at the end of 2015-2016, which is a drop of $789,000 from its ending balance around $3,999,000 two years earlier.
Annie Bryant, a concerned parent and a Dollarway graduate, feared the Dollarway School District will cease to exist.
“We will look like Altheimer,” Bryant said. “I know that parents and community members are not perfect but we do care about education.”
On a question about parental involvement, Warren said parents are mostly involved. She said educators are using new curriculum and new technology.
“I am not saying we do not deserve a whooping in some areas,” Warren said.
On the subject of money, Warren said she is a diligent overseer of the taxpayer’s money. In response to a patron’s question, she said the district has not been denied federal money for any reasons.
On the subject of partnerships, Warren said she is re-establishing partnerships with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the civic organization Targeting Our People’s Priorities with Service.
“We need a lot of help,” Warren said. “We need a mentoring program. … Some kids have not learned social skills. We are holding hands. We have challenges on every side.”
Despite these problems, Warren said there has been only one fight at Dollarway High School this academic year, which is still one fight too many.
Melvin Bryant, deputy superintendent, gave a report on technology, transportation, and food services. The district is connected wirelessly, runs 18 bus routes for a total of 1,000 miles per day, and serves 35,000 meals per month.