Local attorney Gene E. McKissic submitted a petition signed by 68 people to the Pine Bluff School District Board of Directors April 5 asking for a public forum to discuss recent board actions regarding district Superintendent Jerry O. Payne.
The petition is a followup to an earlier unsuccessful attempt by McKissic to organize such a meeting.
The March 14 request was signed by seven prominent community leaders including Simmons First National Chairman and CEO Tommy May and Pine Bluff National Bank President and CEO Chuck Morgan and was rejected by the board in a letter dated March 21 from board president Herman Horace.
“The purpose of the forum would be for the Board and public to engage in open discussion addressing concerns we believe of interest to the general public,” the March 14 letter read in part.
Horace thanked the letter signatories for their concern for the school district but in denying the request asserted that the letter was not in compliance with Arkansas Code Section 6-13-619(a)(1).
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“The board of directors shall hold regular monthly meetings during the school term and shall meet on call of the president or secretary or any three (3) members of the board of directors or when petitioned to do so by a petition in writing signed by fifty (50) electors in the school district,” Section 6-13-619(a)(1) reads.
McKissic’s cover letter explained that the petition was an attempt to address the board’s concerns over the legality of the original request.
“I am in receipt of your letter dated March 21, 2012, in which you advise that the Board declined the request to hold a public forum,” McKissic writes in the letter to Horace that accompanies the petition of electors. “Therefore, pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated 6-13-619(a)(1), please find enclosed a petition duly signed by more than fifty (50) electors of the Pine Bluff School District requesting a public meeting with the Board.”
“Mayor Redus has offered to host the public meeting at the Pine Bluff Convention Center to ensure that there is adequate seating and parking,” McKissic writes. “I look forward to hearing from you on scheduling a meeting date and working out any logistics should the meeting be held at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.”
Signatories to the petition include Pine Bluff Mayor Carl A. Redus Jr. and his wife Trudy Redus, as well as Rev. Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV.
When asked for comment Thursday afternoon, Horace said that the board has not yet had the chance to discuss the petition.
“We haven’t met to discuss it yet,” Horace said. “The board will discuss it Tuesday night [the next monthly board meeting].”
McKissic said that he was waiting to hear from the board on how they want to proceed.
When asked if the petition needed to be certified in order for it to be valid, McKissic said that according to the wording of the law it did not.
The school board’s regular meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the district adminstration building.