The attorney who represented Pine Bluff School District for 30 years ended his relationship with the district, saying in a letter it doesn’t appear the direction the board is going is in the best interests of the district or patrons.
The decision followed a meeting about whether there were enough signatures on a petition to call a special meeting for patrons.
Board President Herman Horace announced Tuesday night that attorney Spencer Robinson will no longer advise the district.
“The district will have a different attorney,” Horace said at the board’s regular monthly meeting. “We are through with Mr. (Spencer) Robinson. That’s it.”
Horace later revealed that Robinson informed the board and the superintendent that neither he nor any other attorney with Ramsay, Bridgforth, Robinson and Raley LLP would be representing the district in the future.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We [Horace and Robinson] had a meeting last Thursday to discuss how to respond to the petition,” Horace said. “I gave him two copies of the letter [that accompanied the petition] and asked him about the signatures. He said that we should have the forum because it looked like enough names. I told him that only 47 names were good after being certified by the county clerk. He just didn’t seem interested. The next day we received a letter from him.”
Several concerned citizens signed a petition seeking a special meeting of the board to discuss why they are terminating the contract of Superintendent Jerry O. Payne. The board voted Tuesday night to ask the backers of the meeting to obtain 50 signatures of registered voters. Horace said that the petition the board received in early April did not have enough valid signatures to be legal.
In a letter Robinson sent to Horace and copied to school board members and to Payne, he explained his decision to stop representing the district.
“After our meeting this morning, I think it is best that I discontinue representing the Pine Bluff School District in the future,” Robinson wrote. “After 30 years of representing the District it has become clear to me that the direction that the School Board has chosen to take is not one that I feel is either in the best interests of the School District or the patrons of the School District.”
“[W]ith respect to future representation of the District, I think it is apparent that the Board needs a new lawyer to represent their interests,” Robinson wrote.
Robinson said in his letter that he would continue to represent the district in two pending lawsuits if that is what the board wants to do.
Horace said Wednesday that the board voted to give him the authority to seek legal counsel to represent it in its dispute with Payne in March because Robinson had informed them that neither he nor his firm could represent either side.
Horace said that he was in the process of speaking with attorneys about representing the district.
HIPPY
In other business, the board voted to approve a restructuring of the Home Instructional Program for Preschool Youngsters at the Arkansas River Education Service Cooperative.
ARESC director Barbara Warren explained that the move was needed to address a personnel imbalance within the HIPPY program.
“There has been an arrangement between the school district and the co-op for the last 10 years,” Warren said. “It started out as mostly a Pine Bluff program but since that time has grown to include school districts in Arkansas, Jefferson and Grant counties. We have four people working in the HIPPY program but the one employed by the Pine Bluff School District does not make the same amount of money as the other three employees for doing the exact same job. We would also like for all employees to be subject to the same rules and regulations.”
Payne said that the restructuring would save the district $38,000 in salaries and benefits per year.
Student recognition
In other business the board recognized the achievements of two Pine Bluff High School students.
PBHS art teacher Virginia Hymes announced that senior Karl DeWalt and sophomore Ashley Gragg won first and second place respectively in the Arkansas Young Artists Association competition in Little Rock last month that included 1,400 students from throughout the state.
“I love young people,” Hymes said. “They are my heart. This is my 36th year and I love what I do.”
DeWalt and Gragg came to the front of the room and were applauded for their efforts.
Personnel
The board approved several personnel recommendations from Payne but not without a statement from Horace.
“This makes us look bad,” Horace said as he complained that the board had not been provided with up to date personnel action forms by the superintendent. “It makes us look weak and I don’t like that. This is not on the agenda correctly. We are professional board people. We are not illiterate. I just can’t have that.”
The board accepted the retirement of eight certified personnel including Marie Gunti, a science facilitator at Southwood Elementary effective June 4; Jennifer Keahey, a preschool teacher at Forrest Park Preschool effective May 24; Yvonne Blevins, a history teacher at Pine Bluff High, effective May 24; Kathryn Ross, an art teacher at Belair Middle, effective June 1; Josephine Hayes as a third grade teacher at 34th Elementary, effective May 24; Irma Strong, a social studies teacher at Pine Bluff High, effective May 24; Patricia Jones, a math and science remediation teacher at Southeast Middle, effective May 24; and Linda Callaway, a FACS teacher at Pine Bluff High, effective May 24.
The board accepted the retirement of three classified personnel including Dianne West, a student health and special services coordinator in the Administrative Building, effective June 30; William B. Montgomery, a district maintenance employee, effective April 30; and Lucille Robinson, a food services employee at Pine Bluff High, effective May 24.
The board accepted the resignations of five certified personnel including Samantha Grillo, a pre-algebra teacher at Jack Robey Junior High, effective April 13; Rebecca A. Craig, a kindergarten teacher at 34th Elementary, effective March 27; Valerie A. Manley-Penix, a preschool teacher at Forrest Park Preschool, effective May 24; Edmond Hampton, a choir/orchestra teacher at Pine Bluff High, effective May 24; June Vilches, a fifth grade teacher at Southwood Elementary, effective May 24; and Mary Morgan, a special education teacher at Southwood Elementary, effective May 24.
The board accepted the resignations of four classified personnel including Inetta Hoslter, a paraprofessional at Broadmoor Middle, effective May 23; Alicia Woodard, a paraeducator at Greenville Elementary, effective May 23; Jonathan Carroll, a paraeducator at Greenville Elementary, effective March 30; and Deborah Linsy, a paraprofessional at Pine Bluff High, effective May 23.
Financial report
District finance director Pam Winkler presented the financial summary for the month ending March 31.
“We had a beginning balance of $13,360,394.17, currently monthly receipts of $2,632,208.26 and a total available of $43,051,796.98,” said Winkler.
Winkler said that the district had current month expenses of $3,071,562.11, a total amount available for operating of $16,141,774.57 and a total balance for all funds of $20,061,565.09.
Winkler said that the adjusted balance shown on the district bank statement as of March 31 was $20,263,361.84.