The Pine Bluff branch of the NAACP and Go Forward Pine Bluff is preparing to release results from the school-consolidation study, according to a release Friday.
A community meeting is set for 6 p.m. Sept. 29, at the Pine Bluff Convention Center Auditorium. Social distancing will be enforced and wearing a face mask will be required. The meeting will be available on Facebook Live and Zoom.
In February, Go Forward Pine Bluff said it was prepared to facilitate a study regarding the consolidation of the schools in Pine Bluff. The NAACP sponsored the community school-consolidation discussion in June of 2018.
According to a previous release, Go Forward Pine Bluff needed to understand the impact of engaging in such a process and ensure that the approach does not disrupt the group’s plan.
“The consolidation study has been one of the more enlightening initiatives during my time as CEO,” said Ryan Watley, head of Go Forward.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Hired researchers and a committee of educational stakeholders worked to understand the educational landscape in Pine Bluff. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were evident from the results and substantiate the recommendations made by the committee, according to the release.
Wanda Neal is president of the Pine Bluff NAACP.
“I was initially apprehensive about the consolidation study,” Neal said. “However, the past eight months have been very eye-opening to the needs of our students and the future of this community. FES Consultants have been phenomenal and more importantly unbiased in their approach. The structure of the committee was also dynamic as the diversity in thought really provided for a functioning working group. I believe the community will be rather surprised with what the report states and the recommendations.”
The consolidation study committee members are:
Chairwoman Diane Gilleland, professor of finance at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and former director at state Department of Higher Education;
Vice Chairman Calvin Johnson, retired educator, dean of UAPB education, interim chancellor at UAPB, former state House member;
Joni Alexander, director of community outreach at FBT Bank, City Council member and former educator;
Glen Barnes, pastor of Pine Hill Baptist Church; leader in the Juvenile Justice Center;
Neal, Pine Bluff NAACP president;
Mattie Collins, retired educator and director of Ivy Center for Education;
Alan Frazier, Watson Chapel School Board president, financial estate planner;
Spencer Robinson, former attorney for the Pine Bluff School District;
Ex-Officio Dr. Wanda Newell, interim dean of UAPB school of education.
“I would like to thank the committee members for their dedication and input to create this discussion platform,” Watley said. “They have transitioned with the uncertain conditions of covid-19 and in the end, put it all on the table for the community to be informed. I implore the citizens of Pine Bluff and educational stakeholders throughout the region to attend the meeting whether in person or virtually. It does not matter if you have children currently in one of the three districts. The data that will be revealed impacts everyone and we are all stakeholders in the future of Pine Bluff. It is imperative that the community be aware of what the committee has discovered and provide input on the recommendations.”