Legislators positive about state board’s Decatur decision
Posted on Friday, August 1, 2008
Called Thursday afternoon, three state lawmakers from Benton County all said they welcomed a state panel’s decision keeping open the Decatur School District.
But they also warned changes still have to be made at the troubled school.
Meeting in Little Rock, the state Board of Education decided Thursday to assume control of Decatur schools but keep the school district open.
Earlier, on July 14, the state Board of Education classified Decatur as fiscally distressed.
The Department of Education projected a $ 60, 000 deficit for the district by June 30 — the end of fiscal year 2008.
The deficit is expected to rise to $ 600, 000 by the end of the 2008-09 school year.
The state Board of Education found information that more than $ 2 million in unrecorded checks, bank accounts unreconciled for up to three years, and unfilled payroll taxes and Medicare deductions.
State Sen. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette, a member of the Senate Education Committee, praised the board’s July 31 decision, saying it was made by the board members with the best interest of schoolchildren in Decatur in mind. “ I think the board made a wise decision. It’s the one we’d hope they would make, ” he said.
Still, it’s clear the decision doesn’t get the school district out of the woods yet, and Decatur school patrons, school officials, state legislators and other citizens will all must to work together to overcome the district’s fiscal problems and academic deficiencies, Hendren said.
State officials and others won’t wait long for real progress, and real progress will have to be made, Hendren said. “ We can’t let up now, ” he said.
He was pleased with the decision and believed strong support of the school by the people of Decatur positively influenced the outcome, said state Rep. Daryl Pace, RSiloam Springs.
In his view, another factor, the timing of the decision, also influenced it, Pace said. With only weeks before the start of the fall semester the board members may have believed there simply wasn’t time to consider annexation or other options, Pace said.
While there’s enough time for the district to address and overcome its problems, they will have to be addressed, he said.
The state board will continue to review the situation every three months, Pace said.
He supported the decision and is certain it showed the state board members had the right priority — what best for kids in school, said state Rep. Mike Kenney, R-Siloam Springs. “ Student welfare is going to be first and foremost, ” he said.
But of course problems remain that will have to b addressed, Kenney said
The district has been a victim of at least serious negligence, though not necessarily criminal negligence, he said.
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