GREENLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS : Supporters may use donations to pay attorneys’ fees
Posted on Friday, August 1, 2008
Greenland School District supporters may have to use some money raised during two recent fundraisers for attorneys' fees.
The Davis, Wright, Clark, Butt and Carithers law firm is expected to send a bill today for its services to help contest the Arkansas Department of Education's proposed annexation of the district.
Former Greenland Board of Education President Bill Groom said he expected the bill to be about $ 10, 000.
"That's what they told me it was going to be," Groom said. "That's in the ballpark. "
At a meeting July 14, the Arkansas State Board of Education put the district under the Education Department's control for the foreseeable future instead of annexing it to a neighboring system. The issue arose because of the district's financial problems and a projected shortfall for 2008-09.
As part of the takeover, the Greenland school board was dismissed and the state last week appointed its own superintendent, former Rogers Superintendent Roland Smith, to run the district.
Supporters raised nearly $ 22, 000 at a fundraiser on July 13 and another $ 2, 800 at a yard sale on Saturday. Supporters also have been accepting individual contributions from private donors.
Some private contributors, such as Justice of the Peace Ann Harbison, said they wanted the money to be used for the district and not for attorneys' fees. Harbison donated $ 500.
Former school board member Dennis Caudle said organizers have been keeping track of the donations' origins. The plan is for individual donations to be used to support the school's finances directly, he said, and proceeds from the fundraisers could be used to pay off the legal bills.
"I would love to keep all the money and apply it to the def- icit we got," Groom said. "But we hired these guys to get us through (the hearing ), and they did a pretty good job."
"I think it was needed," Caudle said. "I think it was beneficial. I wish it'd cost less, yes."
Since the district was under fiscal distress at the time the hearing was announced June 13, the district would have had to get state approval to pay attorneys' fees with school funds.
"The state wasn't going to let us do that," Groom said.
Because of that and the fact the district was in dire straits financially, Groom asked for donations at a June 19 meeting to cover the firm's initial $ 4, 000 retainer.
Enough donations were received that night to cover that expense, and the firm began working for the district. The Greenland Band Boosters, a nonprofit organization, contributed about $ 4, 000 to cover a bill at the end of June on top of the retainer.
The most recent bill represents the firm's July work, which includes attorney Kelly Carithers'attendance at the hearing in Little Rock.
"I know some folks may resent that money going to them. The result that we got was worth that money," Groom said. "Otherwise we may be gone. We had to have a hired gun or we were going to go down."
Although travel on school business often can be reimbursed, board members decided to pay their own expenses to Little Rock for the July 14 hearing rather than submit a reimbursement request. The school administrators who attended the meeting said they also paid their own way.
Groom said the firm did a great deal of research on behalf of the district in preparation of the hearing. He said the firm's attorneys told him they did not generally take school-related cases but were willing to represent the district.
Attorney Rudy Moore Jr. had served as the board's attorney prior to June 13, but he opted out of representing Greenland in contesting the annexation because he also serves the Fayetteville School District, one of Greenland's potential annexation partners.
A group of school supporters have scheduled a meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Greenland High School cafeteria to develop a strategy and plans for future fundraisers. Caudle's wife, Carol, said she is optimistic based on the donations the district received in its prior fundraisers. "We're just hoping to get more community and school involvement," she said. "To make $ 2, 800 at a rummage sale like we did, that was unbelievable. We were selling clothes for a dollar a bag."
Preparing for school Superintendent Smith said the latest information he had Thursday indicated 813 students had registered for the upcoming school year, which starts Aug. 18. He said he had gotten reports that a few others had registered for the upcoming year and hopes the number will be much higher by the time school starts. Some administrators and teachers have been calling students from previous years asking them to register and enroll, he said.
The district's fall enrollment last year was about 930. School funding is based primarily on enrollment.
"We're open for business," Smith said. "We're going to practice fiscal efficiency and focus on student success."
Smith said he is still evaluating ways the district might save money, although many of his expenses are already locked in because annual employment contracts were set up before he arrived. He said he is reviewing ways to save money and increase the bottom line without hurting the education of the children.
"My first target is to make sure we have $ 200, 000 less in projected expenditures. That's my first goal," Smith said. "At this point, I can only say that we're making progress."
One of the board's last actions before the takeover was authorizing Greenland Middle School Principal J. J. Gardenhire, who was serving as interim superintendent in the two weeks before the hearing, to investigate the prospect of listing the former Winslow school campus for sale with a local real estate agent.
Smith said he has not had a chance to review that idea and "that's something to consider down the road."
"I've been working day and night getting through some of the issues normal to the start of school," he said.
So far, Smith said, he has enjoyed his time working with the district and the community and has appreciated the fundraising efforts.
"My impression is that this is a wonderful community in one of the prettiest spots that you would find anywhere," he said. "The opportunities are here to have a special place."
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