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Education board approves two school mergers Tuesday, Apr 11, 2006 By Aaron Sadler Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - The state Board of Education consolidated the shrinking Waldo School District with the larger neighboring Magnolia district Monday, despite protests from Magnolia school officials. Magnolia rebuffed Waldo's overtures for a voluntary merger in January, after Waldo's enrollment fell below the 350-student threshold set by the Legislature in 2004. The state board also approved the voluntary merger of the Black Rock and Walnut Ridge districts into a new Lawrence County School District. Black Rock, in northeast Arkansas, would have been forced to consolidate in 2007 under the consolidation law, which forces the merger of districts where enrollment falls below 250 students for two consecutive years. Both school mergers become effective July 1. Waldo was the only district of three facing closure this year that failed to find a voluntary merger partner. Last month, the state board approved voluntary consolidations of DeValls Bluff into Hazen and Elaine into Marvell. The state board voted 7-0 to approve a Waldo-Magnolia merger Monday. Magnolia Superintendent John Moore asked state board to pair the Waldo district with the nearby Stephens district. He said he had "sociological" concerns about absorbing Waldo into the much-larger Magnolia district. Magnolia's current enrollment is 2,900. Stephens has about 550 students. Allen Roberts, attorney for the Waldo district, suggested that race played a part in Magnolia's objection to absorbing its Columbia County neighbor. "There is at least the perception there is racial animus or racial motive," Roberts told the board. The Waldo district is about 87 percent black. The Magnolia district will be 54 percent black under the consolidation. Stephens' black population would have increased to 81 percent. After the meeting, Moore denied that race was involved in his school board's decision to oppose the merger. He said the Magnolia district would have difficulty accommodating the approximately 320 Waldo students onto its campus, after having absorbed the Walker School District in 2004. Buildings at Waldo are not suitable for continued use, he said. In addition, Moore said Magnolia was concerned the merger would adversely affect athletic and extra-curricular programs, since added enrollment may force Magnolia into a higher athletic classification. He said he had not heard any support for the merger from any Magnolia patrons, though he said the district did not have any public meetings to discuss the plan. Stephens merged with the McNeil district in 2004 and would be happy to acquire Waldo, as well, said Stephens Superintendent Mark Keith. But Roberts said Stephens reneged on an agreement to keep McNeil's elementary school open and said its campus is too far from Waldo. Magnolia is about a seven-mile drive while Stephens is about 17 miles from Waldo, Roberts said. Also, Stephens is under a federal desegregation order. Federal court permission would have been necessary for the districts to consolidate, Roberts said. "They'd like to go to Magnolia because they feel like it's got superior educational opportunities, and it's closer," Roberts said. The state board approved the Black Rock-Walnut Ridge consolidation without discussion. Black Rock Superintendent David Foley said it was inevitable that his district would close, so the school board began shopping for consolidation partners. Walnut Ridge was the best fit because it had similar academic achievement levels and demographics, he said. In other action Monday, the board removed the Augusta School District from the state fiscal distress list. Augusta was designated in fiscal distress in 2004 because expenses exceeded revenues for two consecutive years and officials projected a negative financial balance. Since then, the district implemented a plan to lower expenses, reduce staff and close one of its campuses. Districts that remain in fiscal distress are Dierks, Pine Bluff Dollarway, Flippin, Lead Hill, Pulaski County Jasper, and Western Yell County. The state has taken over three fiscally distressed districts: Helena-West Helena, Eudora and Midland. In February, Eudora was consolidated with the Lakeside School District. |
