Little Rock: Parents and Activists Fight Against Sham of “Restoring Local Control”
In Arkansas, the governor and the legislature does not want the citizens of Little Rock to have democratic control of their public schools. They took over the schools five years ago and were supposed to return it to the people but passed a hoax of a bill.
Now activists have filed a lawsuit to expose the hoax and demand a real return to democratic control of their schools.
Max Brantley, veteran journalist in Little Rock, explains how the state intends to clamp down on a new local board and hang on to the reins of power.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of three plaintiffs by Matthew Campbell, challenges the state Board’s order that prevents the School Board from filing lawsuits; from negotiating with the teachers union on a contract, and from firing the school superintendent.
The plaintiffs are a parent of a child in the district, Heather Speyer-Rainbolt; Jim Ross, a member of the School Board disbanded by the state five years ago on account of low standardized tests scores in a handful of the district’s almost four dozen schools, and Marshall Sladyen, a teacher at Hall High School.
The lawsuit argues that the state’s ability to control the CONTINUE READING: Little Rock: Parents and Activists Fight Against Sham of “Restoring Local Control” | Diane Ravitch's blog