Senator Stephanie Flowers, Representative Vivian Flowers, and Representative Ken Ferguson hosted a town hall meeting at the UAPB Stem building Thursday night to speak about issues within the Pine Bluff School District, and to listen to concerns of students and citizens within the district.
The meeting, moderated by Kymara Seals, lasted nearly two hours with many concerns, ideas, and beliefs being shared.
Representative Vivian Flowers opened the meeting saying that there has been very little discussion about education taking place in state meetings, in addition to saying recent proficiency numbers are not acceptable.
Senator Stephanie Flowers stated that all of the problems within the district need resolution, and better leadership is needed. Senator Flowers also spoke on the issue of public safety, asking how discussions about public safety can be held without consulting the Pine Bluff Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.
Pine Bluff High School student Kee’Darie Bush, Watson Chapel High School student Denim Banks, and Dollarway High School student Jerimiah Warrior spoke at the meeting, which each of them saying they like the idea of magnet schools being considered for the district, in addition to asking for more resources for proper educational and mental health needs within the student bodies. Each of the three are honor graduates for their respective districts.
The entire meeting can be viewed in the video below.
