The Arkansas State Board of Education met for a work session Thursday, September 15th to discuss the status and progress of the Pine Bluff School District (PBSD). In the meeting, all board members were present to discuss steps moving forward as a part of the five-year plan for the PBSD.
The main topic of discussion focused on whether or not the board wanted to move forward with selecting a board of seven individuals representing each ward of the district. The state board has to make the decision on whether the district’s board would be appointed or voted upon to help move the district closer to the goal of going back to local control.
Board member Ouida Newton introduced the idea as a part of the five-year plan that was discussed in December 2020. She stated to the board would have to make a decision to appoint or call for an election by November 8, 2023, and she further elaborated on that.
Another topic in relation to developing a school board is the construction of a new high school for the consolidation of Pine Bluff and DollarWay. PBSD Superintendent Barbara Warren was present at the meeting on zoom and was asked to elaborate on some of the conversations and challenges behind the development of the new facility.
The board also discussed developing a sub-committee that would advise the appointed board if the state decided to go with that process. Due to the meeting only being a work session, the board stated that they would go over the current board policy for the district to develop a breakdown of the responsibilities and role of an appointed or elected board. That topic will be discussed and voted upon at the board’s regular meeting in October.
