Arkansas Bill allows outside nonprofit to operate school district taken over by state

[LiberalArkie]

http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2015/03/07/bill-allows-outside-nonprofit-to-operate-school-district-taken-over-by-state

Posted By Max Brantley on Sat, Mar 7, 2015 at 10:47 AM



Legislation filed Friday by Rep. Bruce Cozart, a Republican who chairs the House Education Committee, would expand the state's sweeping powers to operate a school or school district in state receivership for academic reasons, including allowing the state to contract with an outside nonprofit to operate the district.

I've sent a message to Cozart to ask if he says this specifically as a vehicle to turn over operation of the Little Rock School District, recently taken over by the state, to an outside agency. Currently, the state education commissioner serves as the controlling authority. The district's superintendent, Dexter Suggs, is continuing to serve in an interim capacity. The School Board was abolished.

The bill establishes a state "achievement school districts."

It authorizes the commissioner of education — soon to be former Sen. Johnny Key, an ally of the Walton Family Foundation in aggressive push of the "choice" education reform agenda, including privately operated charter schools — to assign a taken-over district to the achievement school district and to "Take any other necessary and proper action, as determined by the state board, that is allowed by law including without limitation by the department concerning the academic practices and staffing of the school."


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