2 of 14

CONSOLIDATION, CLOSURE, & ENHANCEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

The landscape of public education in the nation and in Arkansas is rapidly changing. #OptimizingLRSD is the process we are undertaking to make the district as perfect, effective, efficient, and functional as possible to respond to this changing landscape. Operation #OptimizingLRSD is all about improving what we offer and how we offer it to meet the needs of families and communities in central Arkansas.

OPTIMIZING LRSD 2.0

3 of 14

CONSOLIDATION, CLOSURE, & ENHANCEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Factors contributing to these ideas:

Reduction in state funding
Reduction in federal funding
Student enrollment decline
Facility usage data
Conditions of facilities
Per pupil expenditures
Expansion of charter and private school access (Competition)
District department/office consolidation needs

OPTIMIZING LRSD 2.0

4 of 14

Foundation Formula State Aid Received

2015 - 63,936,737.73
2016 - 65,264,097.49
2017 - 62,337,867.30
2018 - 58,995,897.60
2019 - 53,863,812.31
2020 - 52,230,574.47
2021 - 47,647,077.83
2022 - 50,546,488.56
2023 - 43,457,038.99
2024 - 38,479,427.70

25 million decrease in state funding since 2015 (10 years)

12 million decrease in state funding since my tenure as superintendent (2.4 years)

5 of 14

Per Pupil Spending in Under-Enrolled/Underutilized Schools

Schools highlighted in black are removed from consideration due to high building utilization or specialty school status.

6 of 14

Recommendation #1

COMBINE

CAMPUSES

Recommendation 1 - Carver Elementary to relocate (not close) and consolidate with Washington Elementary

Carver

Highest per pupil costs and 2nd lowest building utilization percentage
No attendance boundary and consistent annual declining enrollment
Recently awarded Magnet Schools Assistance Grant - investing millions of dollars into the current Carver location may not be wise.
We’ve received approval from USDOE to retain grant with the proposed relocation and consolidation.

Washington

Lowest building utilization percentage and fifth highest per pupil costs
Washington's building is larger (greater capacity for growth) and has other building features that can support Carver's developing STEAM program.�

7 of 14

COMBINE

CAMPUSES

Recommendation 1 - Carver Elementary to relocate (not close) and consolidate with Washington Elementary

The proposed use for the current Carver building is to create and expand house the following:

Some Special Education personnel/offices
We will move the district's Day Treatment Pilot classrooms to the Carver campus (Promise Academy).
We will continue to grow our Day Treatment Program (K-8) based on demand, financial solvency, and the ability to grow and recruit specialized staff (long term goal)
Elementary Behavior Classrooms
Elementary ALE classrooms

Combining the schools will provide stable enrollment for what will become Carver-Washington STEAM Magnet Elementary School, retaining Carver’s LEA number.

Recommendation #1

8 of 14

CAMPUS CLOSURE

+ REDRAW ATTENDANCE ZONES

Recommendation 2 - Close Brady Elementary. Students in Brady’s current enrollment zone will move to either McDermott*, PHE, Jefferson, Forest Park, J.A. Fair or Stephens.

Too many underutilized buildings in the same geographical area.
Both McDermott and Williams are underutilized, can accommodate more students, and the physical buildings are in better condition than Brady.

The proposed plan for Brady's current campus will be to become LRSD's Parent Center. It will serve as a one-stop-shop for parents and will house the following:�

Student Registration Office (We will close and sell the current SRO building.)
Some SPED offices
Some (or all) early childhood offices
Parent resolution staff offices
Student support service offices (Counseling, Mental Health, Hearing Officers)
Care staff offices
Health Services
LR Parent Teacher Association office and meeting space

Recommendation #2

9 of 14

CAMPUS CLOSURE

+ REDRAW ATTENDANCE ZONES

Recommendation 2 - Close Brady Elementary. Students in Brady’s current enrollment zone will move to either McDermott*, PHE, Jefferson, Forest Park, J.A. Fair or Stephens.

McDermott will receive 136 students from Brady
PHE will receive 9 students from Brady
Jefferson will receive 10 students from Brady
Forest Park will receive 23 students from Brady
J.A. Fair will receive 15 students from Brady
Stephens will receive 27 students from Brady

Once attendance zones are adjusted and if all current students at Brady remain in LRSD and attend their new zoned school, the district wide impact will be as follows:

Recommendation #2

10 of 14

Recommendations 1 & 2 - What does this mean for staffing for the 2025-26 school year?

ALL LRSD staff must be recommended for positions in the 2025-26 school year regardless of if they are currently working in a school identified for closure or consolidation (LEARNS).

LEARNS requires “Effectiveness” to be considered over “Years of Experience” when considering recommendations for employment.

There will be a process and a time period dedicated for ALL current LRSD employees to indicate their intent to return for the 2025-26 school year AND to indicate what position(s) they wish to be considered for BEFORE they are recommended for employment for the 2025-26 school year.

Our goal is to complete the above referenced process for current LRSD employees by February/March of 2025. No external applicants will be considered for vacant positions in LRSD until after this process for current employees is completed.

11 of 14

MIDDLE SCHOOL

RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN

Recommendation 3 - Because Dunbar was a recipient of a recent 5-year 4 million dollar MSAP grant, we are not making a recommendation to close or consolidate the school at this time. Based on trend data, we lose a significant number of middle school students from the district - some of whom return to LRSD for high school. We plan to utilize the resources provided in the grant to initiate a rigorous marketing and recruitment campaign, targeting a strong incoming 6th grade class for 2025-26 with the goal of building on that momentum each year of the 5-year grant. This will be a concerted effort to reimagine Dunbar into a program that will retain and attract students and families from within and outside the LRSD attendance area.

Dunbar Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship Magnet Middle School

Recommendation #3

12 of 14

INCREASE EARLY CHILDHOOD

EDUCATION SEATS

Recommendation 4 - We are continuing to look for ways to increase early childhood education seats in LRSD as a means of keeping families in LRSD and increasing the number of kindergarteners who enter the district.

As we did with Terry this school year, if there is already a waiting list of parents in an area where a school has space, we will open Pre-K seats in an existing K-5 campus.�
We are continuing to work on opening Baseline as an ECE center in the Fall of 2025.�
Since Fair Park only has Pre-K4 (and is consistently at capacity) and there is a great need for Pre-K3 in this area, we will explore some sort of a Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 configuration at Fair Park and on Hall’s Campus. This could double the number of Pre-K seats in the district in this particular geographical area.

Recommendation #4

13 of 14

ADD ELEMENTARY

BILINGUAL PROGRAMS

Recommendation 5 - Explore the possibility of adding elementary bilingual programs (Spanish) to LRSD as a means of attracting new non-Spanish speaking students and Spanish-speaking students to the district. (Let's be the first!)

We are currently exploring a K-2 program at Baseline that will possibly feed into a 3-5 program at Watson.�
We are also exploring an option for Terry to have such a program �in the more western part of town.

Recommendation #5

1 of 14