By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
It's still too soon to make specific predictions about the direction public education in Arkansas will take, according to two state lawmakers.
State Rep. LeRoy Dangeau of Wynne said it is hard to tell right now, what recommendations will be made. He serves on the Advisory Committee to the State Board of Education, which is separate from the Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education.
One knotty problem, according to Dangeau, is how to answer calls for more accountability in a way that would be meaningful and fair.
"One of the things we're trying to determine now is how to evaluate just how good a job teachers are doing and how well teachers are learning," he said. "We've heard from the University of Arkansas and from the State of Tennessee, about how they are putting together an evaluation system based on numbers -- giving numbers to everything, not just based on test scores."
He said that will be a tough job. "We feel like, before we know what a good job people are doing, that we have to have a good evaluation system. And we don't feel like we have that."
He said the committee on which he serves still hasn't talked about costs, and said the Blue Ribbon Commission may deal more with that.
On another subject, he said that school consolidation will have to be addressed, but stated that consolidation simply for the sake of consolidation was not necessarily the answer.
"I think it will certainly be on the table," Dangeau said. "I don't think anyone believes that consolidation is the answer to the problem. We believe in consolidation in some instances, but a vast consolidation doesn't seem to be in the interests of consolidation. I don't believe you can say a certain size student body is the ideal size for a good learning situation. So consolidation wouldn't be the answer in and of itself. But there will be some possibilities."
He said in some cases, where there are small schools in close proximity, there might be an advantage to having one administration instead of several.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Danny Ferguson of Forrest City said from what he has heard from those on the different committees, the emphasis now is on what is needed, with the cost to be addressed later.
"I think the direction they're trying to take is to see what it's going to take to fix it, and then talk about how much it's going to cost," said Ferguson.
Some have projected that the cost could be as high as $1 billion.
"Considering the entire state budget is only a little over $3 billion, a $1 billion price tag would be stratospheric," he said.
A lawsuit by the small Lake View district resulted in a judge's ruling that the state's entire public education system has to be overhauled.
"Of course, the state does have the Lake View decision under appeal, but I sense the feeling is not really optimistic that the state will win its appeal."
Ferguson said the Lake View matter addresses two issues -- equity and adequacy.
"Equity means equal distribution of school funding to parts of the state that are wealthy or poor," he said. "But it also addresses adequacy -- once you get past equity, does the state adequately fund education. And according to the Arkansas State Constitution, education is the responsibility of the state."
He continued, "Another thing that's been kicked around is the possible state takeover of districts whose test scores don't show adequate performance. The state has never taken over a school district. They get put on academic of fiscal distress, but the state has never taken over a district."
The bottom line is that it will cost a lot more money than is currently being spent on education, Ferguson said.
"And if we wind up doing tax increases and/or repealing some tax exemptions, I think the voters are going to hold people much more responsible, and demand performance out of school districts," he said. "What we're hearing is: One thing that's not going to happen is just a big tax increase and then continuing the status quo on the way public schooling is done in Arkansas."
The St. Francis County Assessor's Office is asking all homeowners born before Jan. 1, 1937, to bring a driver's license or other proof of age to the assessor's office for a "tax freeze" on 2002 taxes payable in 2003.
This freeze also applies to homeowners who are 100 percent disabled. These homeowners are asked to bring proof of disability from the Social Security Administration.
The tax freeze is part of Amendment 79 that was passed by voters in November of 2000, and was responsible for the $300 credit taxpayers received last year and will continue to receive indefinitely. The tax freeze applies only to residents of St. Francis County. Other counties will receive a freeze at a later time.
The tax freeze applies to a primary residence only, and one's taxes could increase with a change in the millage rate or if value was added to the property (mobile home, addition, garage, shop, etc.).
What this means in terms of money is that the amount the affected homeowners pay this October should be the most they will ever pay. According to County Assessor Craig Jones, all counties in Arkansas are currently going through reappraisal, and new values will go on the tax books in 2002, payable in 2003. For this reason, it is important that residents age 65 or older take advantage of this real estate tax benefit.
Taxpayers have until Oct. 31 of this year to sign up for this benefit, but the earlier the better. Anyone with questions may call Jones at 870-261-1710 or 1-800-203-0211. People are also urged to tell their families friends and neighbors about this benefit.
Two events are scheduled for March to help both businesses and individuals in getting rid of waste material which might be hazardous.
The first will be on the subject of "The Business of Waste" and will give tips to business and industry on waste disposal, and how to manage it more effectively and economically.
It will be held March 20, a Wednesday, at the Forrest City Civic Center, beginning at 9 a.m.
"What we'll be doing is, we're working with business and industry to help them reduce their garbage bills," said Michelle Gillham, recycling coordinator with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Solid Waste Division. The ADEQ is one of the sponsors of the event, along with the East Arkansas Regional Solid Waste Management District and the Arkansas Recycling Coalition.
"We're inviting business and industry to come to this workshop, to help them manage their solid waste bills," said Gillham.
Experts in waste management will offer ideal and alternatives, to help protect both the environment and a company's pocketbook. Discussion topics will include commercial waste management, handling special waste, recycling and waste reduction strategies and tax credits for recycling activities.
Speakers will be include St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, Forrest City Mayor Larry Bryant and representatives from recycling agencies.
This workshop is free. However, participants are asked to pre-register, because lunch will be provided, and sponsors also need to have an idea on the number of handouts they will need.
Participants may register at the East Arkansas Planning and Development District website, www.eapdd.com, or by contacting Charlie Wood at 870-932-3957.
The second event is aimed at helping individual citizens. It will be a household chemical recycling collection, and it has been scheduled for Saturday, March 23 in the cities of Wynne and Madison. The collection will be in Wynne from 9 a.m. until 12 noon at the City Maintenance Shop, 1306 N. Falls Blvd. In Madison, the collection will be from 2 until 5 p.m. at NEARCO (behind the post office) at 604 Martin Luther King Drive.
Residents may bring household quantities of latex and oil-based paints and paint solvents; motor oil, gasoline and antifreeze; common household cleansers such as ammonia, bleach, disinfectants, liquid and powder cleansers; car batteries; and computers.
Items must be in their original container, clearly labeled.
Charlie Wood, with the Waste Management District, said that it is often not practical to bring used motor oil in the original container, and that clearly marked motor oil will be accepted, however, other items must be in their original container.
"This is more for citizens -- just citizens who find things under their sink, or paint, things in the garage," said Gillham.
Wood said that in addition, there will be a special area made available for people who need paint.
"If you need paint, and somebody drops off five gallons of white paint, you can have it, free," he said. The rest will be taken for special drying. He said paint that is still wet is not supposed to go into a landfill.
Only household quantities will be accepted. Waste from businesses, agriculture, industry, unlabeled or unknown materials will not be accepted.
"If someone shows up with 100 gallons of paint, we know it didn't come from a household," said Wood.
Sponsors include the East Arkansas Solid Waste District, City of Wynne, Cross County, St. Francis County and the City of Forrest City. The recycling will be handled by HAZ-MERT out of Fayetteville. It is made possible by a grant from ADEQ.
For additional information, contact Charlie Wood at 870-932-3957.
A full schedule of meetings is planned for Tuesday in St. Francis County.
The Forrest City Water Commission will meet at 5 p.m. at the water department, and the St. Francis County Museum Board will meet at 5 p.m. at the museum.
The St. Francis County Quorum Court will hold its regular monthly meeting at 6 p.m. at the courthouse.
The Forrest City City Council will meet at 7 p.m. at city hall. A proposed subdivision is on the agenda.
The Caldwell City Council is also scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. at the Caldwell City Hall.
On Thursday, Feb. 21, the Forrest City School Board is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m., in the administration building. The Forrest City Housing Authority is also scheduled to meet on Thursday at 5 p.m. at the department's headquarters in the Rice and Mann housing authority.