By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
A decision by the Arkansas Supreme Court this morning upheld most points of a decision by a lower court, that Arkansas does not devote enough money to schools, and distributes it unfairly.
One school administrator said the decision would make for an "interesting" legislative session.
According to the Associated Press, the justices gave the Arkansas Legislature 13 months to increase school funding and spread it around evenly. The state now spends $1.7 billion a year on education, with its 310 school districts adding more funding.
"It's going to be an interesting legislative session," said Dr. Alice Barnes, assistant superintendent of the Forrest City School District. "I think it's going to be in our favor, since we have a high population of low socio-economic students, but it's going to be interesting to see how it's handled."
Public school students are entitled to a ''general, suitable and efficient'' education system and the state has failed to provide one, the justices said in a case that, in various forms, goes back two decades.
The justices upheld a lower court's ruling that the school funding system violates the equal protection clause of the state constitution.
Forrest City Superintendent Lee Vent, who was attending a meeting of superintendents this morning, said information was coming in at the meeting he was attending. He said the only part of the decision made by Pulaski Chancellor Collins Kilgore which was not upheld was to order preschool programs. Kilgore made his decision in May of 2001.
"Basically, it is a major landmark decision for public schools in Arkansas, and it will greatly affect the Forrest City School District, as it will all 310 districts," said Vent. "The only thing that was left out was the required early childhood education. Everything else that was in the lawsuit was upheld by the Supreme Court."
Vent said the decision would not necessarily be a boon to local school districts. Close scrutiny will be required, and he said there may be an increased financial burden on schools, if the Legislature is unable or unwilling to raise the funds statewide.
"We're dealing with a Legislature that is young," said Vent. "Term limits have restricted it. We have very few members who have ever dealt with a major issue like this. It's going to be a difficult legislative session, and I'm thankful for members like Danny Ferguson (D-Forrest City) who have some experience. It's going to be a difficult legislative session."
Vent stated that the ruling was not a surprise.
"Of course, it was expected," he said. "The oddsmakers were saying that the Supreme court would rule in favor of the Lake View suit and Judge Kilgore's decision."
Ferguson was in Little Rock today and could not be reached before deadline.
The Supreme Court did not order specific changes. Some experts have said Arkansas would have to spend up to $1 billion more a year to fulfill suggestions laid down by Kilgore. But the court ruled that Kilgore was wrong to order preschool programs.
''We do not agree ... that the courts of this state can mandate preschool education as an essential component of an adequate education,'' the justices wrote. ''That is for the General Assembly and the school districts to decide.''
The Arkansas Legislature opens its next session Jan. 13. The justices said it would give legislators until Jan. 1, 2004, to provide more money for education and find a better way to distribute the funds to districts.
The decision Thursday was the third time in the last 20 years that the state's school funding formula was declared unconstitutional. Experts had said it could take between $400 million and $1 billion in new money annually to address Kilgore's complaints -- most of which were upheld.
Besides taxes and a massive restructuring of the school system, Arkansas would have few options for raising that kind of money.
Sen. Jodie Mahony, a member of the Senate Education Committee who worked on remedies after a 1982 court decision made similar complaints about the school funding system, said some legislators may have to begin work before the Jan. 13 start of the session.
''We've got the same problem that we've had from the start. How do you hang on to enough money to fix this?'' asked Mahony, D-El Dorado.
He said he was hopeful the decision was clear enough for legislators to determine what the court is requiring of them, but concerned the justices were getting too deeply involved in funding questions.
''If they mean they can substitute their judgment for ours about what is enough for how much we should pay teachers or something like that, we may need to change the constitution,'' Mahony said.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
The annual Angel Tree drive for local children was the main topic of discussion during the Tuesday board meeting of the St. Francis County Museum.
Sponsored by the Forrest City Junior Auxiliary, the drive has begun and will continue through Dec. 6. According to St. Francis County Museum Director Laura Mazzanti, the annual drive is already accepting donations, and the actual tree will go up next week.
"Everything has started, and they're getting the list ready now, so we're expecting the tree to go up by the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. That will give everyone plenty of time to come in and get the names off of the tree, and we'll close that out the following week. We're supposed to stop on the Wednesday following Thanksgiving, but we normally continue through that Friday," Mazzanti said.
According to Mazzanti, when the Angel Tree drive concludes, youth groups will begin decorating the Museum for the holidays.
"We've got two youth groups already who have volunteered to come in and decorate for us. A group from First United Methodist Church and a group from the Presbyterian Church have volunteered to help get the museum ready for Christmas, and that's nice, because it gives us younger bones to get up on the ladders," Mazzanti said.
Board Chairperson Rush Beavers also updated the group on several recent activities at the museum. According to Beavers, the turnout for the Haunted Halloween tours in October was good.
"We had a good crowd out, and everything went very well. The Church of God sold treats and we had two members of Delta Beta Sigma here who gave the tours of the building. Everything was decorated beautifully, and it was just a great night," Beavers said.
Beavers also told board members that the Road Rally, which was scheduled for November, had been postponed until a later date. Beavers suggested that the rally be postponed until spring so that it could be held in conjunction with the annual fish fry fundraiser.
Board members were also updated on the status of requests for funding from both the City of Forrest City and St. Francis County. According to museum attorney Brad Beavers, budget committees with both entities had approved some funding for the museum for 2003.
"We've been approved for $9,000 from the city and just over $39,000 from the county and I think that we should accept what we've been given, especially from the city since this was our first time asking. I've also been told that we may be able to go back to the county later on in the year to request additional funding if needed," Beavers said.
Mazzanti also told board members that local artist Ellen Alderson will be the featured artist for the month of December and much of January as the museum prepares for its Black History Exhibit in February.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Final after-expense proceeds from Caldwell's recent Cotton Pickin'' Festival exceeded $2,500, the Caldwell City Council learned this week.
A $1,000 grant from a local business was added this week, to give the final financial picture. Mayor Gary Hughes said the festival could be considered a success, and added that the proceeds would possibly be used on the city park.
"We'll be trying to get with the festival committee in the near future, and we'll be looking at possibly something to add to our park -- some kind of playground equipment or something that we can dedicate and say this is exactly what we did with the proceeds from the 2002 festival."
Hughes also told the council that he is still looking for a grant to help purchase a fire truck.
"I feel like we're in big need of a good fire truck," he said. "We've been patching on the various trucks we have, and Forrest City loaned us one. But I just believe there's a grant out there to pay 50 percent on a fire truck. Fire trucks run about $150,000, and if we can get a matching grant, we can handle the rest of it. So I'm furiously looking for something.
"We've applied for a couple and been kicked out," he continued. "And some of these grants -- I was looking at one today and they've only approved about $600,000 for the whole state of Arkansas. So I don't hardly believe they're going to give me $75,000 for a fire truck. So that's probably a waste of time. But I'm looking at various avenues, and I'm confident that we'll come up with something, hopefully in the next 12 months.
On another matter, Hughes reported that there are some complaints from Woods Subdivision about street conditions. He said the city is responsible only for the paved streets, and the gravel streets are the responsibility of the developer.
The council also voted to keep the city's current millage rage unchanged.
With Christmas just around the corner, the annual collection drive for Toys for Tots has kicked off.
According to a press release from the Forrest City Toys for Tots committee and Boy Scout Troops 202 and 122 the program, which is locally operated with local toy distribution, is collecting toys for this years drive. Toys may be delivered to several locations in Forrest City, including: Southern Furniture, the Forrest City Public Library, Sharpe, Beavers and Cline law firm. the office of Public Defender Dan McGill at the St. Francis County Courthouse and the St. Francis County Museum.
Donations of new and old toys are both accepted and any old toys should be in working order and in a clean condition. Money donations will also be accepted with all proceeds to be used for distribution. Money donations can be made at any of the collection locations or can be mailed to Boy Scout Troop 122, care of Brad J. Beavers, P.O. Box 924, Forrest City, AR 72336-0924.
For more information on Toys for Tots call 633-3141 or 633-2140.
As of this morning, 432 St. Francis County voters had taken advantage of early voting for the Nov. 26 run-off election.
Three races are being decided by the run-off, including the Forrest City mayor's race between incumbent Larry S. Bryant and his challenger Bill Baxter. Two alderman positions will also be decided in Hughes.
Early voting is held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, until Monday, Nov. 25. Early voting will not be conducted on Saturday. The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 26, from 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., after which, the votes will be tallied at the St. Francis County Courthouse.
The renewal of terms on the Wheatley Planning Commission was discussed during a brief meeting of the group this week.
Mayor Larry Nash explained the reappointment process to commissioners. "Any reappointments are up to the commission," said Nash. "You recommend any replacements to me, and then I take them to the city council for approval."
All commissioners were reappointed with the exception of Robbie Horton, who declined his position. The members agreed to present a list of replacements for Horton to Nash at the next meeting.
New commission member Faron Hamilton was named chairman. Hamilton replaces John Clifton, who has left the commission.
The East Arkansas Community College Board of Trustees will meet at 7 this evening in the EACC board room.
The board will hear a status report on the facade and modifications to the driveway system, as well as other projects. There will also be reports from the Finance and Real Estate committees, and reports on new hires and resignations.