LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Friday, the State Board of Education took emergency action with the Marvell-Elaine School District.
In response to a lawsuit delaying the enactment of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, the State Board of Education held a special meeting and removed the district's superintendent and limited authority board.
The move opens the door for Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva to name a new superintendent while continuing to plan for LEARNS implementation.
Oliva said the decision to remove the superintendent and board of directors will help keep the school district open.
“At the April board meeting in Marvell, community members overwhelmingly expressed their desire for the district to remain open,” Oliva said. “It’s unfortunate that a frivolous, politically motivated lawsuit is interfering with the department’s efforts to carry out the wishes of the school and local community. Every day that passes that delays enactment, student learning is in jeopardy.”
Oliva is now in charge of finding a replacement for the superintendent.
Marvell-Elaine's former superintendent Katina Ray said she is disappointed with the decision but will continue to support the district.
"We called the state asking for the support," Ray said. "We walked into the door knowing there were a lot of challenges and a lot of needs, but again the state had been in there for several years and there were no improvements that were needed."
The LEARNS Act was blocked for a second time on June 30, two weeks after the state's Supreme Court sent it back to circuit court.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Herbert Wright ruled that legislators didn't hold a separate emergency clause vote when they passed the bill.
The ruling pushed back the LEARNS Act from becoming law until Aug. 1.
In April, the State Board voted to place the Marvell-Elaine School District under state authority, retain the superintendent through the 2022-23 school year and keep the limited authority board, rescinding a previous decision made in November 2022 to consolidate the district into neighboring districts.
The State Board also directed the district to enter a transformation contract with a third party to run the district's day-to-day operations this fall.
According to the Arkansas Department of Education, the State Board considered multiple options during its meeting on Friday, including reverting to its original decision to consolidate the district.
"In the interest of what is best for the community and students, the board voted to keep the district open," said Kimberly Mundell, director of communications for the Arkansas Department of Education. "[Oliva], acting in lieu of the board, will now name a superintendent to run the daily operations of the district."
Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES) pushed back against the State Board of Education's decision shortly after the special meeting ended.
"The decision made by the State Board of Education today puts the burden of supporting the Marvell-Elaine School District back into the hands of the Arkansas Department of Education," CAPES said in a statement."ADE's decades-long failure to provide the resources and support MESD needed, along with their intent to sell off the management of the district to an outside group, provides the incentive for ADE to fail more districts in our state. And they will."