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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Three former Little Rock School Board members and a resident are suing Arkansas Education Commissioner Tony Wood and the state Board of Education in an effort to overturn the state takeover of the Little Rock district.
The lawsuit was filed Friday in Pulaski County Circuit Court on behalf of former board members Dianne Curry, Jim Ross and C.E. McAdoo and resident Doris Pendleton.
The state board had no authority to take over the district, plaintiffs' attorney Willard Proctor Jr. told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/17lWurl).
"We also argue that they were arbitrary, capricious and acted in bad faith. We don't even know if they have a plan yet for the district," Proctor said.
The state education board voted 5-4, with chairman Sam Ledbetter casting the deciding vote, on Jan. 28 to take over the state's largest district and disband the local seven-member board.
The vote came after efforts failed to raise achievement levels at six district schools that have been classified by the state as academically distressed because fewer than half of the students at those schools scored at proficient levels on state math and literacy exams over a three-year period.
Wood and Sam Ledbetter said they haven't seen the lawsuit and declined to comment.
"I look forward to reading it, but I would never make a comment on something that I had not read and thought about," Ledbetter said.
Marion Humphrey, another attorney for the plaintiffs, said the district was working with the state to raise the academic achievement levels at the six schools.
"We just don't understand why such a drastic action was taken," Humphrey said.
"Even though Tony Wood is the school board right now, he said he is not going to have school board meetings. We as members of the public have become accustomed to being able to attend school board meetings where issues concerning the district are discussed publicly and votes are taken publicly," Humphrey said.
"There is no such opportunity at this point. The public has been shut out."
The six academically distressed schools are among 48 schools in the district. They are Baseline Elementary; Cloverdale and Henderson middle schools; and J.A. Fair, Hall and McClellan high schools.
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Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, http://www.arkansasonline.com
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