Advocacy and Policy Organizations Unite to Fight Arkansas School Consolidation

A unique collaboration between advocacy and policy organizations in Arkansas has proven effective in opposing school consolidation proposals put forth by the governor. While Governor Huckabee claimed his plan would be more cost-effective by consolidating small "wasteful" school districts in the state's rural areas, opponents of his proposals emphasize the benefits of small, intimate learning environments and argue that inadequate funding is the true cause of low student performance.

Policy support from the Rural School and Community Trust and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel has helped Arkansas's grassroots organizations by creating an advocacy toolkit and providing information on the drawbacks of consolidation. Coalitions, such as the Arkansas Grass Roots Network for Excellence in Education, are better-equipped with this policy knowledge to promote meaningful public dialogue during meetings in local communities.

As these groups have worked together, a strong, public movement against consolidation has caused the governor to revise his plan. While his original proposal would have consolidated school districts with less than 1,500 students, the latest plan calls for the consolidation of "unsuccessful" high schools with an enrollment of less than 375. The governor's new plan could lead to consolidated high schools in many rural districts in the state, where average high-school enrollment is 401 students. However, his earlier plan threatened consolidation of the 76 percent of the state's school districts that enroll less than 1,500 students.

This on-going consolidation debate has sparked new proposals to address important challenges facing Arkansas' schools. The Arkansas Grass Roots Network has released a 10-point plan, focused on school improvement and the elimination of any enrollment threshold for consolidation. The Network includes Save Our Schools, Arkansans for Excellence in Education, Arkansas Communities Uniting for Results in Education, American Family Association of Arkansas, the Arkansas African American Administrators Associations, the Arkansas Public Policy Panel/Citizens First Congress, and the Arkansas Rural Education Association.

On November 21, 2002, the Arkansas Supreme Court in Lakeview v. Huckabee affirmed the decision of the lower court and ordered the state to provide all of its students with the opportunity for an "adequate education" by January 1, 2004. The Governor is expected to convene a special legislative session on December 8th to discuss his consolidation plan. While supporters of his proposals are optimistic, advocates opposing consolidation are also optimistic, saying that the plan does not have sufficient support in the legislature. Advocates are prepared for a difficult struggle and plan to hold future summits and rallies to oppose school consolidation.

Attorneys from the original Lakeview case have predicted the need to return to court if the Legislature fails to act by the prescribed date.

Prepared November 13, 2003