Greenland Update

No real news just yet. The Arkansas Dept. of Education isn't announcing anything until mid-July, but the surrounding districts are already scrambling to assess the impact. This is what Pennsbury and any other targeted potential pasture for our farmed high school students is doing.

This is a great quote: "It may come down to where it doesn't matter what any of the school districts want," said Tim Helder, the board president. "The state board may just tell us how it's going to be."

Yup. That's pretty much the way it will go.

West Fork Board Considers Financial Impact Of Greenland
Surrounding School Districts Awaiting State's Decision
Last updated Thursday, June 19, 2008 9:54 PM CDT in News
By Bob Caudle
The Morning News

WEST FORK - Greenland School District's financial woes are not confined just to Greenland.

Diane Barrett, the superintendent of West Fork schools, said a preliminary look at absorbing certified staff members from Greenland and bringing them up to the West Fork school salary schedule would cost about $1 million.

"Those are just rough figures," Barrett stressed.

Greenland school officials received a letter from state department of education June 13 informing them the school district faces being dissolved because of fiscal distress.

The West Fork School Board met in special session Thursday night to discuss the impact on West Fork if the Arkansas Board of Education annexes Greenland schools into contiguous school districts.

Barrett told the board she doesn't have sound financial figures yet, and there's no guarantee West Fork would be the only school forced to take Greenland staff members and students.

The Department of Education recommended to the Board of Education to immediately annex Greenland schools into another geographically contiguous school district. The other schools mentioned by the department as possible destinations for Greenland students are Fayetteville, Elkins, Farmington, Mountainburg and Prairie Grove.

Greenland will have a chance to appeal the recommendation at a meeting of the state school board at 9 a.m. July 14. The contiguous school districts also can attend the meeting to present a case on whether they want Greenland schools.

"It may come down to where it doesn't matter what any of the school districts want," said Tim Helder, the board president. "The state board may just tell us how it's going to be."

Helder said the best outcome would be for Greenland to win its appeal and be able to keep its school.

"Maybe Greenland can present information at the appeal hearing that shows they've gotten their ducks in a row," Helder said. "We do have empathy for what Greenland's going through."

Barrett said she participated in a Thursday morning meeting with superintendents of the other contiguous schools.

"The consensus seemed to be the board will look at things geographically," Barrett said. "We have to look at the financial impact. But we don't know if the board is going to consider that."

About 15 people attended the meeting, including two Winslow patrons, Leta McGuire and Velma Duncan.

Both are members of the Winslow City Council, and both expressed bitterness about the closing of Winslow schools after Winslow was forced to annex and chose Greenland.

Duncan said Winslow residents don't want even to consider going to Fayetteville.

"We don't want Fayetteville's tax base and they don't want us because it's too far to bus us," Duncan said. "We'd petitioned Greenland to just let us go since they blamed this whole mess on us. But they wouldn't listen."

Duncan said West Fork already has about 80 percent of former Winslow students after Greenland closed Winslow schools.

Helder said the West Fork School Board will meet again, tentatively at 6 p.m. June 27. Any input from West Fork on the Greenland annexation must be into the state board by noon June 30, Barrett said.

"We need to meet when you have figures you're comfortable with and listen to your recommendation," Helder told Barrett.