Meet The New Little Rock School Board

Tony Wood is now not only the state’s education commissioner but, as of Wednesday (Jan. 28), effectively the Little Rock School District’s school board.

The State Board of Education’s takeover of the district makes Wood the ultimate authority of that district, just as he has been the ultimate authority over the Pulaski County Special School District and others.

Wood, a former LRSD deputy superintendent and superintendent at Searcy, sat down with Talk Business & Politics Steve Brawner on Friday.

What changes are in store for the district? What will be the nature of the partnership between the state and the district? Does the state have more freedom than the district did to dismiss bad teachers, and how will that happen in a union environment?

Here are Wood’s answers in his own words.

TB&P: What changes now for people who are in the school district?

Tony Wood: We’re actually in … day two. … Both yesterday as well as today, I have just come from the district. It’s a time period of analysis and trying to have an understanding of different facets operationally of the district.

As far as fundamental change, there is no fundamental change that has occurred other than the governance of the district, and that’s simply and clearly defined that, as opposed to operationally being under the guidance of that elected board … the commissioner’s office sits as their board. … If there’s something on a level that would normally go to the school board, it will now come to me.

TB&P: School board members are trained to have limited roles and let the educators educate. But you are an educator, so will the department be more engaged?

Wood: So interesting that you ask that. I just had that discussion within the last hour, and I’m struggling with that. … Is there a higher degree of involvement that is my responsibility as the board per se for the Little Rock School District than there would normally be for board involvement …? I have discussed with Dr. Suggs that clearly the ongoing day-to-day operation of the district will continue to be administered in his role as superintendent. I just simply asked, “It is a judgement call when there is an item that you feel that your board needs to be informed, (and) I’d appreciate you sharing that information with me.”

TB&P: So what actually has happened is that there’s no school board now and Dr. Suggs is free to do what he wants to do?

Wood: The term “free to do as he wants to do,” and I think the meaning that you have in the way you phrased that, in the general sense, I think that’s correct.

That he has more freedom.

He clearly, he is not responding to seven different individual board members. He’s dealing with me. Yes, I think that translates to more freedom.

But I also think from his perspective of what professionally he feels that needs to be brought to me for input into decision-making, that that freedom is tempered by the fact that he does still have, quote, a board in the form of the commissioner’s office. …

I want to be very clear that my perspective on this is that we are, as the state, as the commissioner’s office, are partnering with the Little Rock School District for the improvement of academic achievement for their student body as well as other areas. There are fiscal matters there that we will be involved in carefully giving consideration to the future of Little Rock School District from a financial perspective.

I don’t want it to be viewed, and it is not factually the case, that it is a situation of the state coming in and saying, “Hey, man, we’ve got this degree of authority. It’s in code, and we are now going to exercise it in a heavy-handed manner.” That’s not the case. The two days time that I’ve spent with him, about two-and-a-half, three hours yesterday and whatever this morning, is starting to have an understanding and the evolvement of a partnership for improvement.

TB&P: Do you have any early indications of what needs to be done first, or at least what needs to be done at some point?

Wood: I think that fundamentally – and I know how broad the definition (is) of saying the “right teacher is in the classroom.” When the right teacher is in the classroom to meet the needs of that group of children, then I think the opportunity is there for them to receive an educational foundation that they need. And are there some instances, perhaps, that that’s not as it should be? There are some wonderful teachers in the Little Rock School District, and there are some areas of tremendous high achievement. I mean, it’s clear foundationally that when you look at National Merit finalists, there are wonderful educational opportunities.

In the same vein, are there isolated pockets or instances where perhaps the delivery is not as it should be? Possibly so, and I think that fundamentally, you have to – and I’m not even sure that you start there as opposed to looking first at the instructional leader in that building. And I make that comment based on my experience over whatever it is now, 43, 44 years.

The foundational comment is that this does not occur overnight or over one year or over two years, and I know there’s a sense of urgency now, for good reason, and we are going to try to foster that environment of improvement, but it’s not going to happen tomorrow.

TB&P: So will the state have a little more ability to get rid of or reassign, add teachers than the district did?

Wood: I think that’s an area that’s going to require additional study. It would be real simple for me to reference back into the code in regard to the takeover of individual schools under academic distress. You can disband the school as we know it. You can remove staff. But I think there are other confines that may come into play that consideration has to be given to if you were to reassign staff. How does that reassigning align with components of a (professionally negotiated) agreement, and I’ve not read Little Rock’s negotiated agreement.

TB&P: Most districts don’t have a union.

Wood: Very few.

TB&P: So this is something that you have to deal with, right?

Wood: It’s a facet of consideration, and justifiably so. I want to see, whether it be classified staff or certified staff, I want to see that compensation be as appropriate as it can be. I want to see benefit packages do that. I don’t want to just say that for Little Rock. I say it all over the state. But I want to balance that comment in that there has to be financial stability for the ongoing operation of the district to allow that employment to continue. So that all has to be studied.

TB&P: Is there anything else that you know needs to be done?

Wood: I really like it when people work together. I like to find common ground. I think in most instances that compromise is appropriate. What I think we need to do as a community, as a professional staff of teachers, administratively, I think we need to understand that we have an opportunity here to work together, and to try to foster improvement, and I think we need to enter into that time with careful reflection and consideration and try to get better.