State Bright Spots Shimmer (Jeff Hankins Publisher’s Note)

Heavy travel around Arkansas during the past month has given me several notes and observations to share …

• A speaking engagement at the Pine Bluff Rotary Club coincided with election day, and the heated race between state Sen. Brenda Gullett and state Rep. Jerry Taylor for the Senate seat was the hot topic.

Each had published half-page advertisements in the Pine Bluff Commercial that accused the opposition of all sorts of heinous actions. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it for a state legislative race.

Gullett had supported school consolidation and the sales tax increase during the special session. Taylor, who was none too pleased about the last redistricting changes, set himself up for the race by voting against all consolidation and tax measures. Taylor won, and it was probably the biggest victory of the season for the anti-consolidation forces.

• Rogers High School has one of the most impressive campuses you’ll find anywhere, and it has an incredibly progressive faculty to boot.

We’re working on a project with Principal Bill Stringer and his staff that’s related to Arkansas Business Publishing Group’s Arkansas Next: A Guide to Life After High School magazine, which is published annually for teenagers statewide.

A new portfolio and career development program will encourage every student at Rogers to develop a list of skill sets that are acquired through classes and extra-curricular activities — from math to computer training to leadership ability. Faculty will help students apply what they are learning to real life applications.

I quizzed Stringer about the challenges Rogers faces with the growing Hispanic population. He says about 20 percent of the high school students are Hispanic, while the Rogers kindergarten enrollment is about 30 percent Hispanic. The current language barrier will continue to erode with the next generation of Hispanics, he says. Today it’s minimized by various transitional programs that help Hispanics become acclimated to their new school environment.

I wondered whether there are race-relation issues, and he says there’s no comparison to what he’s seen in other schools with white and African-American conflicts. In fact, the student body president this past year is Hispanic.

• Speaking of racial issues, I can’t believe the reaction to the Little Rock School Board’s selection process as it searched for a new superintendent.

It’s one thing to say the interim superintendent, Morris Holmes, should have been a finalist or at least interviewed because of his qualifications. But to say the omission is racially motivated when three candidates are African-American, one is a white woman and the fifth is a Hispanic man is pretty disingenuous.

I’d like to see the board find a proven candidate who is looking for a long-term commitment with the district. The district’s track record for superintendents is simply awful. We’ve had some home run superintendents during the last few years, but we still haven’t been able to establish longevity in a position that could sure use some long-term stability.

• The Harry Connick Jr. concert a few weeks ago provided my first inside look at the expanded Hot Springs Convention Center property.

Not only was Connick a great show, but the facility had a good feel and sound to it. The design is “arena meets auditorium,” which makes it a very versatile locale. Attracting Connick and Tony Bennett in the first sixth months sets quite a bar for concert recruitment.

The expansion, along with the addition of the adjacent Embassy Suites Hotel, further strengthens the city’s position as a convention and tourist destination.

The next week I told the Hot Springs Rotary Club that you could easily see the city’s momentum with the convention center, very active commercial development and an overall excellent year for Oaklawn Park and its ever-expanding simulcasting activity.

(Jeff Hankins can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].)