Pulaski County Special School District

Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) is one of three public school districts in Pulaski County, Arkansas; the others are the Little Rock School District and the North Little Rock School District that is accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education. PCSSD has its headquarters in Sweet Home, an unincorporated area near Little Rock.

The current Pulaski County Special School District was established in July 21, 1927 by referendum pursuant of Act 152 of the 1927 Arkansas Acts by the Arkansas legislature joining thirty-eight independent school districts into a "special" school district. Now the second largest (by student population) in the state after the Little Rock School District, the PCSSD is among the 500 largest in the United States. Geographically, PCSSD is the state's fifth largest district and encompasses a total 729 square miles (1,890 km²), and includes all areas of the county—incorporated and unincorporated—excluding areas within the city limits of Little Rock, Cammack Village and North Little Rock. This district enrolls students from Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood, Jacksonville, Gravel Ridge, Scott, McAlmont, Maumelle, Mabelvale, Woodson, Sweet Home, College Station, Ironton, Cabot, Wrightsville, and Alexander.

History

LRSD vs. PCSSD (Desegregation)

The three school districts within the county—Little Rock School District (LRSD), North Little Rock School District (NLRSD), and Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) have been involved in a desegregation case that the courts determined were unconstitutionally segregated and placed under court supervision since 1982. After numerous actions were satisfied, the courts determined that LRSD to be unitary (or integrated) and generally coterminous with Little Rock's boundaries. In doing so, these actions led to the annexation of J. A. Fair High School and other schools from PCSSD to LRSD in 1987. In 2007, the courts determined that all actions by LRSD were completed and that court supervision continues until NLRSD and PCSSD actions are completed.^[2]

PCSSD school board dissolved

On May 19, 2011, the court determined that PCSSD had not completed nine of twelve actions required by court supervision with regards to being unitary in the desegregation case.

On June 20, 2011, the Arkansas Department of Education abolished and dissolved the PCSSD School Board and fired its current superintendent, Dr. Charles Hopson amid alleged financial troubles and the aforementioned lack of completing required desegregation actions. This also lead to the state department taking over the school district.^[3][4][5]

Enrollment

Since 1997–98, PCSSD has served approximately 17,500 to 20,000 students each year supported by approximately 1,100 to 1,400 full time equivalent teachers, with a steady reduction of the pupil/teacher ratio from 16.60 to 1 (1997–98) to 14.84 to 1 (2011–12).^[6]

Former schools

Primarily as a result of desegregation or the need to replace aging facilities, numerous facilities have been renamed or closed including the following:

Former high schools

• J. C. Cook High School (a Black school in Wrightsville) was closed as a result of desegregation and repurposed as an integrated J. C. Cook Elementary School until 1976.
• In 1963, Pulaski County Training School (a Black school) was renamed as Harris High School.
• In 1970, Harris High School was repurposed as Harris Elementary School.
• In 1971, McAlmont High School (grades 7–12) was closed as a result of desegregation.
• In 1987, J.A. Fair High School annexed to Little Rock School District.
• In 2011, Oak Grove High School was closed as a result of opening nearby Maumelle High School.

Former middle schools

• In 2001, Sylvan Hills Junior High School (grades 7–9) becomes Sylvan Hills Middle School (grades 6–8).
• In 2011, Sylvan Hills Middle School closes its facilities at 401 Dee Jay Hudson Drive; reopens for 2011–12 school year at its new facilities across AR Highway 107 at 10001 Johnson Street.

Former elementary schools

• In 1971, McAlmont Elementary School is closed.
• In 1976, J. C. Cook Elementary School is closed.
• In 1987, Mabelvale Elementary School annexed to Little Rock School District with the opening of Daisy Bates Elementary School.
• In 2006, Homer Atkins Elementary School was converted into a Pre-K school
• In 2011, Jacksonville Elementary School is closed.
• In 2014, Scott Elementary is closed

High schools

The Pulaski County Special School District maintains six comprehensive public high schools and one alternative academy. In 2011-12, PCSSD shutdown Oak Grove High School with the opening of the newly constructed Maumelle High School. The last school built in PCSSD prior to Maumelle High School was J. A. Fair High School, which subsequently moved to the Little Rock School District. The Joe T. Robinson High School moved to new facilities starting in the 1981–82 school year. The North Pulaski High School was established in 1977, Wilbur D. Mills High School opened in 1970, and Sylvan Hills High School was founded in 1956 and moved to its newest facilities in November 1968. Jacksonville High School was originally located on the site of present-day Jacksonville Elementary. Next, JHS moved to 1320 School Drive (now serving as Jacksonville Middle School) until the start of the 1969–70 school year, when it moved to 2400 Linda Lane. The Alpha Academy is an alternative high school for students in danger of graduating due to discipline problems or other reasons.

The assumed course of study for students at each high school follows the Smart Core curriculum developed by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), which requires each student to complete 22 units to graduate; 16 units are from the Smart Core and 6 units that are career focused in occupational pathway areas. According to the Arkansas Department of Career Education (ACE), the Standards of Accreditation of Public Schools require that each school offer three programs of study in three different occupational pathway areas. If a program is offered at a secondary vocational center, students must be enrolled in the 2010-11 school year.^[7]

• Jacksonville High School offered 10 programs of study in 9 different pathways.
• Wilbur D. Mills High School offered 13 programs of study in 13 different pathways.
• North Pulaski High School offered 12 programs of study in 12 different pathways.
• Joe T. Robinson High School offered 10 programs of study in 10 different pathways.
• Sylvan Hills High School offered 9 programs of study in 9 different pathways.

Middle schools

Exterior view of entrance to Sylvan Hills Middle School that was constructed in 2011.

In fall 2011, a new 44 acres (18 ha) campus facility for Sylvan Hills Middle School opened for grades 6-8 students and staff, replacing the original high school (1955-1967) / middle school (1967-2011) facilities located adjacent to the Sylvan Hills High School and Sylvan Hills Elementary School campus.

† denotes Title I school

Elementary schools

Front entrance to Harris Health & Science Specialty Elementary School

The Pulaski County Special School District operates 24 elementary schools including several magnet schools and specialty schools providing focus on particular subject areas. In 2008, the William Jefferson Clinton Elementary Magnet School was named a National Blue Ribbon School, followed by a National Blue Ribbon School designation for Arnold Drive Elementary School in 2010.^[20]

In 2008, Arnold Drive Elementary and Warren Dupree Elementary were honored as a National Title I Distinguished School. Harris Health & Science Specialty Elementary School is designated as an Arkansas Reading First and NASA Explorer School. In 2011, Arnold Drive Elementary is the only PCSSD school awarded Exemplary (Reward) Status by the Arkansas Department of Education.^[21] Sherwood Elementary's Odyssey of the Mind team takes the Arkansas State Tournament and went to the World Finals.^[22] Also, Dupree Elementary received a National School of Distinction status from the Schools Fight Hunger program.^[23][24]

Originally, Harris Elementary School named in honor of Viola H. Harris, a former administrator of the district and McAlmont Elementary School, served as Pulaski Technical School before being renamed as Harris High School starting in the fall of 1963 and lasting until 1970 when the district reorganized its facilities as a result of desegregation and the facility became an elementary school. The high school's mascot of the Panthers remains today as Harris Elementary School's mascot.^[25]

† denotes Title I school

References

External links

• Official website
• NCES Common Core of Data webpage
• ED/IES/NCES Report: Characteristics of the 100 Largest Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts in the United States: 2002–03 Appendix A. The 500 largest public school districts in the United States and jurisdictions, by school district: School year 2002–03