Article by Emily Wang, White River Now
During this month’s “City and County Connections” open meeting held April 4 at The River restaurant in Batesville, Mayor Rick Elumbaugh and Independence County Judge Kevin Jeffery welcomed the new Batesville School District (BSD) Superintendent, Dr. Ken James.
James, a Batesville native, previously served as BSD superintendent for six years, beginning in 1993. He was appointed after Dr. Michael Hester, the now-former BSD superintendent, submitted his resignation to the board on March 7. (Click here for this story from White River Now.)
James is a former Arkansas Department of Education commissioner and has served as superintendent in Lexington, Kentucky’s Fayette County Public School District, as well as in the Little Rock and Van Buren school districts.
In the meeting, James touched on various issues facing the district after Hester’s resignation, ranging from the need for a legislative audit to the Batesville School District’s current financial status.
Addressing his decision to come out of retirement to return as superintendent at such a challenging time for the district, James told the group, “The bottom line is, I care about Batesville. We moved back here a couple of years ago, and I started looking at what’s going on. When the board reached out, my wife and I talked and prayed extensively. I didn’t come back (to Batesville) to be superintendent; I did it because we care about the community. I care about the kids — that’s what drives me. If you aren’t here for the kids, you need to find something else to do, because education is tough, and it gets harder every year. That’s what drives me, and that’s why I agreed to do this.”
James stressed to the meeting attendees the need to rebuild trust between the district and the community.
“I’m transparent, and I’m going to talk to you and not spin anything,” he said. ”We have many challenges ahead of us, but we can get through them together. One (person) can’t do it. It takes a community to make it happen. I want to be candid with you, tell you exactly where we are, and reassure trust, credibility, and honesty across this community. It starts at the district office. It starts with me. I promise you we are going to be honest with you.”
Student Population Decrease
James addressed the district’s decrease in student population, which is down 64 students from last year. He noted the loss of associated funding with the decline stands at around $500,000.
“I am not pleased with that,” he said. “We cannot continue with that kind of cycle. On this path, it’s going to get pretty ugly pretty quick.”
James attributed the decrease to a variety of causes, including students moving to other districts and the emergence of micro-pods, where some parents combine resources for a small-group, homeschooled education.
Audit
After years of being privately audited, James said the district hopes to soon transition back to a legislative audit.
“It is an extensive process, (but) we need outside validation,” he said.
James said he read the district’s last audit and noted there was “not much there.” A legislative audit would be much more extensive, he said, and he’s written to the state legislative audit group to start the process.
Construction Update
In 2022, district voters approved a bond restructuring to help fund the addition of fine art classrooms, an auditorium, a cafeteria, and a kitchen.
The project, which costs $47 million, is currently about $2 million short and a month behind schedule. Parking for the 2,000-seat auditorium has not been included, and James said he is working with the construction department to see how more spaces can be added. He said certain elements of the complete project will be cut or left incomplete and phased in later.
“When you build a building, you have (to budget for) increased cost,” James said. “None of that was in the picture…I asked, is this a turn-key project or are there more hidden costs there? I was told there are hidden costs there. I asked, do you have furniture budgeted? And I was told no one budgeted for that. Some technology has been budgeted, but not all that we need. It doesn’t make you feel good, but you need to know where we are.”
Administrative Building Location
After the Batesville School Administration Offices recently relocated from their Water Street building to the U.S. Postal Service building on College Street, James said attorneys will examine the district’s options for the 10-year lease.
“We need to look at that very seriously,” he said. “We have a slogan that says ‘Students First’ in this district. I have it on a whiteboard in my office. That facility doesn’t equate to students first; it says nothing about students first, and it turns my stomach.”
Curriculum and Spending
On the topic of curriculum, James said the district’s instruction needs to be balanced and delivered in a multitude of ways to meet student needs, with an emphasis on face-to-face instruction.
“I have the sense from staff they are ready to get after that. There needs to be more curriculum alignment.”
He also noted the abundance of Chromebooks can be a drain on finances, with many needing replacement. The use of purchase cards will also be scaled back.
“We’re going to look at every operation we have — I promise that to you, and curtail some spending that’s going on. A lot of money has been spent on technology. It’s expensive, and software is expensive,” James said.
He said he will address these issues in-depth at a planned community meeting to be held sometime in May.
“I get emotional about this stuff because I care about it, and I want you to care about it,” he said. “I just want you to have the facts. The only way we are going to get out of this is with a collective effort. I need you to tell people what I said today. We need to cut out the stuff that aren’t facts, and start telling the facts.
“There’s no doubt we can get these schools back to where they need to be. For us to be in this kind of situation right now — there’s no excuse for that. (But) I will tell you that this can turn pretty quickly if we can get everybody moving in the same direction, not in opposition, but we have to work together to achieve it.”
Have a news tip or event to promote? Email White River Now at news@whiterivernow.com. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. And don’t forget to download the White River Now mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Get up-to-date local and regional news/weather every weekday morning and afternoon from the First Community Bank Newsroom on Arkansas 103.3 KWOZ. White River Now updates are also aired weekday mornings on 93 KZLE, Outlaw 106.5, and Your FM 99.5.
