Consultant outlines yearlong, people‑centered community engagement plan for LRSD

Kendra Pruitt, founder of the consulting firm Solution Seekers and former chief of staff to Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., presented a yearlong community‑engagement proposal designed to “secure the viability” of the Little Rock School District and generate community‑driven solutions to declining enrollment, competition from charters and private schools, and other structural challenges.

Pruitt told the board the initiative — tentatively titled “Thriving Together, a community blueprint for the future of LRSD” — would focus on information gathering, targeted outreach and the creation of task forces that co‑create implementable solutions. The work is intended to culminate in a “viability framework” that aligns with community priorities and is actionable, she said. “A people powered, people centered approach” is the central philosophy she described, emphasizing meaningful engagement rather than traditional town‑hall formats.

The proposal calls for a year of phase‑one engagement that includes data review, listening sessions with multilayered stakeholder groups (students, families, educators, alumni, faith and business leaders, and community organizations) and an outreach strategy that goes to people where they are — including schools, places of worship, barbershops and events. Pruitt said the team would compile a Community Insights Report that summarizes themes and identifies topic buckets for later task forces.

Board members voiced support for the concept and asked several clarifying questions. Director Adams and others asked that the outreach specifically target families who have left the district for charters, private schools or schools in neighboring jurisdictions. Director Balling raised concerns about anticipating barriers such as student choice and disengagement and urged directly surveying students about why they pick particular schools. Director Hatter asked that frontline customer‑service practices be examined as part of the engagement because family experience at individual schools affects trust and enrollment decisions.

Pruitt said internal stakeholder sessions could be run as closed sessions where appropriate and recommended compiling feedback in anonymized, aggregate form so individual identities would not be attached to notes; she noted the limits of public‑records law but said Solution Seekers would not attach comments to individuals. She also said she would build a more detailed scope of work and pricing for formal procurement and would work with district staff on compliance with procurement rules.

No formal board action was taken; board members asked administration to follow procurement rules and return a scope and contract for board review. The board did not set a budget in the meeting and no financing details were provided.

If approved after procurement review, the work would begin in the current school year and aim to complete phase one before the end of the school calendar’s fall/holiday period to align stakeholder availability and district activities.

Kendra Pruitt described Solution Seekers’ approach to facilitation, data gathering and public‑private partnership formation and said the firm includes facilitators and retired educators who would assist. She recommended a targeted mix of in‑person and mobile outreach plus online surveying to reach underrepresented groups.

The board asked administration to prepare the procurement documents and to return with a formal contract and budget for consideration at a future meeting. The district did not provide a recommended vendor contract or a proposed dollar amount at this session.