Little Rock School District board approves MOUs, hires, naming and financial report; grants background-check waiver

The Little Rock School District Board of Education on May 15 approved a package of routine and individual actions, including contract memoranda of understanding, personnel recommendations, the renaming of a media center and the April financial report. The board also granted a personnel-background waiver for a classified applicant.

Key outcomes - Consent agenda: The board approved the consent agenda, which the meeting packet listed to include K–12 ELA and math STEM academic supplemental supports (2025–26), City Year MOU (2025–26), River Mountain Eye Care MOA, a Medicaid billing specialist MOU, community service learning applications, donation/property approvals and assorted personnel changes. Board members discussed a citation concern about Lexia contract entries for schools that are closing; administration said billing is student-based rather than school-based.

- Employment recommendations (Round 4): The board approved the fourth round of employment recommendations for the 2025–26 school year after questions about placements and the structure of student-registration responsibilities. The superintendent told the board the reassignments were covered in previous budget discussions and that staff had prepared for the transition.

- Roberts Elementary media center: The board voted to name the Roberts Elementary media center the Misty Sims Memorial Library to honor a long‑time Roberts educator and reading teacher; Principal Steven Helmick presented the nomination and read remarks from staff and family. (Motion moved by Miss Westlake; second noted by Anna Strong.)

- Future Smiles Dental Clinic and Arkansas Children’s Hospital MOU: The board approved the creation of a Future Smiles Dental Clinic operated by LRSD and the related MOUs supporting school‑based health operations, and separately approved an MOU with Arkansas Children’s Hospital for primary care services at schools. Board member Michael Adams recused himself from the ACH vote because of an employment connection to ACH.

- April 2025 financial report: The board accepted the April 2025 financial report; Finance Director Michael Bailey reviewed collections, fund balances and areas of concern, noting capital improvement fund drawdown related to construction projects. He said district tax collections were close to budget projections and that capital project and textbook needs will be monitored.

- Background-check waiver: The board granted a waiver for a classified applicant, David Rollins, after administration recommended approval; the state Department of Education licensure attorney had recommended the applicant as a waiver candidate.

Superintendent comment and staffing note Superintendent Dr. Mike Poore addressed recurring claims made in recent meetings about sanitized data, restricting employee appeals and outside hiring. On external hires he said the district has recommended about 2,550 hires for 2025–26 and that 25 of those hires were external candidates (under 1%), noting most recommendations were current LRSD employees.

Why it matters: The actions maintain operations for the coming school year (staffing, contracts, health services) and honor an educator’s legacy. Several items raised governance and communication questions — notably hiring processes, Lexia contract line items for schools scheduled to close, and the student-registration reorganization — that administration said it will clarify.

Provenance: These votes and approvals appear in the meeting record at multiple points in the May 15 transcript, including consent and employment items (timestamps 3645.20–3761.90; 4656.26–4678.95), the Roberts media center naming (4699.86–5347.49), MOUs for Future Smiles and ACH (5364.27–5653.44), the April financial report (5660.37–7153.23), and the personnel-background waiver hearing (10435.19–10912.45).