Jacksonville North Pulaski board votes to apply for district conversion charter to bring Lighthouse campus into district

The Jacksonville North Pulaski School District Board voted unanimously to move forward with applying for a preK–12 district conversion charter that would bring Lighthouse Academy under the district and begin implementation with a fifth–sixth campus and a seventh–eighth campus.

Doctor Owek, a district staff member presenting the plan, told the board: “The proposal that we have for you all, tonight board, is the pathway to success.” The presentation framed the conversion as a way to create a middle-school model tailored to the developmental needs of fifth through eighth graders and to align those grade-level focus areas with high school academies.

Board members asked staff about timing and feasibility. Staff said the charter office set a late-April deadline for application materials and that the State Board of Education would review authorizing panels in May–June; staff noted final implementation would require State Board approval. “Yes, sir. We would have to wait until June,” a district presenter said when asked whether work on the building could proceed before state approval.

Why it matters: district staff stressed that middle school performance predicts high school success and argued a dedicated instructional model for grades 5–8 could improve transitions, attendance and achievement. A parent and community survey of 333 respondents showed about 43.6% said they would consider transferring their child to the new campus, and respondents favored STEAM as a curriculum focus.

Staff outlined operational and cost considerations. Finance staff warned the conversion will likely be an “upside-down proposition at least in the short run,” noting baseline fixed costs and new allocations. Finance staff said a debt-service payment of roughly $600,000 annually was projected based on a borrowing scenario cited in the presentation. “Anything we take on needs to be able to stand alone and carry its own weight,” the district finance presenter said.

Human-resources and instructional staff described staffing plans and gaps. The district would move existing fifth- and sixth-grade teachers into the new configuration (presenter: 12 fifth-grade and 12 sixth-grade teachers projected) and would relocate an existing principal and assistant principal rather than hire new administrators for those posts. Additional hires likely include a nurse (if pre-K is on site), reading specialist, GT and ESOL staff as needed, a STEAM coach, library/media specialist, music and art teachers, and special-education staff depending on student need. The district’s special-education lead said, based on current enrollment counts, she would estimate needing about 4.5 special-education teachers for a 5–6 configuration but emphasized that final staffing depends on the actual special-education population and Individualized Education Program (IEP) needs.

Facilities and operations staff detailed building work and other investments likely required if the conversion proceeds. Maintenance said several sinks and restroom fixtures would need modification to meet pre-K requirements and estimated sink work in a broad range (discussed as about $10,000–$20,000 per fixture, depending on scope). The district’s maintenance and nutrition staff flagged potential kitchen equipment costs (a high-end estimate cited at about $140,000) but said much equipment at the Lighthouse site is leased and that inventory would reduce replacement costs. Technology staff gave a “worst-case” estimate for a full technology rip-and-replace at about $250,000 but noted that moving an existing server could reduce that cost.

Staff also noted program continuity and legal/administrative steps required for a conversion application: the Arkansas Department of Education conversion-charter application requires an executive summary, academic plan, services for special populations, organizational and governance plans, facility and safety information, and a financial plan addressing fiscal sustainability. Staff said they had already begun work on the application packet and identified community engagement and inventory of existing Lighthouse programs (grants, MOUs) as outstanding tasks.

Board action: during a special meeting at the end of the session, the board moved and seconded a recommendation to authorize district staff to apply for a preK–12 conversion charter and to begin implementation with the fifth–sixth campus and the seventh–eighth campus. The motion passed unanimously.

Next steps: staff said they will finalize the application materials for submission to the Arkansas Department of Education and prepare for authorizer review and a State Board of Education presentation if the application is accepted. The presenters recommended continuing planning on a transition timeline while acknowledging that some facility upgrades and branding work would likely occur after state approval and could be staged over time.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the conversion-charter application motion by unanimous vote in a special meeting (see formal action record below). The board also approved a personnel report later in the meeting by unanimous vote (see Actions list).