PCSSD board approves certified allocation changes after heated debate over learning-services cuts and ALE restructuring

Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) trustees voted 5–2 April 8 to approve proposed changes to certified staffing allocations that district leaders said are needed to shore up the district’s legal fund and reduce projected year-end shortfalls.

Supporters said the changes will reduce payroll costs while preserving core services; opponents warned the cuts will weaken instructional support and curriculum development. Board members Patrick Keller and [Name Ward] voted against the plan.

The board’s action freezes two existing director-level positions — listed in the agenda as director of STEM and director of humanities and learning services — and creates a single director of learning services position. District staff also described a change to the district’s Alternative Learning Environment (ALE) model: instead of concentrating ALE students at a separate Success Learning Academy site, the district will place ALE classrooms at several middle and high school campuses. Administrative leaders said that change is intended to reduce transportation and site-level expenses.

Dr. Whitfield, who led Learning Services presentations during the meeting, told trustees the department already carries a long list of duties and that losing two specialist positions would strain the team. “When you take away the foundation, then the house crumbles,” she said, describing curriculum, accountability and statewide assessment work the team manages. She said the district lacks curriculum in multiple tested areas and warned the remaining staff would face a larger workload if the board reduced staffing.

Chief financial staffer Miss Rowlett told the board the legal (general) fund balance had fallen from an earlier projection and that the district needed to reduce recurring expenditures. Rowlett said the certified allocation changes shown on the board’s spreadsheet represent about $463,746 in recurring salary savings on the certified side (not including fringe benefits); she also estimated restructuring the ALE model would reduce program and transportation costs by roughly $1.2 million annually based on current enrollments. Rowlett said the district expects a sizable tax distribution from Pulaski County in mid-May but argued action now would improve the district’s position with state oversight units.

Several elementary and secondary principals who spoke during public comment said the proposed cuts would remove essential, content-specific leadership. “This work is heavy,” one principal said. She and other principals asked the board to reconsider the consolidation and to allow more time for the incoming superintendent to evaluate Learning Services staffing.

Board members who supported the allocations said the district must demonstrate fiscal control as its legal fund balance declines and that resources (including dozens of academic coaches school-based across the district) could be repurposed to support instruction under the new structure.

The motion to approve was made by President Delaney and seconded by Miss Smith. The recorded vote was 5 in favor, 2 opposed (Keller, Ward).

What’s next: The approved allocations take effect for the 2025–26 cycle. The board also approved a long certified hiring list at the same meeting; individual schools will implement placement and scheduling for ALE classroom locations over the summer.

Provenance: The certified allocation proposals and public debate begin in the transcript at the item introduced around 6944.42 (agenda discussion of the 2025–26 certified allocation changes) and conclude with the board vote at 11446.6455 (motion and second; roll call).