Jacksonville North Pulaski board agrees to pursue conversion charter discussion for Lighthouse Academies

At a recent Jacksonville North Pulaski School District board meeting, trustees voted to pursue a conversion charter application for Lighthouse Academies of Arkansas and scheduled a workshop to review next steps.

Superintendent said the district would open a process to consider converting Lighthouse schools under district oversight and asked the board to authorize staff to prepare an application and hold a workshop to discuss grade configuration, thematic focus and related staffing and financial steps.

The discussion matters because Lighthouse Academies carries millions in outstanding debt and any conversion would require the district to assess property, debt payment and a formal application to the state charter authorization process. The superintendent said the district must complete parts of the application a few weeks before the Charter Authorization Panel meeting scheduled May 15.

Board members asked clarifying questions about which Lighthouse properties would be part of any application; the superintendent said the school on Little Rock Air Force Base is not part of the proposed package because the base owns that site. The superintendent said the district has conferred with district attorney Richardson and consultant Scott Biercely and that Biercely offered to attend a workshop to discuss debt payment options and property transfer logistics.

During remarks introducing the topic, the superintendent summarized the school’s enrollment and finances as presented to the board: “Currently, Lighthouse has about 426 students, 82 staff members,” and provided a breakout by grade bands and a debt total. The transcript provided the superintendent’s figures as: about “4 26 students, 80 2 staff members” and a total outstanding debt of “8,500,000.0,” with “6,000,000 of that is in bond payments” and “2.5 is in loans that they have at First Security Bank,” with the remainder described as held at First Stop Bank and Trust.

The board voted to authorize staff to move forward with the application process and to schedule a workshop to gather more information, survey parents and finalize the conversion charter application timeline. The board motion carried unanimously.

The superintendent said staff will survey parents and the community, identify a recommended grade configuration and return with a proposed staffing plan to post positions once the configuration is decided.

The board did not make any final decision on property transfers or assume any specific debt obligations at the meeting; those questions were identified as topics for the upcoming workshop and subsequent analysis.