The Little Rock School District presented plans on Nov. 13 to seek board approval to submit a district-run conversion charter application for Hall High School.

Superintendent Doctor Wright told the work session that the board previously authorized planning for a "small nontraditional high school" and that accreditation and staffing requirements limit how the district can staff and schedule under a traditional model. "The only way for us to move forward with the vision that we had for the small traditional high school was to consider a conversion charter," Wright said.

Daryl Smith, assistant commissioner in the Department of Education's Office of School Choice, explained the conversion-charter mechanism to the board and public. "A conversion charter typically is really just [a] school district that is being converted into something that's a little bit more flexible," Smith said, adding the model permits waivers on how districts meet prescriptive state requirements such as seat time and attendance procedures while leaving federally required protections intact.

Principal McGee described how the proposed Hall model would work in practice: a competency-based, project-oriented program using Edgenuity for curricular content that would let students "work at their own pace" and allow a teacher to facilitate mixed-grade classes. McGee said internships and early-college opportunities would be part of the design.

Board members and public commenters pressed two recurring questions: whether the conversion charter would divert local tax revenues and how core services such as special education, nursing and library/media instruction would be preserved. Smith and district staff responded that conversion charters remain part of the district and that funding still flows via district allocations; federal protections such as IDEA and many safety requirements are not waivable.

The district asked the board to vote at its next meeting on Nov. 20 to authorize staff to submit the application by Dec. 4; the charter authorizing panel is scheduled to consider the application on Dec. 18 and the state board would provide final affirmation in January if no issues arise.

What happens next: the board will be asked to approve sending the application; staff said they would return with the full application and a list of requested waivers. If approved, the school would implement the new model only after state review and any required approvals.

Reported by: Dr. Wright, Daryl Smith, Principal McGee. The proposal remains contingent on board approval and final charter authorization.