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Little Rock board hears consultant's —people-powered' plan to boost district viability
Summary
Kendra Pruitt of Solution Seekers presented a yearlong, people-centered community engagement plan to help the Little Rock School District address declining enrollment, competition from charters and private schools, staffing and financial stress. Board members generally welcomed the approach and asked for more detail on confidentiality, stakeholders and costs.
Kendra Pruitt, principal of Solution Seekers, told the Little Rock School District Board on Aug. 14 that the district needs a "people powered, people centered" approach to secure its long-term viability.
Pruitt said the proposed Phase 1 would be a yearlong information-gathering process that uses targeted outreach — including students, alumni, families, faith leaders and businesses — and neutral facilitation to build trust and produce a community-insights report. "When we get our best results it's leveraging, not only leveraging but also, sharing power with the people in which we represent," she said.
Board members and directors asked for specifics about confidentiality for staff and teacher sessions, whether the sessions could be closed, and how Solution Seekers would work with the district's new marketing vendor. Pruitt said internal stakeholder meetings could be structured to keep feedback anonymous and aggregated, and she recommended legal guidance on whether sessions must remain open under public-records rules.
Directors pressed for clarity about the proposed team, national research and partners, and whether neighboring districts could or should be part of a broader regional inquiry. Pruitt said Phase 1 would include a scan of national best practices and that she envisioned retired educators, professional facilitators and a tailored project team supporting the work.
Several directors urged the consultant to ensure the project reaches parents who have chosen charter or private schools and to include early-childhood programs and the district's CTE/academy pathways in stakeholder work. Pruitt agreed that such groups would be important participants and that the final product should be implementable, not just a report.
The board did not take a vote on contracting at the meeting; the presentation closed with an invitation for staff to bring procurement details, outreach plans and a refined scope for board review. Pruitt provided the firm's website (solutionseekers.co) for additional information.
The next procedural step identified in the work session was for district staff to return with procurement language and a detailed scope that describes costs, partner organizations and a proposed timeline.
