LRSD task force outlines enrollment decline, 20–25% overcapacity estimate and a town‑hall plan

The resource optimization and enrollment task force reported to the board that LRSD has lost roughly 5,000 students over 13 years — about a 20% decline. Task‑force leadership said demographic shifts (declining birth rates and population movement toward West Little Rock, much of which is zoned to Pulaski County Special School District) and expanded school options are major drivers of the decline.

Director Kavinsky said the district’s classroom capacity analysis yields a conservative baseline of roughly 24,000 classroom seats when counting classroom‑level capacity (not simply building capacity), implying a 20–25% overcapacity relative to current enrollment. He said that raising average school size could yield recurring savings estimated in the $15–20M range and identified fixed costs (administrative staffing, utilities, maintenance and contracted services) as main drivers. The task force proposed an 8–10‑week town‑hall and survey campaign to gather community input (target: 5,000 survey responses) to guide any recommendations; those town halls will be recorded and the results used to produce final proposals in late spring. Kavinsky emphasized the process is not a board recommendation now but a community information‑gathering effort.

Board discussion focused on sequencing relative to short‑term LRSD Forward recommendations, the need to include educators and historically significant schools in outreach, potential unintended enrollment effects of school closures, and meeting times/venues to maximize parent participation.