A special meeting of the Blytheville School Board to discuss the district's School Choice options will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, March 31, at which time the board will make a decision to opt in or opt out of the Public School Choice Act of 2013.
During Monday's school board meeting, President Tommy Bennett made a motion to table any discussion about School Choice until a later date -- the board was seeking clarification on the parameters of the April 1 deadline.
However, despite the board's decision not to discuss the issue of School Choice, Monday night's agenda did contain a recommendation from Superintendent Richard Atwill that the board vote to adopt a resolution to exempt the Blytheville School District from the Public School Choice Act of 2013, which would have been effective for the 2014-15 school term.
Last year, the school board unanimously voted in favor of the same recommendation from Atwill for the 2013-14 school term.
On Wednesday morning, Atwill announced that the School Choice meeting would take place Wednesday evening after expulsion hearings, but by the end of the day, Atwill changed the date, and said he wanted to give board members the entire week of spring break to give the issue additional consideration.
"We found out that the April 1 deadline extends to the end of that day, at 4 p.m., so I wanted to give our board more time," Atwill said. "This way, they get the entire week of spring break."
Late last week, representatives from the Great River Economic Development board and Blytheville Unlimited wrote letters to the Blytheville School Board imploring them to allow School Choice in the Blytheville Public Schools, arguing that not allowing School Choice would have a negative effect on economic growth and stability, not just in Blytheville, but throughout Mississippi County.
Currently, Blytheville Public Schools is the only district in the county claiming a legal exemption from participating in School Choice, which is based on a federal desegregation order.
At this time, School Choice is the only item on the agenda for the March 31 special meeting, during which the district's legal councilor, Robert L. Coleman of Reid, Burge, Prevallet & Coleman in Blytheville, will be present.
cpinkard@blythevillecourier.com