One day after winning seats on the Pulaski County Special School Board and the newest members are already busy brainstorming ways to turn the district around.
Tuesday night voters kicked out two incumbent school board members and gave the district's teacher's union a shot in the arm.
Parents and teachers complain of a crumbling roof and a lack of supplies, just a couple of items the two newest board members plan to tackle at their first board meeting.
With two members of the board of four now gone, Gloria Lawrence and Tom Stuthard believe this is the time for change. They are starting with getting the district out of court with the teachers union, saving PCSSD thousands of dollars to be spent on other needs.
“We have a lot of text books that are missing. We have got to find these text books,” says Gloria Lawrence.
“I’m not going to go for new schools in other zones when mine are run down,” says Tom Stuthard.
Schools aren't the only structural improvements on the two newest board members agendas. They both hope to build stability throughout the district.
“We need to look at the needs of each and every school in our district. See what we can do to take care of those needs,” says Lawrence.
“I’m big on accountability. I think that from top to bottom everyone needs to be responsible for their actions. Do what they are supposed to be doing and that’s their job,” says Stuthard.
Lawrence’s zone had the largest voter turnout for a school board election in decades.
“Parents are crying out to us. Almost 1500 people voted in a school board race yesterday,” exclaims Lawrence.
“I believe it’s obviously going to be challenging but I think there are going to be some enjoyable times,” says Stuthard.
They say they're excited to sit down at their first board meeting in October with big appetites.
Lawrence and Stuthard will be sworn in in October and plan to vote at the board's October 12th meeting.
The two PCSSD School Board members who had opponents both lost. All other members ran unopposed. Voters in Little Rock also voted out five term school board incumbent Michael Daugherty.
