Marvell-Elaine prepares to start the school year under Arkansas’ first ‘transformation contract’

After a summer of uncertainty, the Marvell-Elaine School District will start the school year Monday under the direction of a charter school management organization. 

The tiny district in eastern Arkansas this month finalized a $200,000-per-year “transformation contract” with Friendship Education Foundation, the first such contract in the state. 

A provision of the LEARNS Act, the contract permits public school districts with a “D” or “F”-rating or in need of Level 5 – Intensive Support to partner with an open-enrollment public charter school or another state board-approved entity to create “a public school district transformation campus.”

Marvell-Elaine has a Level 5 classification, and both of its schools have an “F”-rating. The district was also in fiscal distress from April 2019 to September 2021.

Marques Collins is the high’s school’s new principal. He is starting his eighth year as an administrator and previously worked in the North Little Rock School District. Originally from Pine Bluff, Collins now lives in Hensley. 

He said the Marvell-Elaine School District can only improve from here. As a competitive person, Collins said, he’s excited about the challenge of helping the district “achieve greatness.”

“I love underdog movies, and so when people count me out or count my organization out, I like to prove them wrong…with the staff that we have and everybody on board, we all have this level of excitement that we can do this,” he said.

Literacy will be a big focus in the new school year, Collins said, and student uniforms will be a requirement. Additionally, he said the district is streamlining the rubrics of what educators teach so everyone can be on the same page. 

Under this new partnership, the school mascot and colors will remain unchanged. School names also will remain the same, but they will now be referred to as “powered by FEF Arkansas.”

“I believe we’re a little school, but we’re going to make a lot of noise this year,” Collins said. 

Phong Tran from Friendship Education Foundation is the district’s new superintendent, and Collins said their relationship has been “very collaborative.” Tran was traveling and unavailable for comment Friday.

Tran is listed on Friendship’s website as the organization’s Southern Region Superintendent. Tran previously served as deputy chief executive officer of four charter schools in New Orleans. Tran is “well-versed in curriculum, instruction, data analysis and intervention,” according to Friendship’s website.

Opening day activities, including greeting children arriving by bus and school tours, are planned for Monday, according to a press release from Friendship. New school features include expanded access to technology, expanded arts and athletic programs, upgraded facilities and an on-site Parent Community Resource Center, according to the release.

Joe Harris is CEO of Friendship Education Foundation Arkansas, a school management organization based in Little Rock. The nonprofit is an affiliate of Friendship Education Foundation, which manages a network of schools in Pine Bluff, Little Rock, Maumelle and other places. 

Harris said in a statement that improving academic outcomes and ensuring the Marvell-Elaine School District is financially stable are his top priorities.

“We are brainstorming innovative educational approaches that have proven to work in similar communities. And we are training school principals, teachers and staff to be the best,” Harris said. “Most importantly, we are elevating parent preferences in our decision-making. They are our partners. And we are extremely respectful of their voices in shaping school design and programs offered.”

The district serves more than 300 Pre-K through 12th grade students, and 92% of the student population is Black, according to Friendship.

Delayed transformation

The Arkansas State Board of Education initially approved the pursuit of a “transformation contract” between Marvell-Elaine and Friendship in early May. That was put on hold when a lawsuit challenging the LEARNS Act’s emergency clause resulted in a temporary restraining order that paused implementation of the law for three weeks. 

An emergency clause allows a law to go into effect immediately, instead of 91 days after the end of a legislative session.  

The Arkansas Supreme Court lifted the restraining order in mid-June, but a Pulaski County circuit judge struck down the law’s emergency clause two weeks later. The ruling meant the law couldn’t go into effect until Aug. 1, but Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin is appealing the decision.

To prepare for the start of school, the state education board took control of the district in July. During a special meeting, board members voted to remove the district’s superintendent and limited-authority board, and directed Education Secretary Jacob Oliva to appoint a new superintendent. 

Arkansas State Board of Education assumes authority over Marvell-Elaine school district

The district remains under state control and the “transformation contract” was signed after the LEARNS Act took effect on Aug. 1, Arkansas Department of Education spokeswoman Kimberly Mundell said. 

The initial term of the contract runs from Aug. 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026. Friendship will have “full oversight, management and operation” of the district during the initial term, and the contract can be extended. Likewise, the contract can be terminated prior to its expiration date. The district is scheduled to pay $650,012, including an $83,334 initial payment, to Friendship during the first three years of the contract.

‘Just happy the school is still here’

Jesselia Maples is a mother of four Marvell-Elaine students and plaintiff in the ongoing lawsuit. Maples said she’s anxious about the future, but happy school is starting. 

“We were never against that, we just wanted to talk about the terms of the contract, maybe some things could’ve been changed,” she said. “That did not occur, but all in all, everyone is just happy that the school is still here. We may not be happy with the way that it’s still going to be in business, but all in all, as long as the children can get a good education or a great education, that’s what really matters.”

Maples said district officials have said they will communicate with parents a lot this year through Facebook, email and text messages. That’s one change Maples said she’s looking forward to because “in the past the communication was very poor.”

One immediate question Maples has is how the current lack of a school board will affect parents’ ability to have a voice. When asked about the future of the school board, Mundell pointed to “parent and student engagement programs and support” included in the contract.

Under the agreement, Friendship “shall propose student policies” for adoption by Oliva, who’s acting in place of a school board. The contract also requires the foundation to “provide the management and administrative services necessary to implement and operate community relations and engagement services for parents and community members.”

Questions remain, so Maples said she’ll watch and see how things play out as the academic year progresses.

“I just wish everybody well and I hope all the teachers and students have a great and prosperous year,” she said.