Arkansas Lighthouse Charter School parents oppose potential merger with JNPSD
Students and parents showed up on Monday evening to push back against a merger between Arkansas Lighthouse schools and the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District
JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — Tensions rose on Monday night at the charter school after talks of a potential merger with the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District (JNPSD) reached parents
“Here at Lighthouse, the teachers want to know you. They want to build a bond with you,” a former student said.
Parents in attendance expressed that they felt that if the board voted on the merger, it would then erase the community that Lighthouse has built.
“A perjury would not just blend to schools. It would erase the heart and soul of what makes Lighthouse special,” a parent said.
“This school has been more than just a building for our family. It has been a foundation for stability, connection, and growth, something that cannot simply be relocated or replaced,” a parent of the school said.
However, the school board said that’s not the case, and the CEO of the Lighthouse school, LaShawnDa Noel, agreed.
“We have not merged,” she added.
Noel said that the school is only in talks with the district, but nothing is set in stone.
According to Noel, the talks started after enrollment rates started to decline, which is something she said has also impacted the finances of the K-12 school.
The next step is looking at the best option for the school and its students.
“We, of course, always listen to our school community, we value what our scholars and our families say to us, and we’re going to take it all in and make our decisions based on the information that we have before us,” Noel said.
Even though the talks are ongoing, many parents shared the same frustration and stated that they did not want their children to switch schools into the JNPSD.
“My kids will not be a part of Jacksonville, North Pulaski School District,” said a dad of a Lighthouse student.