DECATUR — Desegregation brings to mind scenes from Little Rock in the 1950s but it has a very real affect on students in the Decatur School District today.

The Public School Choice Act gives Arkansas students the option of applying to go to neighboring districts, but white students in Decatur applying to transfer under the 1989 law may not transfer to any nearby districts except for the Rogers School District.

The act states that no student may transfer to a nonresident district in which the percentage of enrollment for the student's race exceeds that percentage in the student's district if both districts donot fall within an acceptable range.

This is the first year the law has applied to Decatur Schools, according to Decatur superintendent Larry Ben, because it is the first year the number of white students has fallen below the acceptable range to 57.17 percent of the student population, based on Oct. 1, 2010, enrollment figures. The acceptable range for white students in Benton County is between 58.99 percent and 75.84 percent.

That means white students in Decatur can only transfer to districts which have a lower ratio of white students. And, the only district meeting that criteria in Benton County is Rogers, with 52.45 percent of the school district enrollment being white students.

In fact, only two of the eight school districts in Benton County - Siloam Springs and Gentry - fall into the acceptable range for white students.Bentonville, Gravette and Pea Ridge all have more than 75 percent white students and some more than 90 percent. The Benton County School of the Arts has 86.54 percent white students but is exempt from the law.

More than 30 percent of Decatur students and 40 percent of Rogers students are Hispanic.

The law does not apply to races that represent less than 10 percent of a school district’s population, so it is not an issue in Benton County for Asians, African Americans or Native Americans, Ben said.

“There are very few schools in Benton County that fall within the acceptable range (of white or Hispanic students). This tells me there is a great disparity between those that have a large population of Hispanics and those that havehardly any,” said Ben.

Thirteen students filled out School Choice forms to transfer out of Decatur this summer, but Ben said he could not reveal the races of those students, which would also reveal whether applications were accepted or denied.

Gentry School District superintendent Randy Barrett said he had to send letters to some parents notifying them that School Choice applications already accepted by the board would have to be rescinded because of the law.

“At the July (school board) meeting, I will be giving the board members the names of all the white students whose transfers we had previously approved that need to be rescinded,” Barrettcommunicated via text message, adding that he thought this was the first year during his tenure in Gentry the percentage issue had caused this rule to come into play for Decatur students.

Gravette School District superintendent Andrea Kelly was not available for comment prior to press deadline.

Kirk and Pam Anderson were two of the parents who received a letter that their daughter, a sophomore in high school, would not be able to attend Gentry Schools this year.

The couple has four children. The oldest attended Decatur Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, and the youngest two are still enrolled in elementary school.

The Andersons say they really like Ben and have hope that the school is on a track for improvement, but for their daughter who is just starting her career in high school, time is running out. Kirk said he feels that at the high school level there is not a culture of learning. The college remediation rate for Decatur High School is at 72 percent and has been even higher in the past, leaving students that graduate from Decatur with an automatic handicap, Kirk said.

“There are only three years left for our daughter and we can't afford to waste that,” he said.

Kirk described the decision as “heartrending.” As the pastor of the Decatur Assembly of God Church for the past 18 years, he has been a big supporter of the community and the school.

“It's very personal. We have teachers and school board members in our congregation, but we also have many members from Gentry, Siloam, Missouri andsurrounding communities,” he said.

The Anderson's oldest daughter, a special-needs student, graduated from the Decatur High School in 2009. Even though the district's funding and programs didn't always meet her needs, the couple kept her in Decatur schools out of loyalty to the community and because of their position in the church. Now they are looking back with regret, wondering if they made the best decision for her.

As a pastor, Kirk said, “Though I feel loyalty to the community, my children must be my first priority."

The Andersons say they are pleased with the quality of Northside Elementary School. But if the bar is not raised at the high school level, they may be faced with the same difficult decision when their two youngest children grow older.

The Arkansas Public School Choice Act of 1989 affects schools statewide, especially in Little Rock and the southern parts of the state, but the area of most concern is Northwest Arkansas, according to Arkansas Department of Education spokesperson Seth Blomeley.

Arkansas Senate Bill 914, sponsored by Republican Senator Gilbert Baker of Conway, would have removed the racial element from School Choice but wasvoted down during the last legislative session.

Tom Kimbrell, state commissioner of education, testified against the bill because of concerns for northwest Arkansas and specifically the Springdale School District, Blomeley said.

“Our concern is that it (Arkansas Senate Bill 914) would remove School Choice and we would basically have a re-segregation; instead of black and white, Hispanic and white,” Blomeley said.

The Andersons disagree. While there is honorable reasoning behind desegregation, one can't create an artificial community, Kirk said.Communities are created naturally by relationships. If there are enough people feeling they aren't getting what they need in a church or a school, that organization needs to look at doing something to fill those needs rather than forcing people to stay there, he explained.

“Its not about race at all for us. It's all about quality of education. We have close personal friends that are Hispanic and Hmong. Our church is very involved in both those communities,” he said.

The Andersons say they plan to appeal the decision to the Decatur School Board but have already been advised by Ben that they are unlikely to get a transfer for their daughter.

News, Pages 1 on 07/06/2011