The four campuses of Haas Hall Academy represent the top four “best” high schools in Arkansas. Haas Hall collects reward money from taxpayers for getting good “grades” under Arkansas’ deeply problematic school grading system, despite not serving children with special needs or children who speak English as a second language, and enrolling 94% of their students from affluent families.
Haas Hall Academy is on the agenda for the State Board of Education meeting next Thursday, October 10, for its diversity problem. I know this seems like small potatoes next to the Walton-funded effort to bust the Little Rock teachers’ union (which is on the same agenda) but these things are linked. Here’s how:
Haas Hall is an open-enrollment, public charter school operated by the Schoppmeyer family with lots of money from the Walton family. Haas Hall is also the only school in Arkansas who has failed so miserably at enrolling a diverse population of students that the State Board of Education (SBoE) requires them to present an annual “Diversity and Inclusion Report” to the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE.)
The SBoE unanimously rejected Haas Hall’s Diversity Report on February 14, 2019 for several reasons: Most notably, the school’s report didn’t address all of the specific categories that were required by the ADE’s Public School Program Coordinator, Reginald Ballard, in his written request for Haas Hall to appear.
Haas Hall also fumbled its answer when then-chairperson Jay Barth asked for the name of Haas Hall’s Diversity/Outreach Coordinator. It was a reasonable question, since Superintendent Martin Schoppmeyer had testified in 2016 that his school had already hired a diversity person, and she was “a dynamo.” However, neither Headmaster Larry Henry, nor Headmistress Jamie Bendure, nor Admissions Director Kelly Barnett seemed to have any idea who Barth might be talking about.
Haas Hall’s attorney, Mark Henry, ultimately took the microphone and offered a name to protect Martin Schoppmeyer from possible perjury problems: Caroline Proctor.
I was in the audience. I knew who Caroline Proctor was, and I had a copy of her Haas Hall personnel file from a previous Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Caroline Proctor might be qualified to help charter schools navigate paperwork requirements, but she has NEVER worked to help any school serve students from diverse backgrounds.
“Diversity/Outreach Coordinator” was not Caroline Proctor’s job title at Haas Hall. Plus, Haas Hall laid off Caroline Proctor in 2018 for “lack of work,” leaving her free to collect unemployment while Haas Hall continued to maintain an exclusive student population of (mostly) white, rich, high-achieving kids.
After I told the SBoE what I knew about Caroline Proctor, I went on to offer my own prepared statement in opposition to Haas Hall’s Diversity Report.
Heather Holaway, Haas Hall’s former marketing director, also opposed Haas Hall’s “glossy report” that day, even though she was sworn to silence by an (unenforceable) non-disclosure agreement. I urged the SBoE (and Dr. Barth, in particular) to use its subpoena power, but nobody did.
Extra Money for a Lying School
Ultimately, the Arkansas Department of Education rewarded Haas Hall’s total lack of diversification by giving the school extra support to hire a real diversity coordinator. Sadly, Haas Hall Academy still doesn’t appear to have anybody in the role.
Haas Hall is scheduled to appear before the SBoE this Thursday. CNN has reporters on the ground preparing to cover the Little Rock School District’s re-segregation plan on Thursday afternoon’s SBoE agenda. Will CNN also cover the “flip side” of the Walton-funded destruction of public education in Arkansas? It’s action item #12 on the morning agenda.
Fingers crossed. We could use some national media attention here, at the epicenter of the Walton-funded “School Choice” movement.
you grab those CNN reporters and give them an ear full!
I just saw a job posting for a sped teacher at Haas Hall. Hmmm, maybe they will identity a student that has an articulation disorder and pad their inclusive stats.
Interesting. Haas Hall Academy’s new (Fall, 2019) Diversity Report says they have a new Executive Director of Special Education, Amelia Dunavan. Haas Hall also says teacher Francine Fisher is their “dyslexia coordinator.” I can’t find that either one of them holds a teaching license or any sort of SPED credential on the AR Department of Elementary & Secondary Education website. I wonder what their qualifications are, since Special Education is a federal mandate — not a state law than can be easily waived (even for a charter school.)