The Arkansas Board of Education has taken over the Pine Bluff School District after declaring the district to be in “fiscal distress.”
After voting to declare the district in fiscal distress, the Board of Education unanimously voted to remove the interim superintendent, Monica McMurray, and the seven-member school board, according to the Pine Bluff Commercial.
Arkansas Education Commissioner Johnny Key will appoint a superintendent to oversee the school district, which will not have a locally elected school board.
The district’s financial situation, according to the Board of Education, jeopardized its ability to meet payroll and operate. If left unchecked, Pine Bluff School District is projected to post a $2 million deficient by April 2019.
In addition to Pine Bluff, the Little Rock School District, Earle School District and the Dollarway School District are under state direction. These districts also have state-appointed superintendents and no elected school boards.
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