Michael Long’s excellent post, Roberts Funding, regarding the bond issue which paid for the construction of Don Roberts Elementary, was prompted by this quote from Joshua Intervenor Attorney John W. Walker in his email of March 23, 2011, which I posted on my pre-Arkansas Learns blog.

“Finally, I am sure you are aware that I am a Legislator, that you know who I am and that I am fiercely protected (sic) of the interests of disadvantaged children, especially those who were disfavored by the school district’s contemptable disregard of the promised use of the last bond money voted upon by the citizens of the community. Rather than strengthen the disadvantaged schools as promised in the bond issue, the district used those funds to build Roberts and then to open it essentially as a school for affluent upper income children of a different race.”

For the truth on the $190,000,000 bond issue, 6.95% of which went to build Roberts, read Michael’s post. By the way, in less than three years, Roberts has already become Little Rock’s largest elementary school, accounting for 3.6% of the district’s entire enrollment.

If the most powerful unelected person in the Little Rock School District was/is still fighting a school which had/has already been built, is it any wonder why there is still no middle school in West Little Rock?

It doesn’t have to be this way. Parents, employers and citizens can pull their public schools back from the 31-year clutches of initiating, appealing and intervening lawyers and truly get about the business of excellently educating all students, no matter their zip code.