Arkansas LEARNS coming, take shelter
Maumelle Planning Commission meets tonight, CAC to expand main campus, State basketball tournaments start next week, A full calendar on the local arts scene plus headlines
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The total number of dead Arkansans this past week was 21.
Last week, it was 32, and the week before that it was 39.
The total number of dead Arkansans is now at 12,957.
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The Headlines
Upcoming meetings: The Maumelle Planning Commission meets tonight at City Hall. The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. and to view the agenda, click here. The North Little Rock City Council meets next Monday night.
Upcoming events: Plays, concerts, high school basketball. So much to do and for more, keep scrolling.
ICYMI: Q&A: Kellie Wall, Executive Director of the Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce
Take shelter: Earthquake’s coming with Arkansas LEARNS
As Arkansas LEARNS works its way through the state legislature, with its emphasis, among other things, on what’s been dubbed “Education Freedom Accounts,” the first hearing on the bill was Wednesday, where it passed on a voice vote.
It would provide roughly $7,000 per student to parents to be used to pay for private schools, as well as cover costs associated with homeschooling.
That money, as of now, comes with little to no restriction, so in addition to tuition, it could be used to pay for school uniforms or technology like computers.
The cost to the state would be immense. The fiscal impact statement generated by the state’s Department of Education estimates the cost of the program would range from $46.7 million to $97.5 million. As of now, that mandate is unfunded.
The entirety of Arkansas LEARNS is estimated to cost $297.5 million in year one, including $150 million in new money. Year 2 costs jump to $343.3 million and to $250 million in new money.
The largest single item is a teacher salary increase that would be $180 million in each year.
The education accounts portion is the second largest item in the bill.
Given the Republican majority, Arkansas LEARNS is almost a certainty to pass.
And it would be a profound culture change for Arkansas, as the state moves its emphasis from public school education, as mandated by the state constitution, to private, which would be partially funded by the public, along with publicly funded charter schools.
There are currently 99 private school campuses, and 49 total private school systems, in the state and 22 open-enrollment public charters, but most of those operate multiple campuses. An example of that would be the Academics Plus system that has campuses in Maumelle, North Little Rock and Scott.
The 61 total charter school campuses across the state have about 40,000 students enrolled. Private school enrollment is roughly 20,000 students.
Arkansas currently has 259 public school districts with 1,056 campuses and 476,579 students, per the Department of Education.
There are two organizations that serve the vast majority of the state’s private schools.
The largest is the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association with 95 of the 99 schools.
Of the 95 member schools, 47 are accredited elementary schools and 27 are accredited secondary schools.
They also have 14 associate elementary schools and seven associated secondary schools.
Most of those private schools, as is the case with the charter schools, are in greater central Arkansas, the most densely populated portion of the state. In a 50-mile radius of Little Rock are roughly one million people, or a third of the state’s population.
That area stretches from Searcy to the north, Morrilton to the west, Carlisle to the east, Pine Bluff to the southeast and Hot Springs to the southwest. Of the 48 private school systems, 25 serve that area.
The other private school organization is the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools, formerly known as the Mississippi Private School Association, that has campuses in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee.
The four campuses in Arkansas are:
DeSoto School, West Helena
Lee Academy, Marianna
Marvell Academy, Marvell
West Memphis Christian School, West Memphis
West Memphis Christian is also a member of the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association.
The Catholic Diocese of Little Rock also lists St. Paul School in Pocahontas that serves PreK3 through the sixth grade for a total of 26 Catholic schools in the state.
Enrollment figures for three of the MSAIS schools aren’t publicly available. West Memphis Christian has a high school enrollment of 99. The other three high schools have enough students to field high school football teams.
The member schools in Mississippi serve almost every part of that state and were started by the White Citizens' Councils that began after schools were integrated following the Brown v. Board decision by the Supreme Court in 1954.
The White Citizens' Councils have their roots in the Ku Klux Klan.
Simply put, few Black children attend those schools, but in Arkansas, the white parents who send their children there would also be getting these state funds.
As for the other private schools in Arkansas, most are parochial and affiliated with a local church or diocese.
There are 23 Catholic school systems, eight schools affiliated with Baptist churches and three schools that are Church of Christ among the total of 49 schools.
Many have deep historical roots in Arkansas.
Mount St. Mary in Little Rock was founded in 1851, while the newest private school is Ozark Catholic Academy in Tontitown and Springdale and was founded in 2018.
The reality is, with Arkansas LEARNS the number of private schools is going to increase, as will the number of charter schools, and so will the numbers of students being home-schooled.
Roughly 12 percent of Arkansas students fall into the private and charter categories, but the clear intention is to get that number up by the end of this decade.
Some numbers have been floated, with those students doubling and eventually getting to a third, or more, of all students in privates and charters by 2030. That would mean, roughly, 120,000 to 180,000 students, and that would be a profound shift from the current number of approximately 60,000.
It would also mean more of a Mississippi model, with every town or county getting a private school. Some churches that may have previously hesitated due to cost now would have a guaranteed funding source, with a K-12 student being worth over $90,000 in taxpayer funds over those 13 years.
The school landscape in Arkansas is going to shift. The question left is will it just be rubble after this coming earthquake, or something else?
Rubble seems the most likely, but time will tell.
To see the member schools of the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association, click here.
Arts notes: The Producers, Spamalot and more …
There’s plenty of things happening in the world of arts.
First up, The Producers opened in previews this week at Argenta Community Theater in downtown North Little Rock. The play started Wednesday and tickets are limited as several performances are already sold out. The official opening night is Friday and performances run through March 4.
Tickets range from $25 to $35 and can be purchased by clicking here.
Starring as Max Bialystock is Jay Clark, who is also the senior pastor at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock. Michael Klucher is Leo Bloom and Klucher is a teacher at North Little Rock High School and also serves as the scene designer for the school’s very good drama department. The pair are seen below.
It should be noted the show contains adult humor and references and is not recommended for younger audiences.
Spamalot starts next week at the Wildwood Center for the arts in rural west Little Rock
Opening night is Friday, March 3 and will close on Sunday, March 12.
Evening shows start at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 3 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by clicking here.
In between, The Avett Brothers are at Simmons Bank Arena on Friday night. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by clicking here or at the arena box office.
In other tour news: Jason Isbell and the 400 unit have a new album out this summer and they’ll be playing two shows in Arkansas. The first leg of the tour wraps up in Little Rock on Sunday, May 14, Mother’s Day, at The Hall. The second leg of the tour will kick off in Fayetteville at JJ’s Live on June 15. The album’s release date is June 9 and you should pre-order that. Tickets, when they become available Friday, can be purchased by clicking here. And, sorry, we don’t know the pre-sale code either.
Next month, North Little Rock High School is staging Clue: On Stage (High School Edition). First show is March 15 and it concludes on March 17.
Buy tickets in advance by clicking here.
Recently wrapped up at The Rep in Little Rock was Judge Reinhold’s run as Max Prince in Neil Simon’s classic Laughter on the 23rd Floor.
The show was good and Reinhold, who has a house in the Heights, was excellent. As one would expect for an actor who starred in some of the biggest movies of the 1980s and 1990s.
More importantly, the playbill revealed he’s working on Beverly Hills Cop IV with Eddie Murphy.
Which is genuinely exciting and is further proof that the 80s and 90s never really went away.
Consider the lobster. No, consider this.
What year is it?
Patrick Stewart and the cast of Star Trek, the Next Generation are back in one of the must watch shows of the spring.
Harrison Ford returns as Indiana Jones in a film this summer.
Also back to the silver screen as Michael Keaton returns as Batman in an upcoming movie based on the DC Comics.
These are all things that could have been said in 1989. Yet it is the year of our lord 2023.
Time truly is a flat circle.
Education news and notes
CAC to expand its main campus
Central Arkansas Christian Schools announced on Thursday that will it begin an elementary program expansion on its main campus on Mustang Mountain.
The expansion will be to add a Kindergarten program, at first, and eventually going to the 5th grade.
The plans include additional classroom space to handle those younger students.
“This expansion reflects the commitment of CAC to better serve the residents of the city of Maumelle and surrounding areas,” CAC President Carter Lambert said. “Our emphasis will continue to be qualitative growth and a commitment to our vision for an exceptional Christian education.”
CAC will begin accepting kindergarten applications for the new elementary expansion immediately.
The school system also operates elementary campuses in North Little Rock, at the former Boys & Girls Club facility off JFK Boulevard and in west Little Rock at Pleasant Valley on Rodney Parham.
Abbott, Zakrzewski awarded scholarships at Arkansas
Two North of the River students were awarded scholarships this school year from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas.
The awards are part of 700 scholarships totaling $3 million given in the 2022-23 school year to Fulbright College students across four academic disciplines: arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.
Grace Abbott of Maumelle was awarded the J. William and Elizabeth W. Fulbright Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Josie Zakrzewski of North Little Rock was awarded the Roy and Christine Sturgis Endowed Trust Fund Scholarship.
"Setting our students up for success is our number one priority, and we're grateful to be able to reward their hard work and contribution to our college and the entire University of Arkansas community," said Kathryn Sloan, interim dean of Fulbright College.
These scholarships are made possible from the support of donors, who include alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of Fulbright College, and aid students as part of the commitment to student success.
Sports
Basketball: CAC headed to state
Central Arkansas Christian, again, took care of business and defeated Lisa Academy North, 56-50, on Wednesday night in the first round of the regional tournament at Rose Bud.
The win pushes CAC into next week’s state tournament at Lamar. Seedings are still to be determined.
It was a bit of a revenge game for CAC as Lisa North was the last team to beat CAC, 80-79, on Nov. 21, 2022. The Mustangs haven’t lost since and have now won 21 consecutive games.
There’s at least three more to play.
The first game is Friday night at 8:30 p.m. against the winner of Episcopal Collegiate and Mayflower. Those two two teams play this evening.
The second game is Saturday with the consolation game to start at 1:30 p.m. and the championship game to be played at 7:30 p.m. Also left on the other side of the bracket are Riverview and they’ll face the winner of Rose Bud and Baptist Prep.
The third game is next week. on either Tuesday, Feb. 28 or Wednesday, March 1. The Class 3A State Tournament bracket is here.
CAC is now 23-6 on the season.
CAC isn’t the only north of the River team headed to next week’s state tournaments. Maumelle will be the No. 1 seed from the 5A-Central and will face the No. 4 team from the 5A-South on Tuesday, Feb. 28. That game will tip at 2:30 p.m. and Pine Bluff is the tournament host.
Also headed to the state tournament from the 5A-Central are Vilonia, Sylvan Hills and Little Rock Parkview. Those other three teams are all 9-4 in the conference. but the Hornets have the head-to-head advantage, should Maumelle lose this Friday.
North Little Rock boys and girls will be in Rogers next for the CLass 6A state tournaments.
Daryl Fimple’s squad will be the No. 2 seed from the 6A-Central and will play at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 3 in the quarterfinals. As the No. 2 seed, North Little Rock has a bye in next week’s fiorst round. The bracket can be seen by clicking here.
The ‘Cats are also in the 6A boys tournament and are currently tied for third with Cabot in the conference standings.
That’s the team North Little Rock will face Friday night. A win makes them the No. 3 seed and playing at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28 against the No. 6 seed from the 6A-West.
A loss has them playing the No. 5 seed from the West at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1.
The 6A-West standings have Fayetteville as No. 5 and Fort Smith Northside as No. 6 with one regular season game.
CAC boys
Record so far: 23-6
Upcoming games
3A-3 Regional Tournament at Rose Bud: Friday ... Semifinals ... 8:30 p.m.
For the roster, click here.
The week that was: The Mustangs beat Lisa Academy North, 56-50, on Wednesday night in the opening round of regionals.
Maumelle boys
Record so far: (17-11)
Upcoming games
Friday ... at Beebe ... 7:30 p.m.
For the roster, click here.
The week that was: Maumelle had Tuesday night off.
Maumelle girls
Record so far: 10-19
Upcoming games
Friday... at Beebe ... 6 p.m.
For the roster, click here.
The week that was: Maumelle lost to Little Rock Christian last Friday.
North Little Rock boys
Record so far: (17-8)
Upcoming games
Friday... at Cabot ... 7:30 p.m.
For the roster, click here.
The week that was: North Little Rock travels to Cabot on Friday after having Tuesday night off.
North Little Rock girls
Record so far: 24-4
Upcoming games
Friday ... at Cabot ... 6 p.m.
For the roster, click here.
The week that was: North Little Rock beat Central on Tuesday, 67-49.
CAC girls
Final record: 9-16 and season is complete
Maumelle Charter boys
Final record: 9-20 and season is complete.
Maumelle Charter girls
Final record: 6-28 and season is complete
Commercial Real Estate Awards handed out
Commercial Real Estate Council of Metro Little Rock held the fifth annual Commercial Real Estate Awards on Tuesday to recognize significant achievements and the largest real estate transactions in metro Little Rock made by local brokers in the previous year. Transactions are recognized in the categories chosen when the transaction was submitted. Sales are based on reported dollar amounts and leases are based on reported square footage.
Roby Brock, CEO of Natural State Media, parent company for Talk Business & Politics and The Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, and Cathy Tuggle, Owner and Principal Broker of Tuggle Services dba Apartment Hunters, emceed the event.
LEASES
Largest Industrial Lease
Federal Metal Company – 1200 Pike Ave– Ryan Gibson, Cushman & Wakefield | Sage Partners and Stuart Mackey, Hathaway Group
Largest Medical Lease
Gastro Arkansas – 11700 Cantrell Road – Brandon Rogers, Colliers Arkansas and Nick Kelley, Kelley Commercial Partners
Largest Office Lease
1514 Market Street – Padgett Mangan & John Martin, Moses Tucker Partners & Catherine Mulkey, Whisinvest Realty
Largest Retail Lease
915 W Main Street, Jacksonville – Nathan Monan, Colliers Arkansas
SALES
Largest Industrial Sale
Bowman Plaza – 4700 Bowman Road/Colonel Glenn Road – Casi Runnells & Kevin Huchingson, Colliers Arkansas
Largest Land Sale
The Middle – Cantrell Road/Rodney Parham Road – Kevin Huchingson & Bill Pendergist, Colliers Arkansas
Largest Multi-Family Housing Sale
Ridge at Chenal Valley – Ted Bailey III & Richard Cheek, The Multifamily Group
Largest Office Sale
First Security Bancorp – 4001 Rodney Parham Road – Kevin Huchingson & Isaac Smith, Colliers Arkansas and Ryan Gibson, Cushman & Wakefield|Sage Partners
Largest Retail Sale
Riverdale Center – 2500-2610 Cantrell Road – Nick Kelley & Hank Kelley, Kelley Commercial Partners and Jason Parker, Cushman & Wakefield|Sage Partners
Commercial Mortgage Lender of the Year
The Commercial Mortgage Lender of the Year award recognizes the highest amount of commercial mortgages filed as a percentage of local market deposits. This year’s award goes to First Community Bank.
Commercial Real Estate Impact Awards
UA Little Rock School of Business Real Estate Program: The UA Little Rock School of Business’ Real Estate Program began restructuring in 2017 under the leadership of Elizabeth Small. By 2020, the curriculum offered incoming freshmen a degree that integrated real estate classroom education with experiential learning and research in real estate issues and policy. The current students are involved in entrepreneurial activities and development projects and benefit from panels of executives with real life experience in the real estate industry and exposure to regulatory issues involving real choices and opportunities. The impact on workforce development is clear from the students and graduates who have interned or accepted full-time positions with local real estate companies.
RAM Partners LLC Multi-Family Property Management Acquisitions: While each year brings changes in ownership and management of multi-family properties, 2022 saw a level of acquisitions that were unprecedented in the metro Little Rock market. RAM Partners LLC entered the market after acquiring seven multi-family properties for management. Sarah Wigley, Area Vice President, with Marinee Ignacio will oversee management of Arlo, Brightwaters, Esplanade District, McKenzie Park, The Ridge at Chenal Valley, The Villas at River Pointe Dr., and The Waters at Chenal.
Commercial Real Estate Project of the Year 2022
Arkansas Pharmacists Association Building – During protests in June 2020, the Arkansas Pharmacists Association building was heavily damaged by vandalism and fire. This happened in the middle of the Covid 19 pandemic when pharmacists were on the front lines of vaccination efforts. Two years of planning and construction resulted in a beautiful 2-story 8400 square foot facility. This building on the corner of Victory and Capital, where we are right now, is packed full of features. On the first floor, the facility includes executive office space, office space, private meeting rooms, collaborative conference areas, and social media rooms for podcasting. The first floor also comes equipped with a nice break area for employees and visitors. The main feature to the space is the large conference area on the second floor that has its own catering kitchen and huge balcony for entertaining. This spacious room can be used to host and entertain clients as well as rent for its gorgeous view of the state capitol.
Architect: RPPY Architects
Bank: First Community Bank
Contractor : CBM Construction
Title Company: Beach Abstract
Tenant: Arkansas Pharmacists Association
Legend Awards
James E. Hathaway Jr
Big Jim or The Big Kahuna moved with his wife and three young sons to Little Rock in 1965. He made a “coin flip” decision to join Rector-Phillips-Morse as a real estate broker, launching a career that would last through his retirement in 2019 after 54 years of providing superior commercial real estate service to a long list of satisfied clients. Along his path he founded a company that has included three generations of Hathaways and reached levels of achievement beyond his dreams.
Notable transactions in which Jim played a key role:
Assemblage of 160 acres for Koger Office Park (now Westlake Corporate Park)
Sale of 157 acres for a new North Little Rock campus of Baptist Hospital
Assemblage of 100 acres that would become Shackleford Crossing
Jim Hathaway is well-known in the commercial real estate community, but some things people may not know about him are
Still works out every Monday and Friday
Is an avid bridge player
Is a sports nut and a sportswriter at heart. Reported on sports for high school and college newspapers
Jimmy Moses
Jimmy comes from a family with a long history in Little Rock. His great-grandfather, Herman Kahn, was involved in real estate in the early 20th century and among other things developed the Marion Hotel. His grandfather Cleveland Moses started Moses Melody Shop in 1917 on Little Rock’s Main Street and provided Jimmy with his first real job as a teenager in the early 1960s. Having been around and worked in a family-owned business, it isn’t surprising that he carried on that tradition. Jimmy Moses founded Moses Tucker Real Estate in 1984 and serves as Moses Tucker partners Co-Chairman of the Board, working along with his son, Chris.
Jimmy’s first business passion is the ongoing redevelopment of downtown Little Rock. He always wanted Arkansas and Little Rock to be great places to live. His way of trying to make a difference here has been to recreate a vibrant and exciting downtown, not unlike the downtown he remembers as a kid growing up in the 1950-60s.
In the early 1990s, the area that became the River Market District was full of empty and condemned buildings. One staff member remembered touring the Tuff Nut building and hearing what Jimmy could see the building becoming. Loft apartments above retail space was a new concept for Little Rock, and it wasn’t immediately obvious to others amid the cat-sized rats and rubble. As the project progressed, it became clear that Jimmy’s vision was achievable and far-reaching. Before the project was half-way finished, it was completely leased.
Some things people may not know about Jimmy
He thinks like an artist – he draws his ideas about buildings as he’s describing them
He is extremely generous to people behind the scenes
Always wanted to be a lead singer in a rock band
Sponsors for the event included Ferstl Valuation Services and C.B.M. Construction, Apartment Hunters, Blue Whale Development, BluSky Restoration, Centennial Bank, 400 Capitol Regions Center, Colliers Arkansas, Kelley Commercial Partners, Moses Tucker Partners, Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC, and Cushman & Wakefield|Sage Partners, Allegra/Image 360, ARK Commercial, CDI Contractors, GFF Architects, Keet O’Gary Construction, Metro Disaster Specialists, Mulhearn-Wilson Company, and Pulaski County Title.
CREC board members are Matthew Beachboard, Moses Tucker Partners; Reagan Compton, GFF Architects; Michael Crosby, Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC; James Harkins, Blue Whale Development; Rose Kline, Cushman & Wakefield | Sage Partners; Teresa Kreis, Colliers; Rodney Peel, Arvest Bank; Brad Sims, Pulaski County Title; Payton Smith, Metro Disaster Specialists; Cathy Tuggle, Apartment Hunters; and Jeff Yates, ARK Commercial & Investment Real Estate.
Please distinguish your news writing from your editorial positions. Well written, however this is an opinion piece. Can you label opinion pieces as such please going forward? That piece read like it came straight from ATBlog. Many Thanks.