Article by: Mattison Gafner of KARK
The Little Rock School District is asking parents, students, educators and community members to help shape the future of its schools through a new initiative aimed at strengthening the district for the next 20 years and beyond.
The initiative, called “Design Our District: Our Schools. Our Say.,” kicked off Tuesday with the first in a series of community meetings at Hall High School.
The effort follows the district’s LRSD Forward process, which was designed to address declining student enrollment and rising operating costs, with a goal of saving $5 million to $6 million. The process included the announcement last October that three elementary schools would close.
Now, district leaders say they want community members involved in determining what comes next.
“I believe that tonight’s conversation, along with the subsequent conversations that we are going to have over the next six weeks, is going to be truly critical to shaping the future of the Little Rock School District for the next 15 to 20 years,” said school board member Eugene Krupitsky.
According to the district, LRSD has lost more than 5,000 students since 2013, representing a decline of about 20%.
As part of the new initiative, district leaders are exploring different school models and ways to make LRSD schools more appealing to families.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Krupitsky discussed possibilities such as expanding pre-kindergarten options and creating more kindergarten-through-eighth-grade campuses.
Supporters of the K-8 model say keeping students in fewer school environments could provide greater continuity and reduce the number of transitions families experience.
“I just think there’s a lot more continuity. I think issues are identified earlier, which is helpful,” one meeting attendee said. “The less transitions they face, the easier it is for parents.”
However, some community members said changing school configurations is only part of the solution. They also emphasized the importance of making families more aware of the programs and opportunities already available through the district.
One parent said she had recently discovered several LRSD offerings she did not know existed, despite researching school options.
“Marketing to people, because I promise you the private schools do,” she said.
Others encouraged the community to look beyond individual school buildings when discussing the district’s future, arguing that strong schools depend on the people who make up their communities.
“Everyone is hanging on to the idea that the particular school building in your neighborhood is what is making your neighborhood great, and it’s not the bricks, it’s the people in it,” another attendee said.
The district hopes to collect input from 5,000 people through a community survey. Feedback from the meetings and surveys will help shape formal recommendations that district leaders plan to present at additional community meetings in March and April 2027.
Community members can find upcoming meeting information, participate in the survey, and watch meetings online by visiting LRSD.org/Design-Our-District.
District leaders say the goal is to give the community a meaningful role in shaping the future of Little Rock public schools.