Gov. Sarah Sanders announced Wednesday the outlines of a plan for the aging campuses of the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Arkansas School for the Deaf in Little Rock.
Contrary to the concerns of some families, the state will not be closing the schools or moving them to a new location. Instead, Sanders committed to building a “new, state-of-the-art facility on the current campus.”
“Arkansas is going to keep its promise, and we are going to fix these schools,” the governor said, flanked by Education Secretary Jacob Oliva, state lawmakers and officials from the schools.
Update: While no details of the planned construction were released — such as the projected costs, timeline or dimensions — a basic architectural rendering displayed in the Governor’s conference room showed four new buildings in the midst of the campus. Included are a new maintenance building, an agricultural lab and a wood shop; an Arkansas School for the Deaf wing; an Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired wing; and a new shared facility.
Sanders responded with an “ASAP” when asked the timeline for starting the project. The state is getting a “couple of different estimates,” she said.
“We want to get it right, but we want to do this as quickly as possible so students can start learning in a new facility and have access to the best facility possible,” she said. “We plan to get started very quickly and we’re going to move as fast as possible.”
Sanders said the campuses’ historic nature will be protected. The schools’ buildings, constructed on Markham Street in Little Rock, house 69 blind and 99 deaf students from around the state. The schools provide residential care during the school week and have transportation routes that cover the whole state.
Sanders and state legislators toured the schools’ grounds in November, and some lawmakers began sounding the alarm about the dilapidated condition of the buildings.
“Sadly, for far too long, our state has failed to keep its word,” Sanders said. “We are changing that.”
The plan is to keep the two schools as separate entities as they are now, but with shared common spaces, Sanders said, adding that one superintendent will oversee both campuses, with a separate principal for each school.
“There will be some shared services, like the dining hall. Some of the administrative services would be shared instead of separated as they are now so that we can have greater efficiency and better serve the student population,” Sanders said.
The dormitories will be upgraded but not replaced, Sanders said.
A new health facility that was planned several months ago will be integrated into the new construction, she said.
“There was significant damage to one of the health facilities, so the two schools now already have a shared health facility, but it is not up to standard,” Sanders said. “There will be a new health facility that will be shared by both campuses on the new campus once it’s completed.”
State Rep. Tippi McCullough (D-Little Rock) said in an interview after the announcement that she was very pleased with the promised new construction.
“It’s long overdue for some real positive things to happen over there besides the passion of the faculty, administration and the students and parents and the great history of the school,” McCullough said. “It’s certainly time. There’s so many things technology wise, state-of-the-art wise that can be done.”
McCullough said she’s anxious to see the process get started.“I feel like we should spend what we need to get the best possible school situation that we can,” she added.
Sanders told the crowd that $30 million had been put aside by the Legislature in 2021 for school improvements and more was likely coming in the near future.
“You can see by the demonstration of support right here,” she said, motioning to the bipartisan group of legislators surrounding her. “We have a shared commitment to make sure this project is seen through to its completion.”
In an interview after the announcement, state Sen. Clarke Tucker (D-Little Rock) said there’s broad recognition that the current state of the schools is unacceptable.
“We are prepared to spend a whole lot of money to repair the existing facilities and to create the kind of school these kids deserve,” Tucker said. “We don’t know what the price tag will be, but we are prepared to spend twice the amount that has already been earmarked for the campuses. It will be somewhere in that range. The commitment is there to see it through.”
The schools sit in Tucker’s and McCullough’s districts.
Sanders said the condition of the schools in the November tour left her “speechless.”
“We saw students for whom these schools were the only option for a quality education. We heard from parents and advocates who have worked for decades to improve this historic landmark establishment,” Sanders said. “All that stood in stark contrast with the campus itself: crumbling exteriors, leaking and drafty interiors, a vast piece of land overseen by just a handful of staff with significant security, health and safety concerns.”
Robert Fagan, chairman of the board for the School for the Deaf, told the crowd “duct tape and paper clips” were being used for repairs in some cases.
Following the November tour, Tucker posted photos on social media of the schools’ dilapidated walls and ceilings with peeling plaster.
Other social media posts talk about torn linoleum and caving roofs over an abandoned swimming pool.
Families’ fears that the schools could be consolidated or closed altogether were raised after the Department of Education sent students and parents a survey in late December seeking their opinions about the schools.
Tucker said Wednesday that the input of the schools’ families and the community will be vital as the project moves forward.
“What they communicated is they want a central campus on this historic location,” Tucker said. “We now have a commitment to make that happen.”
