Personnel shifts tabled by NLR School Board

The North Little Rock School Board has delayed until its July 26 meeting a decision on reorganizing the district’s central office administration.

Interim Superintendent Bobby Acklin said Friday that the board tabled a vote on his proposed administrative changes at a special meeting and work session Thursday night, when the board also ratified Acklin’s one-year contract. The proposed changes include the appointment of Karli Saracini from executive director of human resources to assistant superintendent.

In addition to Saracini, Acklin has recommended that Darrick Williams, assistant principal at Meadow Park Elementary, be promoted to executive director of human resources.

Acklin is also proposing that Lori Smith, principal at Crestwood Elementary, become executive director of elementary curriculum, assessments and accountability. Previously, Rosie Coleman was the district’s director of elementary education, but she retired earlier this summer.

Also among the administrative changes are proposals that principals Shanda Coleman and Steve Orobona switch places, with Coleman moving to Boone Park Elementary and Orobona moving to Indian Hills Elementary.

The School Board selected Acklin to be the interim leader of the 8,000-student North Little Rock district last month.

His now board-ratified contract provides an annual salary of $175,000, he said Friday.

Acklin was an assistant superintendent in the district for 24 years before leaving the system in 2013 when he was appointed by then-Arkansas Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell to head the state-controlled Dollarway School District in Jefferson County.

He later served as superintendent of the Warren School District. Most recently he worked as a trainer for the Arkansas Public School Resource Center, assisting novice teachers in central Arkansas charter schools.

Acklin succeeds Superintendent Kelly Rodgers in the North Little Rock job. Rodgers and School Board members in early June signed a “Separation Agreement” in which the board committed to provide Rodgers with $213,000 in return for his June 30 resignation and his pledge not to sue the district.

Rodgers worked for the district for five years and had one school year left on what started as a three-year contract at the time of the separation agreement.

The $213,000 buyout consisted of Rodgers’ $185,000 annual salary plus $24,500 to his deferred compensation plan and $3,273.60 for 54.56 accrued, unused sick leave days.

Acklin was an assistant superintendent in the district for 24 years before leaving the system in 2013.