Chapter 7: The Implications of Colorblind Decision-Making About The Closure, Renovation or Rebuild of (Almost) Every School In North Little Rock, Arkansas

Scholarship on contemporary school closures suggests that conceptions of school failure, market-based competition and school choice, and fiscal concerns in urban and rural communities appear to be driving the upward trend of public school closure (Andrews, Duncombe, & Yinger, 2002; Deeds & Pattillo, 2015; Finnigan & Lavner, 2012; Post & Stambach, 1999; Siegel-Hawley, Bridges, & Shields, 2017). Leaders in the North Little Rock School District (NLRSD) did not create a plan to close schools in the context of school failure and fiscal crisis (i.e., because of low-performing schools or a state takeover) as was the case with prominent school closings in Philadelphia, Detroit, New York, and Chicago (Finnigan & Lavner, 2012; Kretchmar, 2014). However, budget concerns regarding the cost of maintaining old buildings that were not technology-ready—another reason for school closings nationally—led district leaders to create a plan for a rebirth of the district. Out of everything old, there would be something new, in the form of completely new or renovated buildings for nearly every school in the district. The new buildings would be built for the future—able to handle the technology and community space needs for teaching 21st century learners. The appearance, technology, access, and physical plant of each building would be equally advanced regardless of the neighborhood in which it was located.