Latest news with #ArkansasEducationalTelevisionCommission
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arkansas PBS announces executive director's departure next month
Arkansas PBS Executive Director and CEO Courtney Pledger (right) and Chief Financial Officer Jason Kunau (center) answer questions from a Senate committee about the network's finances on Thursday, February 13, 2025. At left is Maria Sullivan, a member of the Arkansas Educational Television Commission and wife of Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, who is sponsoring legislation to abolish the commission. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate) Arkansas PBS CEO and Executive Director Courtney Pledger, whose eight-year tenure included multiple conflicts with the state Legislature, will step down in May, the agency announced Thursday in a news release. Pledger took over the state's educational public television network in 2017. She 'leaves behind a legacy of transformative leadership and innovative growth across content, education, and community engagement,' the PBS news release states. In a statement, Pledger said she appreciated 'building a phenomenal team eager to take on new challenges and collaborating with some of the very best independent creators and community partners in Arkansas.' 'It has been my great honor to lead Arkansas PBS through a transformative time that points to the limitless potential of our statewide public media network,' said Pledger, who is also the vice chair of PBS' 27-member national board of directors. The 'transformative time' included the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Arkansas PBS broadened its resources for K-12 students while schools were closed. The agency also started providing live high school sports coverage and online archives of state government meetings during Pledger's tenure, according to the news release. 'Her tenure marked a deepening of Arkansas PBS's community relevance, with an expanded multi-platform presence, robust social media engagement, and popular in-person events,' the news release states. West Doss, chairman of the Arkansas Educational Television Commission, said in an interview that Pledger decided months ago to leave the agency. He said Pledger has been 'a big part of some incredible growth and new initiatives that we've done' and is 'well-respected by our commission.' The commission will meet Monday morning to discuss Pledger's departure, and applications to succeed her will be open soon, Doss said. In the past few years, Arkansas PBS has faced legislative obstacles to its ability to spend its money. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, has been the Legislature's most vocal critic of Arkansas PBS, and he unsuccessfully tried to reduce Arkansas PBS' spending authority in the 2022 and 2024 fiscal sessions. Arkansas PBS' funds include approximately $5.8 million from state general revenue, $2.5 million from the federal Corporation for Public Broadcasting and $1.7 million in private donations, agency Chief Financial Officer Jason Kunau said in February. Arkansas PBS' spending authority has repeatedly faced resistance in the Arkansas House. Appropriations need approval from three-fourths of lawmakers, and PBS' fiscal year 2026 appropriation required five attempts to get 76 House members' support. Earlier this year, Pledger urged lawmakers not to abolish the Arkansas Educational Television Commission, which oversees Arkansas PBS' programs and finances. A proposed law from Sullivan would have moved the commission's powers and authorities to the state Department of Education; Arkansas PBS is already under the department's umbrella but operates independently. The agency would have stood to lose funding via grants and donations if it no longer had an independent board, Pledger told a Senate committee. Sullivan disputed the claim that the agency could have lost funding for its services, which include the state's emergency alert system. However, the Department of Education would have faced an 'expensive and time-consuming' effort to obtain Arkansas PBS' Federal Communications Commission license if the agency's governance changed, according to a Washington, D.C. law firm that specializes in telecommunications law. Lawmakers OK fresh audit into Arkansas PBS' purchases, procedures as far back as July 2021 The agency came under legislative scrutiny in 2023 when its regularly scheduled 2022 audit indicated that administrators might have sidestepped state laws related to contract bidding. Purchases of more than $20,000 would have triggered a bidding process, and the network made several purchases just below that threshold from the same company, according to the 2022 audit. A specially requested audit of the network's expenditures, purchasing procedures and 'internal controls' from July 1, 2021 to Dec. 30, 2023, concluded last year, with auditors referring the findings to a prosecuting attorney. Pledger told lawmakers the agency had no intention to break or circumvent state law and had learned from its 'mistakes and errors.' While both audits remained unresolved, a legislative subcommittee tabled a potential merit pay raise for Pledger at Sullivan's urging in August 2023 and tabled an appropriation request from the agency later that year because Pledger had missed some scheduled appearances before committees. Lawmakers said her absence was disrespectful; the network's then-chief financial officer said Pledger missed a meeting due to illness. After the proposal to abolish the PBS commission passed the Senate in February, Doss and Sullivan said they reached an agreement that led Sullivan to leave the commission alone. The panel convenes four times a year and will next meet in June. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed Sullivan's wife, Maria Sullivan, to the Arkansas Educational Television Commission last year. Doss said Maria Sullivan is set to lead an Arkansas PBS task force aimed at better serving homeschoolers, which is a high priority for her husband. Discussion with bill sponsor 'saved' Arkansas PBS governing board from dissolution, chairman says
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas senator continues mission to eliminate State Library Board, cites unfulfilled bargain
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, presents Senate Bill 184 to the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs on Thursday, February 13, 2025 while Sen. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville, looks on. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate) A legislative proposal to dissolve the Arkansas State Library Board 'will remain on the table' after the board did not take action that bill sponsor Sen. Dan Sullivan requested, he told the Advocate Friday. The library board narrowly rejected two motions put forth by member Jason Rapert of Conway, Sullivan's former Senate colleague, during a special meeting Thursday. Later, the board passed a motion proposed by Lupe Peña de Martinez of Mabelvale, who said she 'trusted' that the Jonesboro Republican would respond by withdrawing Senate Bill 184 from consideration. As first written SB 184 would eliminate both the State Library Board and the Arkansas Educational Television Commission, which oversees Arkansas PBS, and transfer the boards' powers and authorities to the Arkansas Department of Education. Thursday's library board meeting came a week after Arkansas Educational Television Commission Chairman West Doss said a discussion he had with Sullivan 'saved the commission' from dissolution. Arkansas State Library Board approves proposal aimed at keeping it alive Sullivan has since said he is amending SB 184, which passed the Senate Feb. 17, to remove the Arkansas Educational Television Commission. An amendment hadn't been posted on the Legislature's bill monitoring website as of Friday evening. A House committee has yet to hear the bill. Library board member Peña de Martinez also spoke to Sullivan before last week's meeting. He told her he would 'pull' the bill if the board developed 'non-binding policies to protect children,' she said Thursday. The board voted 4-3 to pass the motion she introduced to create such policies. In an interview with the Advocate Friday, Sullivan said he told Peña de Martinez and other board members that his 'preference would be to see two things: that the library board have policies that protect children and that it disaffiliate itself from the American Library Association.' He was referring to the national nonprofit trade association that advocates for public libraries and helps them secure grant funding. It also accredits master's of library science degree programs. Peña de Martinez said Thursday that Sullivan's 'exact words' to her were ''Develop non-binding policies to protect children and I will pull Senate Bill 184'… at least two or three times.' On Friday, Peña de Martinez corrected herself and confirmed that Sullivan expressed both of his wishes in their conversation. She reiterated a concern she expressed at February's regularly scheduled board meeting: that she is not aware of any 'high-caliber' body that could replace the ALA in accrediting higher education programs for librarians in training. She also said she made Thursday's motion 'in good faith' and was 'disappointed' in Sullivan's response. 'I'm a lifelong educator,' she said. 'I want nothing more than to protect children, and I think I've been clear on that.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Rapert made both of the motions that the board rejected Thursday by the same 4-3 vote. One would have eliminated all references to the ALA from the board's documents; the other would have created an ad hoc committee of board members that would make recommendations to 'protect children from sexually explicit materials' in public libraries. The second motion would also have sought assistance from the Department of Education and the state attorney general to compile rules for the board to adopt in order to withhold state funds from libraries where 'sexually explicit' content is within children's reach. All three of Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' appointees to the library board — Rapert, Shari Bales of Hot Springs and Sydney McKenzie of Rogers — voted against Peña de Martinez's motion and voted for Rapert's motions. McKenzie is the newest member and the wife of Rep. Brit McKenzie, R-Rogers. Pam Meridith of Cherokee Village and Jo Ann Campbell of Fort Smith joined Peña de Martinez and board chairwoman Deborah Knox of Mountain Home in voting for the motion that passed while opposing the two from Rapert. 'I could simply not support Mr. Rapert's motions yesterday, even though that probably does spell the end of our board,' Knox said in an interview Friday. Knox also said she was not sure what the State Library Board could do to satisfy Sullivan besides its passage of Peña de Martinez's motion. Sullivan acknowledged Friday that 'non-binding policy' is 'all they can do.' Peña de Martinez's motion specified that the policies to be developed will honor 'the constitutional and legislative principles of intellectual freedom, including First Amendment protections.' It also emphasized that libraries are required to 'exercise due care in [the] selection, classification and access for materials.' Knox said the First Amendment language 'was a very important part of the motion' since Rapert's attempts to regulate where 'sexually explicit' books are located 'really interferes with the First Amendment right people have to go to the public library and choose the books of their choice.' She also said local libraries do 'very well' at protecting children from inappropriate content 'because I think they know how to classify their books and house them appropriately.' Meredith made a similar comment Thursday, but Rapert disputed this point and decried Peña de Martinez's motion as 'senseless.' 'You all would love to do something non-binding because it has no effect. It does nothing,' Rapert said. 'You have no intention of protecting Arkansas children.' Campbell mentioned that Rapert's motion to create a committee focused on governing libraries' management of explicit materials included the phrase 'non-binding guidance.' 'I'm sorry, this is a library board: can't we read?' Rapert replied. 'It is an agenda item. That's not a motion.' Knox said Friday she agreed with Peña de Martinez that the motion the board approved should have fulfilled Sullivan's wishes. Sullivan, however, told the Advocate the board made a 'conscious choice' that was 'just the opposite' of the Arkansas Educational Television Commission's actions. 'When the state says our policy is the safety and protection of children … that's what the library board should do,' the Jonesboro Republican said. If librarians already do well at protecting children, as one board member put it, 'how hard is it to develop guidelines to make sure you're doing what you say you're doing?' 'My goal is to eliminate the state library board,' he said. Rapert has repeatedly pushed for defunding libraries where minors can access inappropriate content, and he has said the State Library Board should be abolished for not supporting these efforts. At February's regular meeting, Rapert proposed that the State Library remove the ALA from its policies detailing its power to fund public libraries and scholarships for aspiring librarians. The board rejected the proposal. Rapert and Sullivan have both criticized the statement within the ALA's Library Bill of Rights that access to libraries should not be restricted based on a person's age. Far-right conservatives nationwide who object to the public availability of certain content have claimed this is proof that the ALA believes in forcing content about sexual activity and LGBTQ+ topics onto children. Emily Drabinski, ALA's president in 2023, called herself a Marxist in a 2022 tweet after being elected into the role. Rapert and Sullivan have said this means the ALA supports a political agenda and expects libraries to do the same. Sullivan mentioned Drabinski's tweet in a February committee hearing over a bill he sponsored that is now Act 242 of 2025. The law removes the state's requirement for public library directors in Arkansas to hold a master's degree 'from an accredited American Library Association program,' and allows someone with 'work experience in the field of library operations' but without a master's degree to run a library with approval from its local governing board. Bill to loosen education requirement for public library directors heads to Arkansas House Knox said Friday that 'one outspoken president' of ALA does not represent the organization as a whole and she could not 'in good conscience' support cutting Arkansas' ties to a group that helps local libraries. Peña de Martinez agreed, saying 'the last thing we want is to dilute education.' 'We say we're an education state,' she said, referring to a comment Sanders has made several times, 'yet we want to reduce the qualifications for librarians. It's nonsensical to me that the political leanings of one former head of an organization would be enough for us in Arkansas to completely disregard the accreditation standards.' State libraries in some Republican-led states, including Missouri and Texas, cut ties with the ALA in 2023, and other states have made similar efforts since then. Late Wednesday night, Sullivan submitted an amendment to House Bill 1127, the bill to give the Arkansas State Library its spending authority for fiscal year 2026. If the bill becomes law with the amendment included, the State Library would not be allowed to 'budget, allocate, or expend any funding to any library' that is affiliated with the ALA, including as a member; refers to the ALA in any of its official documents; or 'makes payments or grants of any kind' to the organization.' A bill with a similar mandate for Iowa libraries has been advancing in that state's legislature , according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. The bill includes a ban on funding libraries affiliated with the state's chapter of ALA, the Iowa Library Association. HB1127 amendment 3.12.25 Sullivan once said the Arkansas Legislature should defund the Arkansas Library Association, which does not receive state funding. The Joint Budget Committee adopted Sullivan's amendment to HB 1127 Thursday morning. Rapert informed the Arkansas State Library Board of the amendment at Thursday's meeting and said it should have motivated the board to detach the State Library from the ALA. Joint Budget's Special Language subcommittee will be responsible for approving the amendment before the committee votes on the entirety of HB 1127. The subcommittee's next meeting will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday. After his ALA-related motion failed Thursday, Rapert said the board had 'sunk' itself and would 'walk the plank.' He also said Arkansas PBS 'at least was smart enough in their commission to make some changes.' Doss, the commission chairman, explained those changes in an interview Friday, saying he hopes Sullivan can be 'an asset' to Arkansas PBS. Sullivan's 'hot buttons' include 'corporate governance' and services for homeschooled children, and Arkansas PBS will focus on how best to handle both of those things, Doss said. Sanders appointed Sullivan's wife, Maria Sullivan, to the Arkansas Educational Television Commission last year. Doss said Maria Sullivan is set to lead an Arkansas PBS task force aimed at better serving homeschoolers. 'We hope we're well on the way to healing all around, and we'll continue to build PBS,' Doss said. He said at the commission's March 6 meeting that the agency would be 'a propaganda arm for whoever is in power,' regardless of the dominant political party, if it were no longer governed independently of the Department of Education. Sullivan told his colleagues the same day that he had drafted an amendment to remove Arkansas PBS from SB 184. As of Friday afternoon, the amendment was not available on the Legislature's website, and Sullivan has not filed any new legislation pertaining to the State Library. 'We've come up with a resolution I think we can work together on,' Sullivan said just before the Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 64, Arkansas PBS' fiscal 2026 spending authority. Discussion with bill sponsor 'saved' Arkansas PBS governing board from dissolution, chairman says SB 64 failed on the House floor Wednesday but can be taken up as many times as needed before the end of the legislative session next month. Appropriation bills need three-fourths of each chamber's approval, and the House voted three times each to pass the agency's fiscal 2023 and 2025 appropriations. Sullivan unsuccessfully tried to reduce Arkansas PBS' spending authority in the 2022 and 2024 fiscal sessions. He has been a vocal critic of Arkansas PBS, particularly since its regularly scheduled 2022 audit indicated that administrators might have sidestepped state laws related to contract bidding. A specially requested audit that concluded last year led auditors to forward the findings to a prosecuting attorney. Arkansas PBS CEO Courtney Pledger told lawmakers in September that the agency had learned from its 'mistakes and errors.' Editor Sonny Albarado contributed to this story. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Discussion with bill sponsor ‘saved' Arkansas PBS governing board from dissolution, chairman says
West Doss, chairman of the Arkansas Educational Television Commission, addresses the commission during its quarterly meeting on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Screenshot via livestream) A proposal to eliminate the governing board that oversees educational public television programs in Arkansas is not likely to advance further in the Legislature, the board chairman said Thursday. The Arkansas Educational Television Commission oversees Arkansas PBS programs and finances and acts independently of the Arkansas Department of Education despite operating under its umbrella. Senate Bill 184, which passed the Senate in February, would abolish the commission and transfer its powers and authorities to the education department. At the commission's quarterly meeting Thursday, Chairman West Doss said he came to 'an understanding' with SB 184's sponsor, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Jonesboro, earlier that morning. 'I'm passionate about education, I'm passionate about what this commission has done, and I will fight for it every minute of the day, so that's what we were doing,' Doss said. 'Maybe we didn't have all the I's dotted and the T's crossed, but we have saved the commission now. We've saved the work that we are doing.' Sullivan has been a vocal critic of Arkansas PBS, particularly since its regularly scheduled 2022 audit indicated that administrators might have sidestepped state laws related to contract bidding, and a specially requested audit that concluded last year led auditors to forward the findings to a prosecuting attorney. Proposal to eliminate Arkansas State Library and PBS governing boards passes Senate Arkansas PBS CEO Courtney Pledger told lawmakers in September that the agency had learned from its 'mistakes and errors,' but Sullivan told the Senate the commission should have taken action in response to the audit findings. Twenty-three Republican senators voted to approve SB 184 on Feb. 17, but the House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs has yet to take up the bill for discussion. Committee chairman Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, R-Paragould, told the Advocate Wednesday that Sullivan anticipated an amendment to the bill and had requested it not to be heard yet. Bills are considered deferred in a committee if they are not heard for three meetings in a row, and sponsors must give two days' notice to remove a bill from the deferred list. Arkansas PBS could lose both federal and private funding, limiting its ability to provide public programming, if its governance is no longer independent of the state's executive branch, Pledger and other opponents of SB 184 have said. The dissolution of the commission would also cause 'far-reaching legal and practical problems' for Arkansas PBS and the state itself, according to a Feb. 27 letter to the agency from a Washington, D.C. law firm that specializes in telecommunications law. The Advocate received the letter via the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. 'If the Arkansas Secretary of Education (or any other elected official or individual appointed to serve at the pleasure of an elected official) has the power directly to control the broadcast stations, there would be little question that the Secretary was directly involved in the state's political and administrative process,' wrote Margaret Miller of Gray Miller Persh. 'He would in fact be a political officer of the state.' AETC State Reorganization Letter Miller also said the Federal Communications Commission might require every new Arkansas education secretary in the future to go through 'the whole expensive and time-consuming transfer process' of obtaining Arkansas PBS' FCC license. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette first reported on the letter Feb. 28. In response to questions Thursday from commissioner Gary Newton, Doss said he directed Pledger to seek the expert legal opinion on short notice because the commission and the agency were 'facing extinction.' 'If we put [Arkansas PBS] under a political entity, such as the head of the Department of Education, appointed by the governor… they are political animals, and Arkansas PBS becomes a propaganda arm for whoever is in power, whether it's the Republicans or it's the Democrats or it's the Green Party or whoever, and that's the reason we're an independent commission,' Doss said. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed Sullivan's wife, Maria Sullivan, and Newton to the Arkansas Educational Television Commission last year. Newton said he disapproved of Doss apparently speaking for the whole commission in his discussion with Sullivan about SB 184. He also said he was 'disappointed' to learn about the letter from a news outlet instead of from Arkansas PBS leadership. 'For that subject to not be on the agenda, it feels like it's being kept from the very commissioners whose role on this commission is at stake with the passage of SB 184,' Newton said. Doss continued to defend his and Pledger's request for the opinion and said his discussion with Sullivan 'avoided a potential tragedy.' 'As far as I'm concerned, and [as far as] I think Sen. Sullivan's concerned, it's over right now,' said Doss, who could not be reached for further comment Thursday after the meeting. Sullivan refused to answer questions from the Advocate about his conversation with Doss. He said the Advocate 'rarely prints anything as accurately' as he would prefer. SB 184 would also abolish the Arkansas State Library Board, which oversees public libraries and disburses state funds to them on a quarterly basis. Sullivan has been critical of the State Library Board and its relationship with the American Library Association, a nonprofit trade organization that advocates for public libraries and helps them secure grant funding. The commission later adopted a motion by Newton directing Pledger and her staff to work with the education department to make PBS' 'rich library' of professional development videos available to homeschoolers and private school teachers as well as public and charter school educators. Commissioners also adopted several motions from Newton directing PBS executives and staff to work with the education department to explore the potential development of broadcast quality videos highlighting high-wage Arkansas industries and job availabilities and videos based on the 'science of reading' to help young learners and those struggling with literacy. Another Newton motion directed PBS staff to develop an evaluation tool for assessing whether the network's programming meets AETN's mission as described in law, whether it or something comparable is available on the commercial market, 'how educational is it,' and 'how Arkansas is it.' Commissioners also approved it. 'The overall goal [of the flurry of motions] is to try to demonstrate relevance … and that we as a commission are doing our jobs,' Newton said. Arkansas Advocate Editor Sonny Albarado contributed to this story. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposal to eliminate Arkansas State Library and PBS governing boards passes Senate
From left: Arkansas Sens. Mark Johnson, R-Ferndale; Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro; Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville; and Terry Rice, R-Waldron listen to debate on the Senate floor on Monday, February 17, 2025. The Senate passed a bill Sullivan sponsored that would abolish the Arkansas State Library Board and the Arkansas Educational Television Commission. Leding voted against the bill while Johnson and Rice voted for it. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) A proposal to abolish the boards that oversee public libraries and educational public television programs in Arkansas passed the state Senate on Monday and will go to the House next. Twenty-three Republican senators voted to approve Senate Bill 184, which would transfer the powers and authorities of the Arkansas State Library Board and the Arkansas Educational Television Commission to the state Department of Education. The Arkansas State Library Board oversees public libraries and disburses state funds to them on a quarterly basis, and the Arkansas Educational Television Commission oversees Arkansas PBS' programs and finances. Both boards are already under the umbrella of the education department but act independently. Similarly to Thursday's meeting of the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs, lawmakers spent more time Monday debating the bill's potential impact on Arkansas PBS than on the Arkansas State Library. Democratic Sens. Jamie Scott of North Little Rock and Clarke Tucker of Little Rock expressed concerns that Arkansas PBS would lose both federal and private funding if its governance were no longer independent of the executive branch. CEO and Executive Director Courtney Pledger made similar comments Thursday before the committee; Tucker was the only panel member to vote against SB 184. Arkansas PBS' funds include approximately $5.8 million from state general revenue, $2.5 million from the federal Corporation for Public Broadcasting and $1.7 million in private donations, agency Chief Financial Officer Jason Kunau said Thursday. 'Local projects that tell the stories of Arkansan people and their stories and their histories and their struggles — those stories could be lost if they lose this funding,' Scott said. Tucker noted that the education department would have to apply for the network's Federal Communications Commission license, which the Arkansas Educational Television Commission currently holds. He also mentioned that Arkansas PBS provides emergency alerts throughout the state, and Scott added that funding cuts would hurt PBS' ability to broadcast high school sports. Sen. Terry Rice, R-Waldron, asked Scott if she was 'familiar with the audit findings' that put Arkansas PBS under legislative scrutiny in 2023. Its regularly scheduled 2022 audit indicated that administrators might have sidestepped state laws related to contract bidding. Scott said she was 'aware that the audit finding was bad' but did not think dissolving the network's board was the solution. A specially requested audit of the network's expenditures, purchasing procedures and 'internal controls' from July 1, 2021 to Dec. 30, 2023, concluded last year, with auditors referring the findings to a prosecuting attorney. Pledger told lawmakers in September that the agency had learned from its 'mistakes and errors.' Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, is the sponsor of SB 184 and one of the Legislature's most vocal critics of Arkansas PBS. He told the Senate that both the Arkansas Educational Television Commission and the Arkansas State Library Board should have taken action in situations that drew concern from lawmakers and members of the public. 'Our libraries are great resources. AETN and PBS are great resources,' Sullivan said. 'They're not operating well. There's poor leadership, and that poor leadership falls to the board.' Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed Sullivan's wife, Maria, to the Arkansas Educational Television Commission last June. Arkansas State Library Board refuses to reject American Library Association, withhold funds The State Library Board held its first quarterly meeting of 2025 on Friday. Former Republican Sen. Jason Rapert of Conway urged his fellow board members to reject the American Library Association and to withhold funds from libraries where 'sexually explicit' content is accessible by children. Both motions failed. Sullivan criticized the State Library Board for its continued relationship with the American Library Association, which is a nonprofit trade organization that advocates for public libraries and helps them secure grant funding. Rapert and Sullivan have both repeatedly decried ALA's statement that access to libraries should not be restricted based on a person's age. Far-right conservatives nationwide have claimed this statement is proof that the ALA believes in forcing content about sexual activity and LGBTQ+ topics onto children. Sullivan said Monday that ALA's stated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is a reason to detach from the organization. He is sponsoring Senate Bill 3, which is on Sanders' desk and would 'prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment' by public entities in Arkansas if she signs it. He is also sponsoring Senate Bill 181, which is expected to be heard in committee Tuesday. The bill would loosen the current requirement that library directors hold a master's degree 'from an accredited American Library Association program.' It also would allow someone with 'work experience in the field of library operations' but without a master's degree to run a library with approval from its local governing board. Sullivan told his colleagues that any emails they've gotten urging them to vote against SB 184 are mostly 'false' and a result of 'mass hysteria.' Arkansas PBS is based at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, which is represented by Sen. Mark Johnson, R-Ferndale. Johnson said one reason he supported the bill was because the Arkansas PBS Foundation has been lobbying him to vote against it. 'I'm not against lobbyists, I used to be one, but I think there should be a line between what private people do with their money… and when funds that are raised to support an institution such as this [are] channeled to hire lobbyists to come defeat specific legislation,' Johnson said. 'I'm bothered, and I would be bothered by it if it were something unrelated to this entity.' Republican Sens. Jane English of North Little Rock and Jimmy Hickey of Texarkana joined the chamber's six Democrats in voting against SB 184. Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, was absent. Three Republican senators did not vote: Alan Clark of Lonsdale, Jim Dotson of Bentonville and Missy Irvin of Mountain View. Irvin declined to comment when asked why she did not vote. She and Tucker agreed during the debate that the Legislature has the power to restructure the Arkansas Educational Television Commission without abolishing it, such as shortening members' eight-year terms or removing the eight current members to allow the governor to replace them. Arkansas State Library Board members also serve eight-year terms. Sanders' most recent appointment to the board is Sydney McKenzie, wife of state Rep. Brit McKenzie, R-Rogers. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas committee advances bill to abolish state library and PBS oversight boards
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, presents a bill to the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs on Thursday, February 13, 2025 while Sen. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville, looks on. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate) An Arkansas Senate committee on Thursday advanced a proposal to abolish the state boards that oversee public libraries and educational public television programs. The full Senate will be next to hear Senate Bill 184, which would transfer the powers and authorities of the Arkansas State Library Board and the Arkansas Educational Television Commission to the state Department of Education. Both are already under the umbrella of the department but act independently. Bill sponsor Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, was among the five members of the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs to vote to pass SB 184. He said the two boards 'are very ineffective' despite handling business for two 'very consequential' institutions. 'I think they would function better under the Department of Education and [be] more aligned with what the goals and missions of the legislative and executive branches do,' Sullivan said. 'We fund them, we give them their money and we appropriate that money, and I expect these organizations to align their functions with how we allocate the funds.' The Arkansas State Library Board oversees public libraries and disburses state funds to them on a quarterly basis, and the Arkansas Educational Television Commission oversees Arkansas PBS' programs and finances. SB 184 would not affect the funding or operations of Arkansas PBS or public libraries, Sullivan said. His wife, Maria Sullivan, has been on the Arkansas Educational Television Commission since June 2024, appointed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Sen. Clarke Tucker of Little Rock, the committee's only Democrat, voted against the bill. He said he believed the Arkansas State Library and Arkansas PBS should continue to have oversight that is independent of the Department of Education. 'The justification we have been given [for this bill] is just efficiency or alignment, and that's just not a good enough reason,' Tucker said. Misty Hawkins, executive director of the Arkansas River Valley Regional Library System, was one of two people and the only librarian to speak against SB 184. No members of the public spoke for the bill. Hawkins said eliminating the State Library Board would threaten millions in federal grant funding that Arkansas receives from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. She also said SB 184 clashes with Sanders' Arkansas Forward initiative, which aims to increase government efficiency. 'At this point, it remains unclear what specific problems this legislation seeks to fix or whether actual professionals in the [library] field were even consulted in the process,' Hawkins said. Sullivan has been openly critical of public libraries and Arkansas PBS, and in recent years has sponsored legislation that would directly impact the finances and operations of both entities. He unsuccessfully tried to reduce Arkansas PBS' spending authority in the 2022 and 2024 fiscal sessions. In 2023, Sullivan said the Legislature should defund the Arkansas Library Association, which receives no state funds. ArLA is the state chapter of the American Library Association, a nonprofit trade organization that advocates for public libraries and helps them secure grant funding. Another bill Sullivan is sponsoring, SB 181, would loosen the current requirement that library directors hold a master's degree 'from an accredited American Library Association program.' The bill would allow someone with 'work experience in the field of library operations' but without a master's degree to run a library with approval from its local governing board. It has yet to be heard by a committee. Sullivan also has said the Legislature should 'eliminate all the funding for public libraries that have the American Library Association in their policy' during this year's legislative session. So far no lawmakers have filed a bill to create this policy. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Sullivan's former Senate colleague, Jason Rapert of Conway, has been a member of the State Library Board since December 2023 and has repeatedly expressed support for its elimination. Rapert's fellow board members have rejected his attempts to withhold funds from libraries with 'sexually explicit' content accessible to children. Act 372 of 2023, sponsored by Sullivan, would have given elected officials the final say over whether to relocate challenged library materials some consider 'obscene' and made librarians legally liable for disseminating such materials. Parts of the law were temporarily and later permanently blocked by a federal judge; Attorney General Tim Griffin appealed the ruling last month. Arkansas PBS CEO Courtney Pledger spoke against SB 184, saying the agency would stand to lose funding via grants and donations if it no longer has an independent board. Arkansas PBS' funds include approximately $5.8 million from state general revenue, $2.5 million from the federal Corporation for Public Broadcasting and $1.7 million in private donations, CFO Jason Kunau said. Losing funding would limit the network's capacity to provide educational programming, particularly for children, as well as local sports broadcasts and emergency alerts, Pledger said. 'The bill threatens these essential services by transferring us to a department that, by nature, must have and does have other priorities,' Pledger said. '…Arkansas PBS is serving our Arkansas community increasingly well, and I would ask why we would disrupt a respected institution that is an example of efficient and cost-effective governance.' Members of the Arkansas House mentioned PBS' emergency alert system as an essential service during last year's fiscal session when several members initially voted against the network's fiscal year 2025 appropriation bill. The House voted the maximum of three times before the bill passed, as it had done in the 2022 fiscal session. The Arkansas Educational Television Commission holds the network's Federal Communications Commission license. Abolishing the board would require the Department of Education to go through the time-consuming and detailed license application process, Pledger said. Sullivan said the only problem he could find in Pledger's comments was that Arkansas PBS would 'have to work really hard' to adjust to any changes that would come from abolishing its governing board. Arkansas House passes PBS appropriation after three votes for second consecutive fiscal session 'To say, 'I'm afraid that my funding will be affected'… is strictly a scare tactic,' Sullivan said. He also mentioned the audits of Arkansas PBS' finances that brought the network under legislative scrutiny in 2023. Its regularly scheduled 2022 audit indicated that administrators might have sidestepped state laws related to contract bidding. A specially requested audit of the network's expenditures, purchasing procedures and 'internal controls' from July 1, 2021 to Dec. 30, 2023, concluded last year, with auditors referring the findings to a prosecuting attorney. Pledger told lawmakers in September that the agency had learned from its 'mistakes and errors.' Sullivan asked Pledger and other PBS officials last year if the network measures increases in students' learning, test scores and the quality of Arkansas schools based on the reach of its grant-funded supplementary education programs. Pledger said she did not have a concrete way to measure those things.
