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The Gould School District was a school district that operated public schools in Gould, Arkansas. Its territory is now a part of the Dumas School District. ==History== The Gould School District stated that in September 1964 Gould became the first previously-segregated school district in the United States to completely racially integrate.〔"(History )" ((Archive )). Gould School District. Retrieved on March 6, 2011.〕 The Encyclopedia of Arkansas stated that the district integrated in September 1967.〔"(Lincoln County )." Encyclopedia of Arkansas (Central Arkansas Library System). Last updated December 31, 2010. Retrieved on March 8, 2011.〕 In 1968, when the Gould School District started a night program at the Cummins Unit, an Arkansas Department of Correction prison.〔"(History And Description Of The Arkansas Correctional School )." Arkansas Correctional School. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.〕 Prior to 1991 the Gould School District, which by then had an almost completely black student body, had a transfer policy which allowed area residents to attend other schools. About 100 White children in the district boundaries used the policy to attend other schools. In 1991 the school board unanimously voted to end the program and ruled that students must attend Gould schools beginning in the fall of 1991. Many White parents protested the decision; some threatened to take legal action and some said that they would never send their children to Gould schools. Some area parents feared that the decision would lead to White families moving out of the school district and crippling the district's tax base. Alan Minor, the president of the Gould school board, said that it had no choice because the Arkansas State Board of Education withheld $200,000 ($ when adjusted for inflation) in bond revenues since the state believed that the Gould district was promoting segregation. Sharon Streett, the Arkansas Department of Education's chief legal counsel, said that the state does not want to be perceived to be promoting racial segregation. Minor said that he did not expect for very many additional White students to be enrolled in the fall of 1991, because he heard some parents state that they would move.〔"(Arkansas black school district ends liberal transfer policy )." ''Associated Press'' at the ''Bangor Daily News''. AM Line Weekend. Saturday-Sunday January 19–20, 1991. 19. Retrieved from Google News (114 of 187) on March 8, 2011.〕 In 2004 the Arkansas Legislature approved a law that forced school districts with fewer than 350 students apiece to consolidate with other districts.〔"(Dumas inherits Gould district’s deficit )." ((Archive )) Arkansas News. May 11, 2005. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.〕 A March 1, 2004 board meeting, board member Norvell Dixon advanced a resolution for consolidating with the Grady School District under the Provisions of Act 60. Another board member, Lee Dale, seconded the motion, which was carried. Another motion, advanced by Dale, stated that the new school board should be named the Lincoln County Special School District and that it should have five board members. Dixon seconded the notion, which carried.〔"(A MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE GOULD SCHOOL DISTRICT )." ((Archive )) Gould School District. Retrieved on March 6, 2011.〕 In May 2004 the state board of education rejected the voluntary proposal to consolidate the Grady district with the Gould district, because both school districts were majority African American and the merger would have violated federal desegregation laws.〔"(Board approves more consolidations )." ((Archive )) ''Arkansas News''. May 18, 2004. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.〕 Ronald S. Laurent, the superintendent of the Gould school district, said that merging with the Dumas School District was the board's second choice, because most Gould residents traveled to Dumas on a daily basis and had a familiarity with the Dumas community. Laurent argued that merging with Dumas was preferable to merging with the Star City School District, because Gould was from Dumas, while the distance between Gould and Star City is at or over . Laurent argued that the closer proximity would make it easier for Gould parents to be involved in their children's education. JoNell Caldwell, the chairperson of the state board of education, was in favor of the merger because she did not support an alternative arrangement of the Gould students traveling by school bus to their school.〔 Thomas Cox, the superintendent of the Dumas district, opposed the merger; in May 2004 he told the Arkansas Board of Education that it would increase the racial imbalance in the school district as African-American percentage of the Dumas district would increase from 64% to 68%. The former superintendent of the Gould district became an assistant superintendent of the Dumas district.〔 Luke Gordy, a state board of education member from Van Buren, also opposed the merger out of concerns with the racial makeup. Rhonda Mullikin, the superintendent of the Star City School District, opposed merging the Gould district with the Star City School District because Star City was already taking in students of the Grady school district and Mullikin said that she feared that the Star City school district could not handle the influx of students from another school district.〔 One week after the state voted down the proposed Gould-Grady merger, the state board of education narrowly voted in favor of consolidating the Gould district with the Dumas district. Caldwell broke the tie, voting in favor of the merger.〔 On July 1, 2004, the Gould district was merged into the Dumas district.〔"(Consolidation/Annexations of LEA's (1983-2010) )." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on March 6, 2011.〕 At the time of the merger, according to a June 30, 2004 audit report, the Gould district had a $322,873 deficit ($ when considering inflation). The Dumas district inherited the Gould district's deficit.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gould School District」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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