JACKSONVILE, Ark. (KATV) — The Jacksonville North Pulaski School District is celebrating a decade of operating independently, marking 10 years since it officially took control of its schools on July 1, 2016.
While the district was established in 2014, Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Owoh said 2016 marked the beginning of local leadership over all schools in the Jacksonville North Pulaski area.
“It’s actually a little over ten because we became a school district in 2014, but we took control of the schools on July 1st, 2016, so we’re celebrating ten years of operating all schools in the Jacksonville North Pulaski area,” Owoh said.
Since then, district leaders say they have focused on preparing students for a wide range of careers by expanding academic offerings and career-focused programs.
“We have expanded our career pathways and academies,” Owoh said. “So a lot more instructional academic options for our young people.”
One of those opportunities comes through a partnership with the Academies of Central Arkansas, allowing students to earn industry certifications before graduating from high school.
For parent Jennifer Jamison, those programs have already made a difference.
“My daughter graduated in 2025. She went through our patient care tech certification,” Jamison said. “She’s able to work in the hospital and get hours because her plans are to become a physical therapist at some point.”
District leaders say investing in students also means investing in teachers.
Four years ago, Jacksonville North Pulaski partnered with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s teacher residency program to help future educators gain classroom experience while completing their degrees.
“We have this partnership with Jacksonville, where we are committed to sending residents up to them,” said Dr. Rachel Eells with UALR’s Department of Education. “They are committed to inviting our residents in and paying them to be there. So our residents, while they’re doing their year-long internship, are also doing things like working as substitutes or working as tutors or working as paraprofessionals so that they are already working for the district.”
The goal, Eells said, is to make the transition into teaching as seamless as possible.
“Our goal is to make it so that day one doesn’t feel like day one, because their day one would have been during their internship,” Eells said. “So when kids walk in on the first day of school, they’re going to see two teachers in their classroom: a mentor teacher and a resident.”
In addition to expanding educational opportunities, district leaders say every school in the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District now operates in a new or rebuilt facility, giving students and staff modern learning environments.