Little Rock college gets federal money to pay faculty, staff after 10-day delay

Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock missed its April payroll, something interim President Howard Gibson attributed to "delayed" payment of federal money.
Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock missed its April payroll, something interim President Howard Gibson attributed to "delayed" payment of federal money.

Arkansas Baptist College has received federal money that had been withheld, allowing it to issue paychecks to faculty and staff after a 10-day delay, the college said Friday.

The private, historically black college in Little Rock had been unable to pay employees after the U.S. Department of Treasury “delayed” its federal funding, the school’s interim president, Howard Gibson, said in a short statement last week. Arkansas Baptist relies heavily on U.S. Department of Education money to make ends meet.

“We are happy to announce that all faculty and staff have been paid,” Gibson said in a brief statement Friday. “We regret any inconvenience this delayed transaction has caused our employees.”

An "operational assessment" by the Wesley Peachtree Group obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette stated the college misspent hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal money and "is in a serious financial crisis."

Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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