GRAVETTE — The Gravette School Board meeting Sept. 20 was much shorter than normal but on its agenda was an important item of business, the approval of educational goals for the year.

The four-page document involves academic improvement, professional development, communications and fiscal responsibility. Each item was addressed with specific goals in mind, many of which are interrelated.

Under the heading of Academic Improvement, the emphasis was placed on seeing Gravette students exceed the Benchmark and End-of-Course assessments. And at the elementary level, seeing that student performance is at or above regional schools in basic skills.

Development of a “feedback loop” through curriculum/student assessment by building principals and counselors, emphasis on utilizing educational technology tools, enhancement of on-and-off campus vocational opportunities through career awareness days, enhancing parental involvement and expanding technical training at both the middle and high schools were stressed in the document.

Another goal is to provide an opportunity for high school students to tour college and university campuses, with the aim of at least 70 percent of those students attending postsecondary schools.

Parental involvement through recruiting, improving communication with families - whichincludes parents helping with homework - and integrating services available from the community continue as ongoing goals.

Professional Development

Another goal is to develop a plan for professional development through sessions of “Teachers as Trainers,” in which information is shared on classroom techniques, course management and planning.

Under the heading of “Communications,” the goal is to provide electronic communication district-wide, by continuing promotion of the district, inclusive of student activities, parental involvement calendars, school and student assessment data and a calendar of events updated monthly.

Posting school activities by August 15 on the school Web site and producing a semiannual newsletter highlighting accomplishments, academic achievements and student and athletic program information are part of the overall communication goal.

Finally, the document stresses attaining even better “financial responsibility,” with the aim being the budgeting process in February, utilizing cost comparison data, maintaining a minimum 10 percent carry-forward balance and exploring the restructuring process on amonth-by-month basis.

All of the above would be the responsibility of the various building principals, guidance counselors, technology director, superintendent and curriculum/federal programs coordinator as they relate to their respective departments.

Other Action

In other action, the board discussed and approved a $437,075 budget application for the Special Education Department.

This involves the salaries of nine teachers and 44 various line items necessary for the department’s operation.

Also approved was a 300-page Comprehensive School Improvement Plan involving many of the above goals. It was developed and assembled over several months through efforts of the building principals and school staff.

The board also approved the district’s annual agreement with the Ozark Guidance Center for its service to the school.

Following an executive session, the board accepted the resignation of Carla Hubanks, administrative secretary, effective Sept.

30. She has served in that position 11 years and is moving, said superintendent Andrea Kelly.

Finally, because of an unexpected increase in the number of eighth grade students enrolled, from 140 to 152, the board hired an eighth grade teacher to maintain the state-required student/ teacher ratio.

News, Pages 1 on 09/29/2010