Vocational programs top school board's agenda

GRAVETTE -- Students from the Gravette High School HOSA program, the DECA club and the gifted and talented program were present at the April meeting of the Gravette school board, with their advisors, and reported on their recent accomplishments. The students led the Pledge of Allegiance to open the meeting.

Financial director Bill Hayford said income was up more than $20,000 over this time last year and the district had received about 66 percent of budgeted revenue ($894,023 total revenue). He said the school should receive its new school bus in the next few days.

Richard Page, superintendent of schools, reported on a recent trip to Little Rock where local administrators explored funding options and visited the Arkansas Public School Resource Center. Page, high school principal Jay Chalk, school board president Jay Oliphant and Jeff Gravette, superintendent of Decatur schools, made the trip. Charter school options are being considered and funding is being sought from the Walton Family Foundation, Northwest Arkansas Community College and Workforce.

Since Gravette School District has already instituted two vocational programs on its own -- the heating, ventilation and air conditioning program and the certified nursing assistant program -- it could become a model for the state. Experts at APSRC have been impressed.

The vocational program tour included stops at Conway and Paris. The Conway career center staff said if it had only one program, it would be building trades. Its students build a house and auction it off each year. Administrators at Paris schools encouraged the visitors to involve students in career programs as early as middle school. Paris is seeking a regional center. They have three programs -- CNA, welding and megatronics -- and local industries help pay the students' tuition.

Page reported that the three hospital beds needed for the CNA program were all donated and that Jay Chalk has been chosen as a member of the construction trades task force which will meet in May. Chalk said he felt the school was making real progress on vocational programs. "We are seeing real results," he said. "We've got a game plan."

Decatur schools are interested in being involved and the name Western Benton County Career Center has been chosen as the name of a regional center. A concept plan statement was being prepared for submission to the APSRC. The HVAC and CNA programs are being developed, and expanding construction trades instruction seems to be most important. Physical and occupational therapy programs are also a possibility.

Board member Dan Yates recommended working closely with NWACC, and Jack Skillett also encouraged this cooperation, saying, "The community college is key."

Shannon Mitchell gave a report on the AP program. She said there were seven advanced programs and beginning May 5 she would be proctoring 70 AP exams. Students are also being offered online classes at no charge through the Arkansas virtual high school. AP classes have the prerequisite of a regular class.

Maintenance director Richard Carver reported on the annex renovation for the CNA program. He estimates a renovation cost of $62,000 for the 1,200 square foot space. He is seeking bids and awaiting engineers' plans to submit to the State Department of Education and then it will be one to three months before its approval is received.

Board members unanimously approved a salary proposal for the 2015-2016 school year with an increase of $500 to the base salary and the addition of a step to the certified salary schedule, a stipend for years of service. An increase of $4,000 to the food service supervisor was also approved.

Staff recommendations for 2015-2016 were also approved, with the addition of a half-time Title I reading specialist and half-time dyslexia interventionist. This staff person will receive four hours of summer training. Testing and assessment are being done to determine students in need of these services. All students below reading level can go to the reading specialist.

Personnel policies for certified and classified staff were unanimously approved.

Board members approved authorizing Richard Carver to seek bids on cameras for Glenn Duffy Elementary and Upper Elementary campuses. Most of the cost will come from the maintenance budget and part from the technology budget.

Approval was also given to the eRate contract. eRate services are federally funded and help schools pay for phone service, Internet hookups and superintendent Page's cell phone.

When the board reconvened at the end of its executive session, it accepted the resignations of Holly Wallace, aide; Sam Oswalt, resource teacher; and Robin Cannon, volleyball coach and physical education coach. All resignations are effective at the end of the current school year. The board also approved all classified rehires and voted unanimously to hire Jackie Riley as lead night-shift custodian, Ruth Kennedy as English as a Second Language coordinator and Shannon Burnett as Title I duty aide.

General News on 04/29/2015