GENTRY — The Gentry School Board, on Monday, extended the contract of Randy Barrett, district superintendent, one year and transferred Judy Winslett from her current position as federal programs and curriculum coordinator to a new position as assistant superintendent of schools for the Gentry District.
In an email communication sent out to district staff by Barrett, he said: "The board accepted my reasoning that great possibilities exist for the future with the current reality of balancing college-preparedness with career-ready (education) and they accepted my recommendation to transfer Ms. Winslett from federal/curriculum coordinator to assistant superintendent."
Barrett said the position change was recommended to allow Winslett to focus on the work of establishing a charter school within the school district.
Barrett also told the board that he intends to retire at the close of the next contract year, June 30, 2016.
He said the transfer of Winslett, which was effective immediately, will create a vacancy in her current role for the 2015-16 school year and notified staff members with an administrator's license of the possibility of transferring into the position.
Barrett also recommended, and the board accepted, a proposal to make the transportation director overseer of the district's maintenance and facilities.
According to Barrett, "The board accepted my reasoning that there needs to be an increased accountability for oversight in our facilities' needs and accepted my recommendation, as a 'first reading' of policy, to expand the transportation director position to include maintenance and facilities oversight; i.e., revamp position to be transportation and maintenance director."
Barrett presented to the board several different options to meet facility needs, with special attention given to the intermediate school. He provided three possible scenarios as "food for thought" — including renovation of parts of the existing intermediate school facility, adding on to the middle school facility and building a new intermediate school on district land behind the primary school. No decision was made. The recommendation made was to include all three options in the school district's preliminary facility master plan. Should it become fiscally possible, interest was expressed on the board's part to pursue a new high school building, with that option possibly best meeting the district's needs.
The board had voted to pursue seeking public support to build a new high school facility at an approximate cost of $20 million, but the plan included an application to the state for approximately $5 million in assistance, a request which was denied.
The board evaluated Barrett's performance on Monday, using the goals it had established a year ago. The board determined that Barrett had met all its goals and extended his contract for another year. New goals will be set in the near future, using a new superintendent evaluation model being developed at the state level. The Gentry School District is assisting in the model as a pilot district.
Board goals used to evaluate Barrett's performance as district superintendent were:
Goal 1 — "Improve ACT scores in comparison to other 4A schools in Benton and Washington Counties (striving to achieve #1 status in all areas)."
Goal 2 — "Strive to maintain a 13 percent carryover balance and nothing less than 11 percent."
Goal 3 — "Continue to collaborate with board and strive to execute intent of the board. Keep the board informed of school-related issues and follow proper procedure."
Goal 4 — "Establish a committee of business leaders, parents and community members to meet regularly to increase school involvement in the community and vice versa."
Goal 5 — "Continue to show improvement in extracurricular activities with emphasis on high-profile sports and developing JV players. Provide a minimum of 10 games for JV basketball players."