GRAVETTE -- A comment period was held at the opening of the June school board meeting to allow for discussion of the sale of school property for which the city has submitted a bid. Most citizens spoke in support of selling the property to the city.
Bill Hayford presented the May financial report to the board, including statements of assets, liabilities and fund balances. He reported the school had received the insurance check for damage resulting from a lightning strike. All utility bills were under budget this month except the natural gas, which was 3 percent over.
Richard Page, superintedent of schools, gave the attendance report. He said there were fluctuations on a daily basis, partly because there are two types of reports. The Average Daily Attendance Report is the report given to the board but figures are not always consistent with the Average Daily Membership Report.
Page also presented the board-goal report and thanked board member Susan Santos and school staff for their work on the goals. He said the board's "report card" looked pretty good, but no response was given for communication because it was felt that not enough communication was done with middle school students to inform them about higher education opportunities.
Page presented an update on vocational education efforts, reporting on the recent coop meeting. He said a Workforce Development Grant was being written by Northwest Arkansas Community College. He reported the school's letter of intent for a charter school had been accepted and new career development programs are being written in an attempt to make it easy for each student to get on a career track and to graduate. The school is asking for letters of support for a regional career center and Gov. Asa Hutchinson has responded favorably.
Taos Jones and Allison Schaffer presented a report on blended learning. Blended learning is available free through a program called Google Classroom, which has been implemented throughout the district this year. School districts are moving into using more technology all the time and the move just makes sense, Jones said. The technology team proposed purchasing Chrome Books to use in classes beginning in August. Students would have a Chrome Book to take home and student-based training videos have been made which are designed to help students become trainers for others. Board members voted to purchase Chrome Books, taking $25,000 from technology funds and the remainder, approximately $35,000, from student growth funds.
School board policy revisions were approved and board members voted unanimously to keep their terms of office at five years. The proposed budget for 2015-16 was also approved unanimously. No millage change is requested for the coming year.
Board members voted to advertise for bids to sell a 1993 International 71-passenger school bus. Sale of the bus was approved unanimously. Unanimous approval was also given to the purchase of a wireless access point for Gravette High School with funds to be paid from the technology budget. The proposed wireless access will allow for 100 connections per classroom.
The board moved into executive session at 8:35 and, when they returned to regular session, voted to approve three resignations, four teacher contracts and eight staff employment contracts for the coming school year. Resignations were accepted from Ben Onnen, after school program site director; Seanne Sain Farrar, high school teacher and counselor; and Andrea VanSandt, gifted and talented intructor.
Employment contracts were approved for Sandra Tun, high school Spanish teacher; Kris Schoeppey, high school and middle school choir teacher; Joe Stockton, high school social studies teacher; and Tina Wellesley, first grade teacher. Staff member contracts were approved for Jennifer Watson, secretary to the curriculum director; SangHyun (Joy) Kim, ESL aide and migrant tutor; Ashley Oosterman, after school program facilitator; Mark Heiner and Megan Crutchfield, after school program employees; Gordon Fisher and Ronald Theis, bus drivers; and Steven Bennett, custodian.
General News on 07/01/2015