GENTRY -- The school board reorganized at its Sept. 28 meeting in the Pioneer Activities Complex, the first meeting following the Sept. 15 school board election in which Nikki Rayburn-Still defeated incumbent Clarence Kreger by 10 votes, 31 to 21, to take over the Zone 3 post.
In votes by the board, Coye Cripps was elected board president, replacing Jim Barnes; David Williamson was elected vice president; Dani Cypert was elected secretary and alternate disbursing officer; and Randall Bolinger was elected as disbursing officer.
Randy Barrett, district superintendent, was again appointed to represent the board as its ex-officio financial secretary and the board's legal and fiscal agent.
The Gentry School Board was informed that the Arkansas Department of Education has approved the district's waiver request in regard to using the ABCDF grading system, the length of school days and teacher licensure for a class in diesel mechanics only. The waiver is good for five years, according to a letter from the ADE.
A waiver to comply with ADE Rules Governing Standards for Accreditation was denied.
The waiver will make it possible for the school district to offer a diesel mechanics' course even before a conversion charter school can begin, and a second semester class is being considered. If an instructor cannot be supplied through Northwest Arkansas Community College or another college, a diesel mechanic without teacher licensure could be hired to teach the class, according to Judy Winslett, assistant superintendent of the Gentry School District.
Winslett reported to the board on the steps she is taking to move the school district forward in its plans to obtain a charter school and to offer classes in a variety of fields to better prepare high school graduates to obtain gainful employment upon graduation. She reported progress in discussions with local business and industry.
She also reported on an informational public meeting scheduled for Nov. 3 at the Pioneer Activities Complex. The public meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., with everyone invited to attend.
Barrett reported on the transfer of funds into the building fund to bring the operational fund at the close of the last school fiscal year to an ending balance close to $1.5 million, a requirement of the state board of education to keep the district from being viewed as in fiscal distress. If the ending balance would have been left higher and the district finished the new fiscal year with a lesser balance, that could put the district back under the close scrutiny of the state because of a declining ending balance. To avoid that scenario, the district moved approximately $300,000 from the operating funds to the building fund.
The board adopted a budget for the current school year which, according to Barrett, is very similar to last year's budget. He reported teacher salaries would use up approximately $6 million, with classified salaries adding up to about $3 million. He said the new budget would again keep the district on track to finishing the school year with approximately $1.5 million left in the operating fund to carry over into the next year. He also reported an increase in student population of approximately 20 students, which will increase guaranteed funding by the state.
Patrick Lanford, the teacher and facilitator for Gentry's new EAST Initiative, invited the board to EAST Night Out, an event showcasing and celebrating the new Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) program in the district. Students will be on hand to demonstrate some of their current learning projects. The open-house event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the EAST Classroom, Room 202, at Gentry High School.
General News on 10/07/2015