GENTRY -- The Gentry School Board at its regular meeting held on March 21 approved the purchase of two new lawn tractors and a new school bus, in addition to approving a school calendar for the 2016-2017 school year.
The board compared the cost to purchase used lawn tractors from Fagan's Crossroads in Siloam Springs to the state-bid price for new lawn mowers. Though other lawn tractors were priced, the Grasshopper brand was selected because of its front deck and the ability to easily mow up close to buildings and edges.
Two 2011 Grasshopper front-deck mowers traded in by the Siloam Springs School District were offered to the Gentry District for a total price of $22,850. The information supplied by Fagan's Crossroads to Jason Barrett, maintenance and transportation supervisor for the district, said both mowers had less than 1,000 hours of service on them and would be in good repair and fully operational, with new tires, for the price. There would, however, be no warranty on the mowers.
State-bid prices on new Grasshopper mowers shared with the board in February ranged from $15,798 for a Model 725DT/3472 and accessories to $24,499 for a model 15B with PowerVac collection system. Jason Barrett suggested the school district needed two mowers, with the power vacuum system needed for the mower used on the athletic fields.
Randy Barrett, superintendent of the Gentry School District, initially suggested on March 21 the board consider purchasing one new mower and one used mower so that both mowers would not be the same age and be due for replacement at the same time in the future, but board members expressed apprehension about purchasing a used mower when for a few thousand dollars more, a new mower with a warranty could be purchased. Barrett then amended his recommendation to purchase two new mowers.
Jason Barrett said one used mower could be purchased for $10,500 and a new mower could be purchased for $14,543. The hydraulic deck lift and a grass collection system, Barrett said, were needed for mowing the athletic fields and would cost an additional $1,850.
Rather than purchasing a used mower, the board approved purchasing two new lawn tractors from the state bid and the needed grass collection system from Fagan's in Siloam Springs.
In February, the board decided to bring grass mowing and lawn care back in-house and hire a maintenance employee to do the work for the district, in addition to other maintenance duties at the schools.
New School Bus
Three bids were received for a new 2016 model, Type C, 77-passenger school bus for the district. The bids ranged from $89,302 to $94,895, with the low bid being from Midwest Bus Sales. The board approved accepting the low bid for a bus purchase.
Randy Barrett reported that the district was on course financially, with approximately $2.4 million in operation and maintenance funds, to finish out the school year with a $1.5 million carryover into the new school year.
Barrett also said architects were preparing plans for a new intermediate school facility and that plans would be ready to share with the public in informational meetings next month. The date of those public meetings has not yet been determined.
Extended Contracts
The board unanimously approved renewing contracts for the school district's administrative personnel for the 2016-1017 school year. Included in the contract extensions were: Gayla Wilmoth, primary school principal; Denise Waters, intermediate school principal; Larry Cozens, middle school principal; Brae Harper, high school principal; Angela Dennis, special education supervisor; Terrie Metz, federal/curriculum coordinator; and Judy Winslett, assistant superintendent.
The board unanimously approved the school calendar for the 2016-2017 school year which was recommended by the Personnel Policy Committee. The first day of student classes will be Aug. 15. A long list of policy changes were presented for a first reading. Most of the changes, according to Randy Barrett, were changes to policy statements to make the policy reflect the way the school district is actually doing things. Some also are necessary to keep the district in conformity with state law.
Personnel Matters
The district accepted the resignations of Jennifer McMurray, high school English teacher; Cheryl Rosborough, primary physical education teacher; Jamie Still, primary school kindergarten teacher; Kimberely Stewart, third grade teacher; and Deborah Donnell, night custodian at the high school.
Letter to the Board
A letter addressed to the school board by Gene James was acknowledged but not addressed at the March board meeting. James asked the board to reconsider school policy in regard to allowing student athletes to play in school sports when examined and cleared to play by a licensed physician. James complained in the public letter that school officials permitted the district's athletic trainer to keep his daughter from playing in a basketball game because of her diagnosis of a possible concussion when the family's physician had cleared his daughter and said she had not suffered a concussion and was fit to play. He acknowledged it was too late to be of benefit for his daughter but wanted the school board to set up a policy to govern such decisions in the future, giving a diagnosis of a licensed physician more weight than that of an athletic trainer, who is required by law to work under the supervision of a licensed physician.
General News on 03/23/2016