GRAVETTE -- Sadie Scott, eighth grade character education winner at Gravette Middle School, attended the March meeting of the Gravette school board and led the Pledge of Allegiance to open the meeting. Duane Thomas, middle school principal, introduced Sadie and explained that the character word for the month was "honesty."
Bill Hayford, business manager, gave the financial report for February and reported the school intended to apply for a 21st Century grant again. Last year, $120,000 was received from the 21st Century grant. Funding for this year begins on June 1.
Robin Leonard gave a technology report and said the students really like the 518 Chromebooks now in use in the district. He reported the state will become the school's Internet provider, which will save approximately $1,200 over getting service from Cox. The switch over will be made in June or July. Leonard is currently investigating a new phone system for the school since the present one is 20 to 30 years old and finding parts will become more difficult. The phone system is out of voice mail boxes, so Leonard is now interviewing providers. He said there is currently $170,000 to $180,000 in the technology budget, not including salaries.
Richard Page, superintendent of schools, reported on his recent trip to Grand Rapids, Mich., to visit its school vocational program. Page's trip was paid by the Walton Family Foundation. He visited the Kent Career Tech Center, which is a satellite campus for the main center in Grand Rapids, and met with administrators there. There are about 125,000 students in Grand Rapids, in 25 high schools, and the career center is funded by a county-wide sales tax. He saw many interesting features, including a robot the students had built. He said the agri-science program makes about $25,000 a year from plant sales, and a construction class builds two houses a year. The program was well-funded, he noted, with lots of equipment and supplies.
Jay Chalk, high school principal, gave an update on the vocational program. He praised Superintendent Page for his presentation at the last consortium meeting in Bentonville on Feb. 18 and reported on his trip to CART (the Center for Advanced Research and Technology) in Clovis, Calif., Feb. 25 and 26, a secondary school operated in collaboration with the Fresno (Calif.) School District. He and Page met with administrators in Siloam Springs on March 4 about cooperating in a vocational program, and he said the response was very positive. On March 11, he received word that the school had been approved as a satellite center from career tech. The consortium was to meet at Gravette on Thursday, March 17, with financial officers from each school looking at funding options. He said some adult education classes were being considered, with a possible focus on veterans, but some local commitment and seed money are needed first. He reminded board members that special legislative sessions are coming up soon and presentations need to be prepared "for what we think should be passed."
Zane Vanderpool, principal at Glenn Duffy Elementary School, gave the preschool funding report and board members voted to approve his continuing to charge for the 10 tuition slots remaining in the program. Vanderpool noted that there are currently 44 children in the program and another 18 qualify for the tuition slots. He noted that it takes about $350,000 annually to run the program.
Richard Carver made a request to seek bids for new carpet in the performing arts center, and the request was approved unanimously. He received two bids for new cabinets in the middle school art room, and board members voted unanimously to accept the lowest bid of $9,450 from Moser Corporation to build and install the cabinets. Carver reported that repairing the current sound board in the performing arts center was not recommended, so he presented a bid of $5,959 from Associated Theatrical Contractors to replace the sound board and provide a four-hour training session. Board members voted unanimously to accept the bid.
The board voted unanimously to set a planning session for Tuesday, April 12, at 3 p.m.
Bill Hayford presented the 2014-15 audit report and the board voted to approve the report, with one member, Jay Oliphant, opposed.
Jay Chalk, high school principal, and Mandy Barrett, principal of Gravette Upper Elementary, presented plans for the summer school sessions at both schools. The high school summer program will run Mondays through Thursdays, June 6-30. Chalk said 26 students participated last year and the high school graduation rate went up from 78 percent to 90 percent. The GUE summer sessions will run Wednesdays through Fridays, June 6-24, with all funding paid through 21st Century funds. The summer lunch program will be providing meals, and a bus will run to bring students from the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club. Board members voted unanimously to approve both summer programs.
Stephanie Summerford, curriculum director, presented copies of the district's mathematics and language arts curriculum guides. She said much work had gone into preparing the guides which set standards in each subject and guides as to when each should be presented in the classroom and when each should be mastered. Board members voted unanimously to approve the curriculum guides.
Principal Chalk reported that the high school welding class had been approved as a satellite course by the Arkansas Career Education Department. He noted that 15 students from Bentonville have already signed up. Career education will provide an instructor and the equipment for the class, which will be open to students in the Western Benton County Career Consortium. Chalk said the school would have to pay for installing the welders and for the tools to work on them. He said he planned to see if some of the students' potential employers would help with the expense of supplies. Board members voted unanimously to approve the welding class.
Robin Leonard made a request to order 260 additional Chromebooks, 40 laptop computers and four carts, with funding to come from NSLA funds. Board members voted unanimously to approve the purchase.
Board members voted unanimously to approve a music stipend for Kris Schoeppy, music director, since a music and drama performance is scheduled for this school year.
Mandy Barrett, upper elementary principal, and two of her staff members gave a presentation on the Lions M.A.N.E. program, an alternative school program for students who exhibit academic and behavioral problems, including special education students. A need has been exhibited for this type of program because of some students who have disrupted entire classrooms. Teams of school-based therapists and paraprofessionals will review test scores and student records to determine which students qualify for therapeutic day treatment in a separate setting, with the goal to return such students to the regular classroom as soon as possible. Board members voted unanimously to approve the M.A.N.E. program.
The board moved into executive session at about 8:30 p.m. and returned to open session two hours later. After resuming the regular session, the board voted unanimously to accept the resignations of Candice Daniels, food service; Janet Oxford, custodian; Janet Harrelson, high school registrar; Gloria Calloway, bus driver; Ruth Hardy, food service; Gwynda Walker, librarian; Vernon Scott, middle school math teacher and basketball coach; and Kendra Stokes, high school math teacher.
Board members also voted to accept the recommendations of certified staff rehires presented by the principals at all schools. In other action, they voted unanimously to approve Superintendent Page's recommendation of administrative staff rehires and to approve a two-year contract renewal for Page; hire Kayla Ellison as a special education middle school resource teacher; hire Kristen May as a pre-K floating aide; hire Michelle Mulder as an upper elementary paraprofessional; hire Courtney Shoemake as a high school business teacher and FBLA sponsor; and name Taos Jones as dean of students for the 2016-2017 school year.
General News on 03/23/2016