GRAVETTE -- Robin Hilger, HOSA Club sponsor at Gravette High School, and two of her HOSA students, Amy Whiteside and Kade Jarvis, attended the April 16 meeting of the Gravette school board. Whiteside and Jarvis led the Pledge of Allegiance to open the meeting. Hilger reported that HOSA students did well at state competition in Hot Springs and 12 qualified for nationals. Nine local HOSA students and their chaperones will travel to Dallas for national competition June 27 to July 1. School board members voted to approve the trip and authorized spending $100 per student to help pay for the hotel rooms. The HOSA Club will hold a hamburger fry May 11 to help finance the trip.
Dennis Kurczek, business manager, gave the financial report for March. He reported that 82.2 percent of the school budget is spent for salaries, 75 percent for teachers' salaries. Board member Jay Oliphant commented that "teachers are the most important asset in the district" so he wanted to invest in the teachers and "make sure our principals can attract the best and the brightest." Board members voted to approve the legislative audit after hearing Kurczek's report.
After adjourning for a short executive session, board members returned to regular session and voted to accept the resignations of Charles Zutell, bus driver, effective April 4, 2018; Jennifer Merriman, fourth-grade teacher, and Sharla Heltzel, assistant superintendent, effective at the end of the current school year; and Pam Page, gifted and talented director, effective May 19. Approval was given to hiring James Brooks and Carl Farrister as bus drivers for the remainder of the current school year. Board members also voted to approve classified staff rehires for the 2018-2019 school year, to revise custodial staff employment contracts from 260 days to 245 days, revise the transportation secretary's contract from 210 days to 240 days, add a dyslexia aide for grades kindergarten through third grade, a music teacher for the upper elementary and middle school and a gifted and talented teacher and to provide step increases of 1.8 percent for all certified and classified staff and administrators.
A special board meeting was held April 10 at which board members voted to approve hiring Shannon Mitchell as the high school principal for the 2018 - 2019 school year.
A representative of Northwest Arkansas Trailblazers spoke to the board and reported the organization has two miles of existing trails and wants to acquire 1,100 feet of a lot owned by the school district to expand its trail system for mountain bikers, hikers and trail runners. Tracy Moorman, board president, requested that the Trailblazers draw up a written proposal and bring it to the May meeting for a vote.
Richard Page, superintendent of schools, gave his report to the board. He said the county clerk has announced an opening on the equalization board and anyone desiring to serve as the district's representative on the board should contact him. He congratulated Mandy Barrett, upper elementary principal, on her graduation from the Principal's Institute and on receiving her doctorate and reported she will be given additional compensation for earning her doctorate. He also announced the spring play, "Fool," which was performed over the weekend, and the upcoming FFA banquet.
School board policies, emailed to board members by Superintendent Page, were approved on their first reading and will be on the agenda for final approval in May.
Board members voted to approve dates for summer school, a writers camp for grades three through five, a session for Title I students behind in reading or math and a session for Boys and Girls Club members since the 21st Century grant is expiring. Superintendent Page reported that the grant is being rewritten and the district plans to reapply by May 1. Approval was also given to spending $4,000 for a summer school program for middle school students, to be paid from student growth funds.
Board members voted to authorize seeking bids for safety doors to be installed at the middle school and the high school.
Architect Clay McGill, of BiLD Architects, displayed pictures of the proposed high school gymnasium and planned improvements at Glenn Duffy Elementary School to be used on informational posters for the upcoming school millage election.
General News on 04/25/2018