GRAVETTE -- A special meeting of the Gravette school board was held Monday, April 27, to consider pay increases for Gravette School District's staff members. Board president Heather Finley explained that the special meeting was necessary since employment contracts would be issued on May 1 and recommendations from the board were needed before that time.
Richard Page, superintendent of Gravette Schools, opened the meeting with a review of the current financial report and a report on what the personnel policy committee and the classified personnel policy committee had requested for salary considerations for the 2020-2021 school year. After a brief board discussion about salary increases and administrative salaries, he recommended an increase of one percent or $400 to the base salaries of all staff.
Board members voted unanimously to approve the $400 increase for all Gravette Schools staff and also voted to approve long-trip pay for bus drivers and an increase in pay from $12.81 per hour to $13.01 per hour for paraprofessionals who have 60 or more hours of college credit. Every staff member receives step pay increases each year and this increase will be in addition to that.
Superintendent Page noted that the district wants to do all it can to help increase salaries for staff members. The pay scale for Gravette teachers is a source of pride, he said, and helps with recruiting quality teachers to the district. Gravette ranks ninth in the state in pay for teachers with a bachelor's degree, down from seventh last year, and eighth in the state in pay for teachers with a master's degree.
Board members also voted to approve adding an audio/video teacher position, a licensed practical nurse position and a food service position. Discussion of adding other staff, including another special education teacher, was tabled until a later date.
High school principal Shannon Mitchell joined the meeting remotely and gave a brief report on graduation. She noted that, in light of the governor's last announcement, a full-blown graduation ceremony would not be possible until after July 1. She said most parents are not in favor of a virtual event but prefer to wait for a more traditional ceremony.
Zane Vanderpool, principal at Glenn Duffy Elementary School, said he would also like to have a traditional graduation ceremony for students graduating from kindergarten.
Community on 05/20/2020