GENTRY -- The school board for Gentry Public Schools held its regular May meeting on the 16th and approved the rehiring of the district's classified staff and placed on their first readings a $1,000 pay raise for teachers and a 50-cents-per-hour (amounting to nearly $1,000 for the year) pay raise for classified staff in the 2022-2023 school year.
After a 50-minute executive session to discuss personnel matters, the board voted to accept the resignations of Patricia Casey as an aide, David Johnson as a transportation helper (though he will continue as a substitute bus driver), John Madding as a math teacher and coach, Crystal Coppedge as district multi-classroom leader in literacy, Erica Kollman as an intermediate school teacher and Megan Hefner as choir teacher. Tim Fulks' retirement was also approved.
Hired were Cassandra Blake as a secretary at the middle school, Amanda Walters in food service, Troy Holman as a math teacher, Matthew Mullen as social studies and ACT prep teacher, Tahmara Coones as the district's LEA in special education and Jennifer White as the high school and middle school counselor. Regan Orgeron was transferred to teach in the sixth grade.
Drew Tingley resigned all athletic stipends. Other stipend resignations included Andrew White for cross country, JT Barlow for football, Erica Jones for volleyball, as well as Tim Fulks as golf coach due to his retirement and the discontinuation of the program.
Dizzy Indamae Moore's employment with the district was terminated, according to materials presented to the board and approved.
The board voted unanimously to offer contracts for the 2022-2023 school year to 85 classified employees.
Approved on their first reading were two policy changes authorizing a $1,000 pay raise for teachers and a 50-cents-per-hour (amounting to nearly $1,000 for the year) pay raise for classified staff in the 2022-2023 school year. The two raises were to be brought back to the board for a second reading and approval at a special meeting on Monday evening, after press time. (See 'Blanchard hired as new Gentry High School principal.')
The board heard summary reports from Terrie Metz, district superintendent, on meetings from the Certified Policy Committee and the Classified Personnel Policy Committee but declined to allow high school English teacher Krista Carr to speak since she is not the chairperson of the CPC and was not on the board's agenda. The minutes of the CPC May 10 meeting were provided to board members and are available on the school district website under School Board Materials for May.
The CPC May minutes included discussions of teacher concerns in regard to teacher pay, administrators receiving raises, stipends not being paid or not being equal for head coaches, positions being filled without being advertised within the district, poor facilities, a four-day workweek, an administrator sending a child to a school outside the district, fear of retaliation if concerns are voiced, professional development hours required, planning periods, etc.
Superintendent Metz told the board that open positions had been advertised as required and that pay raises were in the process of being approved.
Boardmember Jim Barnes asked that the PPC focus on school district policy matters (i.e. reviewing recommended policy changes or recommending new policy changes) as the law requires and not become a forum to express gripes and complaints, saying such should be dealt with through the school district's chain of command.
Board chairman David Williamson said the board's concern is for the students and complaints should be considered in light of what is best for the students. "We are here for the students," he said.
The board approved tuition and or service agreements for the new school year with Sarratt Therapy Services and Melissa Little for physical therapy services. A memorandum of understanding was approved for Virtual Arkansas' high school classes.
Jason Barrett reported that school district personnel had viewed via a Zoom meeting with the vendor the portable building the board approved for purchase in April. He said site work at the school would be completed in June with the portable 10-classroom building being installed in July and ready for the district by the end of July and in time for the new school year.
In April, the board approved purchasing a 10-classroom and 2-restroom portable building to be located behind the two schools to accommodate the increased enrollment in the district and the need for more space by the fall semester.
The 2016 building which had been leased from Satellite in Tulsa, Okla., to a school district in San Antonio, Texas, will cost the Gentry district $370,000, plus $54,000 to deliver and another $28,000 to set up. According to Jason Barrett, the school district's facilities manager, the total cost to the district would be $457,000 plus sales tax, or approximately $500,415. He said the building could be purchased on a TIPS/TAPS contract and Flintco could be hired to do the site work, which includes the installation of 280 piers to support the 9,700-square-foot building.
He said to buy such a building new in today's market would cost about $1 million, and it would not be ready for the start of fall classes in August. If the district were to order a new portable building, it could possibly come off the assembly line in August, be set up in September and be turned over to the district for use in October, Barrett said.
Barrett said that Satellite would bring the building back from Texas and completely go through it and make any necessary repairs before delivering it. The building will be delivered as 11 separate trailer modules, Barrett said.
According to Terrie Metz, district superintendent, the district needs at least three more classrooms for the high school and three for the middle school by the start of the fall semester.
Barrett told the board that specs were being prepared for the high school and middle school HVAC projects (for the gyms) to submit to the state for funding approvals. He said the equipment needed for the projects would not be available for 36-40 weeks due to the shortage of building supplies. He did say the air conditioning units needed for the project were smaller than initially anticipated, which should result in savings for the district.
Other items approved by the board include an ARP ESSER plan and budget for next school year and an enhanced student achievement plan.
Assistant superintendent Christie Toland told the board that the districtwide school testing was complete and the district is now awaiting the results.