Green Forest School Board approves next year's budget

The district had been operating under a preliminary budget for the past few months. Superintendent Matt Summers said the final document contained only "a few last minute tweaks" from the draft, mostly in the areas of maintenance and transportation purchasing.

In addition to the budget, the board approved staff lists for two programs.

Summers said the first of these, which is mandated by the state, is meant to ease the transition of newly hired educators by pairing them with senior faculty members.

The second offers remedial support to struggling students through before and after school care.

Summers said the programs required board approval because teachers who work in them are compensated beyond their regular salary.

Also Monday, the board gave preliminary approval to a change in student medication policies.

Summers told the board that the change had been suggested by the Arkansas School Board Association and was meant to "clean up" existing rules relating to the transport of medications by students.

He told the board he wanted to receive input from the school nurse, who is currently on leave, before any final changes were made.

In other business, the board:

* Approved additional hours for a school translator, after another translator resigned

* Approved a long list of fundraisers for the coming year

* Heard a construction update from Summers. The superintendent told board members the renovation of the school stadium was now complete. The work included the installation of new bleachers and fencing. Summers said that the re-roofing of "Grim Gym," across from the stadium, was about halfway finished.

* Received an update on a proposal to introduce a therapy dog into the counseling program at Green Forest High School. The proposal was brought before the board at last month's meeting. Board members had asked whether the school would be held liable should the dog injure someone. After researching the issue, Summers assured them Monday that the district would, in fact, be protected under tort immunity laws. "One hundred percent of the liability would fall on the dog's owner," he told them. In this case, the owner is the school counsellor. Summers said the board would not take any action on the proposal until she had been able to consider assuming the liability.