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By Rick Harvey
RHarvey@cherryroad.com
The Berryville School Board had a quick and efficient meeting Oct. 17, primarily hearing presentations and reports.
The biggest order of business was the unanimous approval of $17,876.90 for the purchase of a fuel suction pump, pressure regulating valve and equipment, which the district uses for its fleet of vehicles.
Owen Powell“The fuel pump at our tanks went out and we needed to purchase a new one,” Superintendent Owen Powell said. “And we had our fuel purchase as well.”
The board also unanimously approved a resolution for 5 percent salary increases for some district employees.
“That’s a requirement that any employees who have a 5 percent increase in pay on their contract during the year, that it has to be taken to the board for approval,” Powell said. “It’s a common thing. Every school district in the state has to do it. It can be a teacher moving from one position to different position, it can be a paraprofessional moving to a teaching position where their salary would be increased.
“We had 20 to 25 employees who were in that 5 percent increase.”
Both actions came on a 4-0 vote with board members LeeAnn Ashford, Travis Gregory and Jeff Tanksley absent.
The meeting included the mandated Annual Report to the Public where the district’s “reflective progress and performance” was laid out, including “goals and opportunities are presented to inform the public of the district’s efforts to personalize learning or all children through student focused initiatives.”
The board also heard an update from the district’s esports program.
“We started that program about a year ago and it’s taken off and done really well,” Powell said. “I am really proud of those kids.
“We got in on the from the front end.”
Powell said the board also heard an inspirational story from fourth-grade teacher Heather Martinez.
“She told her story of how she got into teaching, and it was pretty touching,” Powell said. “It was a really personal story on how she got into education.”
ENROLLMENT NUMBERS
In his superintendent’s report, Powell reported the district’s enrollment was 1,808 as of Oct. 11.
“That number is right at where we were the same time last year,” Powell said. “It’s right there, really close. It’s also quite a bit up from where we ended the school year last year.
“At the end of the school year last year we had 1,742 students, so we’re up, which is a good thing.”
Powell said the return of students into the district has made a difference.
“I know we’ve gotten some of our homeschool students back,” he said.
OTHER APPROVALS
The board approved a list of fundraisers including an “Elementary Celebrations/ Parental Involvement Action Team” family outreach fundraiser, a uniform sale and cornhole game fundraiser, doing face-painting at football and basketball games and the selling of T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies.
Out-of-state travel was approved as well, including high school students who meet the ACT Aspire required scores for a trip to Silver Dollar City, FBLA students to a national conference in Denver, and athletic events in Cassville and Blue Eye.
The board also approved the hires of classified employees Gladys Arrizon (special education paraprofessional), Evelia Matt (cafeteria), Kaitlyn Duncan (cafeteria substitute) and Lacy Warren (cafeteria substitute).
Because of the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, the board approved moving the November school board meeting to Nov. 14 and the December meeting to Dec. 12.
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