GF board extends Summers’ contract

Matt Summers

Matt Summers will be leading the Green Forest School District for at least three more years.

The Green Forest School Board voted at its regular meeting Monday, Jan. 16, to extend Summ ers’ contract as superi ntendent until June 30, 2026.

“I’m very pleased and very thankful,” Summers said about the vote of confidence from the board. “Obviously, that gives a superintendent and their family and really the district and community a sense of, you know, that there’s not going to be constant turnover or change.”

Summers, who is in his 11th year as Green Forest’s superintendent, said having that job security is comforting.

“By law, superintendents can have a threeyear contract, but we aren’t protected by a teacher fair dismissal. A teacher is on a year-toyear contract and has certain guidelines and laws and policies that must be upheld for non-renewal or termination.

“With a superintendent that’s not the case and so having that extended contract is always a sign of respect and a sign of gratitude. I am very thankful that the board would continue to do that.” OTHER BOARD APPROVALS

In another measure approved by the board, Aliza Jones’ contract was renewed as the district’s facilities consultant.

The two-year commitment is from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025, and will cost the district $5,400 plus fringe benefits, Summers said.

“We have contracted with her for many, many years,” he said. “She works with 18 school districts around the state and helps us in meeting all of our state guidelines for our buildings, for example, our preventive maintenance plans. She also helps us with our building projects when they come up and is a liaison between us and the state, as well as architects and different groups.

“She helps us with all of our paperwork submission to the state for state funding. She’s very talented at what she does.”

The board also approved spending $11,540 to renew the district’s Microsoft license and also voted to continue a legal liability insurance policy that will be in effect until Feb. 1, 2024.

“Our total cost on that is $10,612 for insurance for buildings and liability insurance for our personnel, buses, all of that,” Summers said. “Then we do have an add-on of $541 for liability insurance that allows us to take our buses and students outside of the state of Arkansas.

“We border Missouri, of course, and there are times that we take athletic trips, field trips, other competitive trips and trips with agriculture, band and choir outside of the state. That $541 allows us to do so.”

The board also approved two student transfers out of the district, one transfer into the district and approved alternate schedules for four seniors.

“We have students who are seniors and on track to graduate and they are requesting to work or do internships or do volunteer work and they don’t need a whole seven-period day,” Summers said. “Back in the day if you’re a senior and on track to graduate and all you needed was senior English and algebra, you could do those two classes then you could go home, go to work, whatever.”

Summers said the law currently states that only school boards can approve an abbreviated daily class schedule for seniors.

“Our school administrators can’t approve those,” he said.

The board also approved a fundraiser for FBLA students for business video ads that will be displayed on television sets at the high school.

Personnel approvals included the resignations of bus driver Tammy Brown and custodian Roselyn Wilson and the hires of fifth-grade teacher Jennifer Roney and special education paraprofessionals Tammy Cave and Ger Kler.