GF school board approves 1 percent raises for all full-time employees

All full-time employees in the Green Forest School District are getting a bump up in salaries.

At its monthly meeting held Tuesday, Feb. 17, the school board voted to give all classified and certified staff a 1 percent raise.

The increase will cost the district approximately $230,000.

“We basically gave a 1 percent increase for certified and classified employees in the district just trying to keep up with other salary schedules, and to keep competitive with other schools,” superintendent David Gilmore said. “Whenever the LEARNS Act kicks in and everybody went to $50,000, a lot of schools just straight up paid $50,000 all the way down where there used to be steps where you would build up to that sum.”

It was important for the classified staff to also receive an increase, Gilmore said.

“We always like to make sure we take care of our classified staff because it takes all of us, so we did a 1 percent increase for them as well,” the superintendent said.

ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATE S

Each building principal gave updates to the board highlighting winter test achievements.

Elementary school principal Heather Ogden reported growth in literacy, math and science, while intermediate principal Danette Chaney said fourthgrade English Language Arts increased by 8 percent on the winter assessments.

Other initial results showed a 25 decrease in fourth-grade math, 7 percent increase in fifth-grade math, 9 percent increase in fourth-grade science and 4 percent increase in fifthgrade science.

Chaney also reported that fifth-grade student Avaleigh Bailey recently won the Hoop Shoot contest in Eureka Springs, then traveled to the state competition in Hot Springs, also winning the event.

Bailey will now travel Kentucky for the national competition this month.

Middle school principal Cody Curtis shared with the board that students showed testing improvements in math and science, and art students recently finished first and second at an art competition in Harrison.

Adam Wade, high school principal, told the board that recent testing showed growth in algebra and geometry.

SPECIAL ELECTION COSTS

The board approved the cost of a recent special election that successfully sought a millage increase to help fund construction of a new building for students in grades 7-12.

Since the millage was the only thing on the ballot, the district is responsible for the entire cost of the special election at a cost of $15,157.16.

“We have to take the whole cost of that,” Gilmore said. “We knew it would be somewhere around that amount.”

The charge pays for things such as rentals of the poll facilities and paying poll workers, Gilmore said.

ETHICS RESOLUTION

The board approved a resolution that will now go to the state department of education for approval regarding using two companies that are associated with board member Kayleen Powell.

Gilmore said the board frequently uses Powell Feed & Milling, and approved a low bid of $25,708.78 by Kirk’s Excavation for the demolition of a vacant house on 9th Street, a property owned by the district.

The board must approve any business done with businesses associated with staff or board members, which then must be approved by the state education director.

“Act 1599 requires that we’re very transparent whenever a board member or a school personnel member does business or their family does business with the school,” Gilmore said. “Being a small town there’s not a lot of options for us to do business with — for example Powell’s Hardware, is the only hardware store we have in town so we buy quite a few things throughout the year — paint, wax rings for toilets, light switches, just basic odds and ends.

“Over a year’s time, it’ll normally add up to be a little more than $10,000. Not a lot, but Act 1599 requires that we be transparent about that so that we’re not showing favoritism and so on.

The same is true with Kirk’s Excavation, Gilmore said, which came in with a demolition bid $5,000 less than the next lowest bidder.

“Kirk’s is the main excavation company in town,” he said.

SUPERINTENDENT GOALS OK’D The board approved a series of goals required to be submitted by Gilmore.

The goals included:

• Academic achievement of students will improve by 3 percent in tested subjects on the ATLAS Assessment.

• Increase graduation rate for the district to mirror state average or greater.

• Academic achievement of students in all schools that have a C rating will improve by 3 percent in tested subjects on the ATLAS assessment. This include Green Forest Elementary, middle school and high school.

• Increase the graduation rate of Green Forest High School to at or above state averages.

• Ensure consistent screening, intervention, and progress monitoring for students needing dyslexia services.

PERSONNEL APPROVAL S

The board approved a series of personnel changes.

Resignations OK’d included kindergarten teacher Lindsey Davis resigning effective at the end of the current school year; Devon Williams, retiring after 35 years as a kindergarten through fifthgrade physical education teacher; special education paraprofessional Terri Dickinson resigning at the end of the current school year; third-grade teacher Jessica Bradshaw resigning at the end of the year; Sean Cash, high school P.E., junior high football coach and assistant baseball coach, resigning at the end of the year; and Jay Bullock, retiring after a total of 44 years of service, including the last 12 at Green Forest.

Certified contracts approved and/or extended were Terry Darnell as director of instruction/federal programs coordinator/instructional facilitator and half-time principal; Heather Ogden as principal; Danette Chaney as principal, half-time instructional facilitator and K-12 technology; Cody Curtis as principal, half-time instructional facilitator, 7-12 literacy and assistant athletic director; Adam Wade as principal; special education supervisor Trish Evans; and athletic director/teacher Kristin Whetham.

Classified supervisors approved by the board were maintenance supervisor James Smith, transportation supervisor Eddie Phillips, child nutrition director Shelly Fultz and technology coordinator Stephen Crewse.

BUILDING UPDATE

The house that will be demolished behind the current high school is part of a property that is one of two sites being considered for the new 7-12 building, Gilmore said.

“It’s on a piece of property directly behind our current high school, and it’s a potential site that we could build on,” he said. “… It is one of the potential sites.”

Gilmore said the district’s architect recently met with teachers and principals regarding ideas for the new 7-12 building.

“They’ve done the core drilling and we should get a report on that anytime to show if either one of those sites, or both sites, would be viable to build on and they’ve done a survey on the property, too, which hadn’t been done in quite some time,” Gilmore said.