Guy-Perkins schools off fiscal-distress list
GUY — The Guy-Perkins School District has been removed from the Arkansas Department of Education’s fiscal-distress list because of what new Superintendent Shade Gilbert called “a complete and total team effort.”
The 370-student district was placed on the list in June 2015.
Gilbert, who started in his position July 1, said the state Department of Education sent a letter earlier this month telling the district it had been removed from fiscal-distress status.
He gave credit to former interim Superintendent Robert Stewart; Stacy Rimmer, business manager; and Deneé Acre, director of accounts payable and central office administrative assistant, for “working very hard, and the teachers being team players.”
Rimmer said the district ended the fiscal year that was completed June 30 with $1,055,324 in the general operating fund, which was up about $300,000 more than the year before.
Money was saved in several ways, he said, including by not replacing some positions after retirements, as well as by drastically reducing the money spent to pay substitute teachers.
“The teachers helped out. I went to them because the prior year, we spent about $100,000 in substitutes,” Stewart said.
That amount was reduced to about $45,000 spent on substitutes last year, Gilbert confirmed this week.
Stewart said travel for teachers “to different events” was significantly reduced.
“If it was a marginal thing, we didn’t go,” he said.
Rimmer said Stewart negotiated business contracts to save money.
“He did a wonderful job of just beating the bushes and calling people and saying, ‘We’re in fiscal distress; can you reduce this?’” Rimmer said.
Another cost-saving measure, Gilbert said, was to contract for technology services at a cost of $12,000 through the Arch Ford Education Service Cooperative in Plumerville. The district’s technology-coordinator resigned, and the position was not filled. Gilbert said the position paid “at least” $45,000, plus benefits.
Cindy Smith, Department of Education coordinator of fiscal services and support, has worked closely with the district the past two years to help buoy the bottom line.
“We are so excited for them,” she said. “They corrected their declining fund balance.
“They have just worked very hard to be good fiscal managers. The past two years, they’ve had an increased fund balance and have been able to transfer to the building fund.”
Gilbert said $455,324 was transferred to the building fund, and improvements to the school are underway.
“We’re looking at buying buses and getting buildings fixed,” he said.
Carpet was removed from eight elementary school classrooms. Instead of waxing floors every year, Gilbert said, a company has been hired for approximately $18,000 to polish and seal the concrete floors, which has a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.
“This will pay itself back in three to four years,” he said.
“We know this is going to be an incremental process,” he said. “It’ll probably take over my entire tenure.”
Stewart, a former superintendent of the Quitman School District, came out of retirement to take the position in the fiscally distressed Guy-Perkins district, and his contract ended June 30. Stewart said from the day he was hired that he didn’t want the position permanently.
Guy-Perkins School Board President Chris Acre also gave credit to Stewart.
“He did a great job getting us off fiscal distress,” Acre said. “He had to make some cuts … places he could cut and not hurt education.”
Acre said that’s the main reason the board hired Stewart in June 2016 after Superintendent Brian Cossey left the district to take the position of Wonderview Elementary School principal after he was recommended for termination by the Guy-Perkins School Board.
“Stewart had experience with that in the past; he helped Quitman get out of distress,” Acre said. Smith also lauded Stewart. “Mr. Stewart did an amazing job; he really did,” she said.
Stewart, who said he plans to enjoy retirement — again — deflected the praise heaped on him.
“First of all, I had good people to work with,” he said. “The board was very cooperative, and the ladies in the office did a tremendous job. It was a team effort; it always is.”
Patrons also approved a 2.5-mill property-tax increase in the September 2015 school election, which is estimated to bring in an additional $110,000 annually for the district, Gilbert said.
Smith said that will impact the financial situation for the second half of the 2017-18 school year.
“They have lost students over the past few years; if they are just wise fiscal managers … and they want to continue to work with our department to make wise fiscal decisions, we’re going to stay in there. We’re going to give them the support they need until they feel comfortable doing things on their own,” Smith said. “We’re going to assist them in any way they want to be assisted.”
Gilbert said he plans to utilize Smith’s knowledge and resources.
“We’re going to have her review our budget; I like a lot of different eyes on our budget,” Gilbert said. “I’m a big fan of transparency. I want everybody to know we can all learn from each other.
“I want people to know we’re still open for business. We’re making improvements, and we’re here to educate their children.”