Strong-Huttig School Board accepts bids on property
District to upgrade high school cafeteria
STRONG — The Strong-Huttig School Board accepted bids for district owned land and several miscellaneous items at its meeting Monday.
The heftiest item up for bid was Block 86, which includes 15 lots of land located in Felsenthal. According to the district’s bid advertisement, it owns Lots 1-7 and Lots 9-16. All of the lots are 150 by 100 feet, superintendent Jeff Alphin said.
“There’s timber on (Block 118). There wasn’t any timber on the lots of (Block 86) … and that is still in the flood zone,” Alphin said.
Board members accepted a bid of $18,675 from Arcadia, Louisianabased real estate company Towns Company, LLC. When board secretary Carrie McHenry asked if the bid was higher or lower than expected, the superintendent said that Towns Company’s bid was higher.
Donald Smith’s bid of $650 was accepted for the John Deere 650 diesel tractor. The tractor doesn’t run and comes with a four-foot bush hog, Alphin said. An International Bus with no motor or transmission was sold for $250 to Mike Sutterfield. “The bus is basically a shell,” administration assistant Vera Herrin said.
Strong First Baptist Church’s $75 bid was accepted for the Hellman CCM-527 cotton candy machine. The GCB Comb Bind C95e electric binding machine was sold to Evelyn Thomas for $37.50 and the Janome sewing machine was sold to Voniece French for $25.
The board rejected a $51 offer for a 50-gallon aquarium with a stand, filter and lights. According the district’s publicized advertisement for bids, money for items must be received and items must be picked by the owner by 12 p.m. Wednesday, May 31.
Herrin said that the district would have to do a separate bid solicitation on the remaining items that include Felsenthal Block 118 Lot 3, a Baldwin Hamilton piano, a Marshall and Wendell Piano, two Bose 802 speakers with stands, Anchor Megavox PB-35w speaker, several four-drawer file cabinets, three Singer sewing machines and a 36-inch roll paper storage cart.
The school board approved an advertisement accepting for bids to upgrade the high school cafeteria to meet state standards. Contractors would complete the project during the district’s summer break, Alphin said.
“The state inspector was here early last week. He went in the high school cafeteria and gave us two options to meet state standards,” the superintendent said. “If we just make the motion to advertise tonight, then we can open the bids at the next meeting and they would have time to get the work done during the summer. School would be open on time. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
In a report, high school improvement specialist Shirley Kyle said that none of the teachers opposed returning for another year, citing that this a sign of good morale among the educators.
“Next year, we’ll have some consistency. That’s been a big problem in the past. A student gets used to a teacher, they’d pull up, they’d leave and they don’t have time to get to know the students from one year to the next,” Kyle said. “The students really want the teachers to know them so as of right now they have until the 26th to turn in their contracts, but everyone’s telling me that they coming back and I think that’s a positive thing for our school.”
Kyle said that she’s working to get technology in the classrooms “that will motivate the students to learn.” The board approved using National School Lunch Act (NSLA), or poverty funds to buy SMART Boards and Study Island for both campuses.
SMART Boards are interactive whiteboards powered by projections and touch controls. Study Island, a computer-based practice assessment tool, reinforces class instruction, remediates students and encourages progress through short games along the way. The school board voted to accept bids before buying the new technology.
After a “glowing report,” the superintendent was pleased to announce that the Strong-Huttig School District is fully accredited. The board also appointed James Willis and Patricia Benton to the Vivian Davis Scholarship committee.
Board members approved legislative audit findings, a student transfer, an increase in substitute bus driver pay and purchase service contracts for a RN supervisor, physical and occupational therapy services, Medicaid filing, special education evaluations and bookkeeping. Cheerleading coach Tina Raney’s resignation was approved and Heather Barton was hired to replace her. Elementary teacher Brenda Daniels was also hired at the meeting.
Despite board member LaKenya Riley’s dissenting vote, Toni Barnett was hired on as a high school special education teacher. The board also voted to rescind the 20172018 contract of Victor Jackson and move its montly meeting to the second Monday of each month.
The Strong-Huttig School Board’s next meeting is scheduled at 6 p.m. Monday, June 12 in the Strong High School library.