Rogers School Board approves agreement with city over project

ROGERS — The School Board on Tuesday signed on to an agreement with the city related to an infrastructure project associated with construction of a school.

Street improvement and moving the nearby Razorback Greenway trail are planned for the area surrounding the School District’s 16th elementary school, which is being built at West Garrett and South Bellview roads.

The district originally took the lead role in oversight of the infrastructure project, on which the city and district had agreed to split the cost. It was put out for bid. The best bid of $3.5 million came from RCR Construction of Muskogee, Okla.

The School Board rejected the bid Tuesday at the recommendation of Superintendent Marlin Berry, who said the project’s cost could be reduced if the project were redesigned.

The city will take the lead on the project now, Berry said.

“The city is convinced, and we are too, that they’re going to be able to save some dollars, because again, there’s going to be some revision

and some redesign,” he said.

The board also unanimously approved entering into an agreement with the city spelling out the financial responsibilities of the district and the city to the project. Under the agreement, the district’s cost will not exceed $1,220,500, roughly the amount the district would have owed under the bid submitted by RCR Construction.

The road project is scheduled to begin in May and should be completed within a year, according to Charles Lee, assistant superintendent for general administration. The district broke ground on the 16th elementary school last week. It’s scheduled to open in August 2019.

In other business, the board approved a policy change lowering the minimum age to drive a school bus from 21 to 19. The district’s policy now matches the state’s minimum age.

Berry told the board it isn’t the district’s intent to go out and recruit young people to drive buses.

“It is purely matching (the policy) up with state statute, so we’re not putting ourselves at a disadvantage,” he said. “Our division will continue to vet out drivers completely to make sure they’re qualified and certified. But we don’t want to be hampered by a higher age requirement than the state.”

The district’s policy also requires anyone hired to pass a physical exam, have a commercial driver’s license, have a criminal background check, and have a clean driving record for the last three years.