Gentry board hires new staff

GENTRY — The School Board heard numerous reports and approved the hiring of two new staff members at its meeting on Feb. 22.

Hired were Amanda Dobbs (certified), family and consumer sciences instructor, retroactive to Feb. 10; and Alyssa Little (classified) as a paraprofessional for English language learners in the primary school, also retroactive to Feb. 10.

The board heard reports on student progress in each of the school campuses in the district’s Map Data presentation, with school principals reporting growth but also areas in which work needs to be done to improve growth, especially since the covid-19 pandemic closed down in-person instruction for the last months of the last school year.

Jason Barrett, the School District’s facilities and transportation supervisor, reported on the weather issues that occurred, including frozen water lines, a sprinkler head that broke and sprayed a building. He said showers on a north-facing block wall in the old fieldhouse froze and exploded the wall. He said the damaged side of the building was padlocked and the district is waiting on an insurance adjuster. Barrett said it would be a major repair.

Barrett praised the facilities department for working so hard during the inclement weather to clean up the schools, repair damage and ready the campuses to reopen.

Barrett also reported that covid-19 numbers were trending down as of Feb. 22, with only two active cases, one positive and one quarantined for close contact.

The board accepted financial reports showing approximately $2.2 million in the operating fund.

The board approved various tuition and purchased service agreements, including one which would make it possible for paraprofessionals to earn a teaching degree for less than $5,000 through an accelerated bachelor’s degree program.

The Bloomboard Proposal was presented to the board for study, with action to be considered at the March meeting. The program offers micro-credential pathways to educators leading to designations of “Lead Professional Educator” and “Master Professional Educator.”

The program would allow teachers to improve their teaching skills and is viewed as a need, especially with much instruction offered virtually.

The board heard reports of celebration at the opening of the STEM lab at the primary school, regarding the first year of the Opportunity Culture program and of the K-12 Dyslexia Intervention program.