ACT scores, school lunch expenses part of TASD annual report

Trustees of Texarkana, Ark., School District held a special meeting Tuesday during which Superintendent Dr. Becky Kesler presented the district’s annual report to the public.

The district has 4,588 students enrolled from prekindergarten through 12th grade and a total of 579 teachers, 368 of whom are certified, with the remaining 211 ranked as classified. TASD also has 71 percent of its students on free or reduced lunch, which added half a million dollars to the budget.

Arkansas High School will begin giving an Advanced Placement Capstone diploma to advanced placement students who have taken six courses and received a score of three, four or five.

“Last year, there was only one school in Arkansas that was eligible to give the Capstone diploma, so we’re very proud of the fact that Arkansas High School is able to do that,” Kesler said.

She reported that Arkansas High’s ACT scores were at 19.7, the highest they’ve been in five years.

“Each year, we see those scores going up little by little,” Kesler said. “We still want to increase those, but …. we’re very proud of the work.”

In other business, trustees approved a six-year master plan during the regular meeting, held immediately after the public report. Planned capital projects include physical education/ rooms for Fairview and College Hill elementary schools; replacing the roof at Washington Academy; roof replacement, vocational shop and Distributive Education Clubs of America building at Texarkana Vocational Center; and a new junior high campus. While the new campus is included in the master plan, that doesn’t necessarily mean one will be built, said Genia Bullock, TASD spokeswoman.

“After talking to the consultant, they recommend each year that you put it in there based on the assessment of the building,” Bullock said. “That’s not necessarily something we’ll do, but if we don’t put something in there … then we can’t go back in and put it in.”

The district’s state-required master plan and partnership application are submitted every two years and must include partnership-funded projects.

Trustees also approved a resolution to review a state-required report identifying employees with a 5 percent or greater pay increase, with the amount included.

The annual gifted and talented program was approved, which addresses 10 different standards as outlined by the Arkansas Department of Education. A $27,451 purchase of Renaissance Learning assessment programs for the elementary and junior high schools was also approved.

Board members also elected board President Jesse Buchanan to attend the Arkansas School Board Association Delegate Assembly on Dec. 9 in Little Rock.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled 17. regular for Nov.