FCSD exploring options for new junior high gym
Board approves incentive bonuses to be given before spring break
Forrest City School District superintendent Dr. Tiffany Hardrick received approval Thursday night from the board to move forward with a plan to construct a new wellness center on the junior high campus.
Assistant superintendent Dr. Zrano Bowles explained that three sites had been reviewed for a possible wellness center to serve junior and senior high students, before determining it would be more feasible to tear down the current gym and build a new one at that site.
“When this building, this school, was built, they built around the gym. They did not tear it down so that’s why what you see is what you get,” said board member Annie Norman, during the meeting held in the junior high library.
District officials have been talking with architects regarding the possibility of constructing a new facility, which Hardrick estimated would cost about $2.7 million and be paid for with federal ESSER funds. She explained the district received about $5 million in federal funds to improve air quality, indoor recreation, health and wellness throughout the district but still has about $3.5 million remaining.
The board agreed to allow Hardrick to spend up to $20,000 on an architect to prepare a plan for the facility to be presented to them at their next meeting scheduled for early next month.
The district is required to have its ESSER plan approved by April 15, so the board agreed to move next month’s meeting to April 3 in order to have time to review the project and submit it for approval to the Department of Education’s facilities division.
In other business, the district approved incentive bonuses for employees.
Full-time employees will be receiving a $1,000 incentive bonus prior to the start of spring break, which is scheduled for March 20-24. Part-time workers will receive $500 bonuses.
Hardrick explained the move would cost the district about $386,250 to give “approximately” 317 certified and classified employees bonuses after the benefits are included. She said the money would be paid using the district’s federal ESSER funds.
The board also approved the pay rate and coordinators for the district’s Freedom School, which is offered four weeks during the summer. Board member Evetta Whitby recused from the vote due to her son being on the list as a coordinator.
Certified employees who work Freedom School will be paid $60 per hour, classified employees with 60 or more hours of college credit will be paid $40 per hour and those without the college hours would receive $25 per hour.
The board also approved the pay for directors and coordinators. Project directors Donesha Boyd and Lenora Winston will receive an additional $3,200. Coordinators TaJuan Whitby, Ramona Matthews and Jerome Mitchell will receive an additional $1,350.
“In the summer, our teachers make $60 an hour for 35 hours a week, so they make about $8,000 in the summer for four weeks,” said Hardrick.
Board members tabled a request to spend nearly $70,000 with Progressive Technologies for security camera systems at the new wellness centers on the Central and Stewart elementary campuses.
Whitby asked why the costs were so high.
“Why would nine cameras cost $32,000 and 13 cameras cost $37,000? Is this the only company we can go through? Have we tried anybody else? That’s a lot of money for that number of cameras,” said Whitby.
School officials explained the district is currently using Progressive Technologies equipment and would use the company to build on the system already in place. However, they mentioned that the older systems are due to be converted from analog to digital, which would be included in next year’s budget.
“Everything right now is going to digital,” said Bowles. “We are trying to update our equipment in phases. The first phase would be new construction but then also have quotes to upgrade all of the analogy systems at three locations.”
(Continued from Page 1) Hardrick agreed to ask Chris Howard, the district’s IT director, to speak to the board at the next meeting to better explain how the security system works.
Norman asked about the students who take classes virtually and how the district tracks attendance.
Although district officials did not share information regarding the pass/failure rate for these students, Brown said, “What we found is that the kids who are logging on are finding success and the kids who are not logging on are struggling. We have people calling and working with them, but students who log on are being much more successful.”
“Virtual is not ideal for our kids,” added Hardrick.
The board also approved using the same science curriculum as the past year for sixth through eighth grade students, with Hardrick saying students made strides through the science program.
“We saw a lot of growth in science scores, particularly the sixth grade which was pretty remarkable where we didn’t have a certified teacher all year,” she said.
The program will cost about $14,000 for one year and was approved unanimously.
Hardrick explained that she was only proposing one year with the curriculum due to the state’s new LEARNS Act passage and not knowing how that will affect curriculum in schools. “We have LEARNS coming. We don’t know what is going to be new so we don’t want to adopt anything out too far,” she said.
The board also discussed the LEARNS Act’s salary requirements and how that will impact districts.
Hardrick said officials are working on a salary schedule to present to the board.
“I want you to see the whole picture,” she said “I don’t want to approve something and then in five years be talking about fiscal distress.”
“What’s going to happen is districts that have money and steady enrollment are going to be okay and the private schools. People like us are going to be hurting when they talk about teacher salaries,” said board member Larry Devasier.