Board accepts resignation of Principal Thomas
GRAVETTE — Seven students from the robotics class at Gravette Upper Elementary School and their sponsor, science teacher Dorothy Hadley, attended the Feb. 19 meeting of the Gravette School Board and led the pledge of allegiance to open the meeting. The boys’ team won three awards, two first-place and one second-place, in district competition and were going to state competition in Russellville Thursday, March 7.
Richard Page, superintendent of Gravette Schools, accepted a check from Russ Anzalone, a representative of the St. Bernard Council of Knights of Columbus in Bella Vista, for $2,411. This donation, from the Knights of Columbus annual Tootsie Roll sales campaign, will be used for the schools’ special education department.
Tina Crose, the mother of a special needs student at Gravette schools, spoke to the board and praised the coaches and staff in the school basketball program, commending them for the positive influence they have had on her son. She thanked them for including her son in team activities and teaching him qualities such as commitment, responsibility, time management and good communication with others.
Board members convened a short executive session to consider personnel matters before opening the regular board meeting and returned to regular session after 15 minutes.
Dennis Kurczek, business manager, gave the financial report for the month of January and reported the district was well on track with collected revenue.
Superintendent Page reviewed the student attendance report with the board. He said as much as 13 percent of students had been out a few days because of the flu but the bout of illness now seems to have passed.
Accounts payable clerk April Stiglbauer resigned and Kurczek presented a recommendation to hire Lisa Sizemore for the vacant position. Sheila Roughton, food service director, presented recommendations to hire Saidie Moydell at Gravette Middle School and Stephanie Jacks at Glenn Duffy Elementary for food service positions.
Board members voted to move the March school board meeting to March 11 at 6 p.m. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new gymnasium was set for Friday, March 15, at 10 a.m.
Robert Adams, from Crossland Construction, and Michael Speath and Clay McGill, principal architects with BiLD Architects, presented a facilities update, showing a total construction cost of $11,359,211. Estimates for the various phases of the project have been completed and emailed to the board.
Students on the ninth grade Quiz Bowl team were introduced and recognized for beating the Shiloh team and becoming district champions. The Quiz Bowl team competed at the state tournament in Arkadelphia Feb. 22 and 23. Board members voted unanimously to pay $100 per student, up to $900, to pay for hotel bills for the trip.
Chuck Skaggs, chief of police, and Carl Rabey, city finance director, attended the meeting to answer any questions about the school resource officer agreement. Board members voted unanimously to approve renewing the contracts for Officer Bryan McKenzie and Officer Josh Crane as SROs for the 2019-2020 school year.
Board members scheduled a board planning session for Thursday, March 28, at 3 p.m., and voted to approve the 2019-2020 school calendar as presented.
Board members moved into executive session to discuss personnel matters shortly before 10 p.m. and, after a session of over an hour, reconvened in regular session. They then voted unanimously to approve the resignation of Duane Thomas as the middle school principal, effective at the end of the current school year, and to approve the administration’s recommendation for rehires for the 20192020 school year, as presented by Superintendent Page. They accepted the resignation of Amanda Hamilton as a paraprofessional aide at Gravette Upper Elementary and the resignations of April Stiglbauer and voted to hire Saidie Moydell and Stephanie Jacks.
Board members scheduled a board planning session for Thursday, March 28, at 3 p.m., and voted to approve the 20192020 school calendar as presented.