NLR board vows to pay school staff

The North Little Rock School Board on Monday passed a resolution assuring its support staff employees that they will be paid for the period of March 13 through April 17, during which school buildings are closed for student instruction.

Brian Brown, the district’s chief financial officer, told the board that the resolution is a means of putting the district “on solid ground” with its auditors who might otherwise question wage payments to employees at a time when buildings are closed.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson earlier this month directed all public schools to be closed to in-person instruction to students through April 17 as a way to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Students and teachers are to do their school work at their homes using paper packets and online assignments.

“The Board has determined that with approval of the [district’s] Human Resources Department all current employees in good standing during the required March 13 – April 17, 2020 school closure, will be paid for their primary job (including employees whose primary job is hourly,)” the resolution states.

The board approved the resolution for the 2020 audit at a meeting in which it approved the 2019 audit done by Hudson, Cisne & Co., Certified Public Accountants, that concluded that the district audit for the 2018-19 school year was “clean” with had “no material weaknesses.” That was in contrast to the previous year’s audit in which the district was cited for the incorrect use of a federal preschool grant.

The audit found one deficiency in which a district supervisor approved their own work time for payroll purposes.

The seven-member school board and district staff used Zoom, a remote online conferencing service, to conduct its monthly business meeting. That enabled them to meet while not in the same room without violating state directives against groups of 10 or more meeting together and enhancing the possible spread of the coronavirus.