School Board holds first meeting in new admin building
The Bryant School Board held its first meeting in the district’s brand new administration office and boardroom, located at 1511 N. Reynolds Road on Thursday.
“It’s not just that it’s a nice building, it’s that we all get to be under one roof,” said Superintendent Karen Walters.
The new location, she said, will be a major help in expediting virtually all work done in the administration office.
During the board meeting, members discussed the district’s current financial standings, updated the board on school reports, as well as honored students, staff, and residents for their service to the school district.
Bryant spokesperson Devin Sherrill led the recognitions, starting with the success of Bryant Elementary as a Special Olympics Unified Champion School.
The school earned the title of a national banner Unified Champion School for its dedication to creating an inclusive environment through sports and activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities.
Club Unify, a program at Bryant Elementary, was
acknowledged for its role in bringing students of all ages and abilities together through various activities and events.
The club’s commitment to inclusivity was demonstrated through participation in Special Olympics sporting events and social activities. The program partners are 4th- and 5th-grade students who go through an application process to participate and choose special events
and activities for the group to participate in throughout the year.
Bryant Elementary was also celebrated for collecting the most jars of peanut butter out of all Benton and Bryant schools in the annual Salt
Bowl Peanut Butter Drive. The school alone collected a total of 3,183 jars. Mrs. Pudinas’ class led with 581 jars, with many thanks to Keelan Crist who
brought in 438 jars himself.
The meeting continued with staff recognitions, celebrating the educational achievements of Dr. Jennifer Ann Rankin and Dr. Dondre Harris, who both earned their doctorates in Educational Leadership.
Jordan Robson of Collegeville Elementary was also recognized for completing National
Board Certification as a certified generalist in early childhood.
Acknowledging the dedication of the school board members, the Arkansas School Board Association honored Craige Leone, Patrice
Muldrow, and Nelly Valentin with Certificates of Boardmanship for their commitment to ongoing education and training, each earning at least 25 hours of ASBA training credit.
The board then took a moment to thank former owners of the now new administration office, Doug and David Hendrix, for their contribution in selling the new Administration Office and Boardroom building “at a very generous price.”
This move enabled the district to relocate the Hornet Health Center and Special Education personnel, thus facilitating the creation of the Secondary Behavior Center.
In other business, Walters made the recommendation to hire Baldwin and Shell for construction management services and the recommendation passed unanimously.
The approval of bids for baseball and softball turf installation, presented by Todd Sellers, saw the administration recommending Geosurfaces for the job, with unanimous approval from the board.
Additionally, the approval of shatter-resistant window film installation bids, presented by Todd Sellers, saw D & D Sun Control securing the contract for $139,951.08 for installation at
Davis, Collegeville, and Springhill Elementary Schools. There was unanimous approval from the board for both proposals.
The board also voted to expel an unidentified student for the remainder of the school year, with the student being conditionally able to return. The motion passed 7-0.