Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Gravette looks to fill school resource officer position
GRAVETTE — Gravette officials hope to have a new school resource officer to fill an open position by March, according to Superintendent Maribel Childress.
During the Jan. 23 School Board meeting, Childress gave an update on the safety and security position, saying she had met with the Gravette police chief and school resource officers. She said they were moving forward with securing a new school resource officer for the open position.
Childress said they were waiting to finalize an agreement with the city since there had been no update since 2017, and there are now new state guidelines for school safety officers.
In other business, the board voted to approve the construction bond payment with payment coming from the American Rescue Plan/ Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund.
Approval was also given to authorize Childress to enter into the Arvest ePayables program for the district. Childress said this will be a more efficient method of paying the district’s bills and payments can be made more quickly.
Board members also voted to extend the one-year contracts for ESSER and HIRED! grant employees, funding them through June 2024. Members voted unanimously to hire Courtney Roughton as a prekindergarten aide and Timothy Scot Heaton as a special education paraprofessional instructional assistant.
Childress gave the HIRED! grant report and the second quarter goals report. The goals discussed were safety, staff achievement, personalization and partnership. She said reports showed classroom doors were found locked 99% of the time and when they were found unlocked it was usually by substitute teachers.
Staff members are working on goals, and 1,771 positive contacts were made with school stakeholders during the second quarter of school, Childress said. More partnerships are being formed with both external and internal school contacts.
Approval was also given to the first reading of the January 2023 Arkansas School Board Association model policy changes/updates and to approving Options 1, 2 and 3 of the 2023-24 school calendar for consideration by the school faculty.
In other action, board members voted to approve adding six commissioned school safety officers for the 2023-24 school year, with payment of $1,000 per person coming from general operating funds.
Approval was also given to adding Conservation and Recreation Education as a course at Gravette High School beginning in the 202324 school year if enough students are interested in taking the course.
Childress gave the FTE report, showing staff responsibilities, and the board member training report. She said all School Board members have met the requirement of nine training hours per year. She also gave a School Board election report, including election information from the county and instructions for filing for a School Board position. There will be two openings on the board, one at-large position and one for Zone 5. Board members Tracy Moorman and Brad Harris will be up for reelection. People wishing to run for a board position may file until noon on March 1.
Members voted unanimously to approve a monthly School Board award to be given to an employee who goes above and beyond in attendance, attitude and actions. The cost of the award would be approximately $10, to be paid out of general operating funds.
Also during the meeting, former board member Jay Oliphant addressed the board and said he felt residents now have their best opportunity to give input on education initiatives. He said all should be considering what they can do to make education in Arkansas better.
Oliphant said students in the state should do better in reading and math. He encouraged people to communicate with state representatives and share their thoughts on improving education in Arkansas.
Following Oliphant’s presentation, a school thespian group and members of Educators Rising were introduced and honored.
Ethan Strecker, Madison Lovell and Skylar Hernandez addressed the board and told about their involvement in drama and their future plans.
Addyson Lawson, Lauren Meenan, Addilynn Bates, Brooklyn Parker and Isabelle Cradduck, members of Educators Rising, explained their interest in becoming educators and said they were going to Glenn Duffy Elementary on Wednesdays and Thursdays and learning skills while working with students there.
Board members approved field trips for both the thespians and Educators Rising to attend state competitions.
Also honored was Morgan Knuckles, upper elementary art teacher, recipient of a fall 2022 Superintendent’s Innovation Grant award. Knuckles displayed a bobblehead of her dog and explained that making bobbleheads was a project of her third-grade art class. Students in her fourth-grade class made “dragon eyes.” These projects were paid for with grant funds.
Knuckles gave each board member a “seed of happiness.” These “seeds” were distributed in appreciation for good deeds and had also been given to persons helping with the school lunch fund and donors to the school’s food bank.
Alisa Corke, another Innovation Grant award winner, was unable to attend.