Prairie Grove reshuffles administrative positions

PRAIRIE GROVE — The School District will replace three positions in the administration office for the 2024-25 year.

The Prairie Grove district is not hiring to replace former Assistant Superintendent David Kellogg, who retired last fall. Kellogg is now on contract in a consulting role for facilities.

The school will not fill the assistant superintendent position Pete Joenks, who is leaving at the end of the school year, will vacate. Joenks has accepted a job as assistant principal at Elmdale Elementary School in the Springdale School District.

Instead, the district will have a new human resources director and a communications coordinator.

Sherrie Hayes, who has worked in payroll and human resources, will move into a new business manager position for 2024-25.

Superintendent Lance Campbell said he doesn’t know how an organization such as the School District can survive without a human resources director who is involved with personnel every day.

Communication is also important, he said, to “keep our story out there.”

The School Board has approved hiring Jamie Trost as human resources director and Hadley Duvall as communication coordinator.

Duvall is a connections and media minister with Skyline Church of Christ in Jackson, Tenn., but she originally is from the Fort Smith area. Duvall also will teach a broadcast journalism class at the high school to restart that program.

Campbell said the committee that interviewed Duvall was impressed with her background in strategic communications and her energy. Duvall will be responsible for using the findings from a survey on the district’s communication efforts to improve communications with school leadership, teachers, staff, students and the community.

“She will be a good asset for us,” added Ray Ruland, the district’s technology director and a member of the interview committee.

Duvall will be considered a certified employee and her salary will be around $63,000, according to the administration office.

The School Board approved recommendations April 16 to amend the classified salary schedule to add the positions of human resource director and business manager.

Trost, presently corporate human resources manager for Selectis Health in Fayetteville, will be paid about $90,000 for 2024-25; Hayes, as the new business manager, will receive a salary of almost $52,000.

In addition, the School Board approved a recommendation to hire Jennifer Hoskins as the new junior high school principal. Hoskins will replace Zach Vest, who is resigning at the end of the school year. Hoskins is principal of the Deer K-12 school in the Deer/Mt. Judea School District.