Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Board Names New Street After Law
OUTGOING SUPERINTENDENT RECOGNIZED
FARMINGTON — A previously unnamed street, which meanders around Farmington High School and connects State Highway 170 with the sports complex and Cardinal Stadium, now honors outgoing Superintendent Bryan Law.
Farmington School Board designated this route as Bryan Law Way during its May 18 meeting.
When traveling south along State Highway 170, the newly named Bryan Law Way begins near the northern parking lot at Cardinal Arena and the Performing Arts Center. The route travels west and serves as access to Cardinal Stadium and the recently constructed $ 16 million
Farmington Sports
Complex, then loops south between the high school and football fieldhouse and finally veers east around the southern walls of the high school before it reconnects to Highway 170.
The board pondered a means of honoring Law, whose last day on the job will be June 30, before he moves 100 yards north, about the
length of a football field, from the Farmington administration building to his new office as director of the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative along Double Springs Road.
High School Principal Jon Purifoy, who is serving as interim athletic director following Brad Blew’s resignation Jan. 31, came up with the idea to name the roadway after Law. Jeff Oxford, board secretary, made a motion to name the roadway in honor of Law. It was quickly seconded and passed unanimously.
“Thank you very much,” Law said as the board applauded him.
Board President Travis Warren said Purifoy called him the previous week and mentioned the idea.
“It’s going to be a lasting memorial,” Warren said.
Law arrived in Farmington in 1999 as head football coach, succeeding Jay Holland, who succeeded his father Allen Holland.
Initially Law had no plans to do anything different.
Law said after the board meeting if it weren’t for developments with an opportunity to move into administration he might have remained a football coach for a long time.
“When you have a chance to go into an assistant superintendent position, you have to take it because that chance might not come around for another 20 years,” Law said, explaining his decision after the 2002 football season to apply for the job which led to his promotion into the superintendent position when Ron Wright left in 2012.
During his eight years as superintendent, Law witnessed major growth with a need for a larger high school to accommodate increased enrollment. Wright had put him in charge of the district’s master school facilities plan, providing a good foundation for the dramatic changes Law would eventually oversee in planning and construction.
Phase 1 of the new high school campus began with Cardinal Arena and the Performing Arts
Center opening Jan. 16, 2015, followed by Phase 2 with the opening of a new 99,000- square- foot high school in August of 2017 and finalized with the completion of Phase 3 last August, featuring a vast sports complex encompassing Cardinal Stadium, a fieldhouse and indoor training facility, soccer locker rooms, plus track and field facilities.
“It’s been a wonderful job with wonderful people to work with,” Law said. “Farmington is a good place to be. This is a good horse to ride.”
Oxford expressed gratitude on behalf of the board for Law’s contributions to the district and community.
“I sure appreciate you and what we’ve done here,” Oxford said. “More than anything I appreciate our friendship.”
In other action the board approved a recruitment bonus of $100 for those who refer bus drivers, which the district is in need of, provided the bus driver works at least one semester. Bus drivers will now be paid for professional development training, now required. Both actions were recommended by the transportation director.
“The first thing is what is a tremendous challenge for us is to get bus drivers and keep bus drivers,” Law said.
According to Law, the district used to be able to tap into the University of Arkansas student body drawing bus drivers who could work early in the morning and late afternoon around a classroom schedule.
“At one time we had some success getting university students to drive them. We’ve kind of lost that,” Law said, suggesting the district try to get that back.
The board approved the renewal of a school resource officer contract with the city of Farmington and two leases with churches to use school buildings for worship services.
According to Assistant Superintendent Stephanie Pinkerton, Kingdom Culture holds meetings at Folsom Elementary commons while Casting Christian Church uses the middle school and meets twice a week on Sunday morning and in small groups on Wednesday nights.
Pinkerton told the board the difference in amounts is due to one group using more space and meeting twice a week. Kingdom Culture pays $750/month and Casting Church pays $1,100 per month.
“It’s been a wonderful partnership. The schools are wanting to keep these leases as long as we can,” Pinkerton said.
Law said lease money goes back into the specific campus budget and is used for purchasing things such as technology.
“They’ve actually bought us things and done things for us in the past,” Law said.
The board also approved a $1,000 stipend for a head soccer coach and policy change 8.37 which deals with classified personnel social networking and ethics.
The next board meeting will be June 22.