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Board Minutes
November 17, 2008
Dardanelle School District
Board of Education Meeting
November 17, 2008
Education Center
7:00 p.m.
-MinutesMembers Present:
Keith Stokes, President
Sherry Hicks, Vice President
Dawn McCormick, Secretary
Bentley Johnson
Jerry Don Woods
I.
Call to Order
President Stokes called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
He noted the addition of Action Item D. Out of State Travel Request and Action Item E.
Consideration of Bids for Purchase of Vehicle to the agenda. Mr. Woods stated he would like
to also add Action Item F. Land Purchase to the agenda to discuss possibly selecting a
purchasing agent. Motion carried 5-0.
II.
Statements from the Public
None
III.
Information Items
A. Building Report
All of the principals are looking forward to the annual Thanksgiving feast on Friday as
this always proves to be a big hit with parents and students. Primary teachers have been
receiving CGI training in math, and they have been selected as a “studio” school through
the co-op. This will allow them to teach other schools about the program as well as
receive visits from a national consultant. Several teachers have also undergone CPI
training which deals with students who have hostile tendencies and learning better ways of
handling those situations. Mr. Laughinghouse reported that Elementary teachers have
attended the same training as Primary and things are going well at his school. Mrs. Cotton
thanked everyone involved with helping to make their annual Veteran’s Day assembly a
success. Middle School was recently featured in the River Valley Edition of the Arkansas
Democrat Gazette. Mrs. Cotton also thanked Mrs. Thompson and Exxon Mobile for
their efforts in securing a $500.00 grant that will be used to buy new Inter-Write Boards for
classrooms. Mrs. Lawrence noted that there have been 3258 AR Tests taken to date at the
high school with an 87% pass rate. She said that if reading really makes the difference she
believes it does, they will see an increase in literacy scores.
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Board Minutes
November 17, 2008
B. Curriculum Report/Closing the Academic Achievement Gap
Mrs. Thompson updated the board on the recent task force meeting on “Closing the
Academic Achievement Gap”. All of the parent facilitators will be participating in a
meeting tomorrow at the central office. Mrs. Thompson also presented the Board a
review of the professional development and parent-community involvement plans noting
that were not a lot of changes from last year.
C. Professional Development Plan
A copy of the professional development plan is included in the minutes.
D. Parent-Community Involvement Plan
A copy of the district’s parent-community involvement plan is included in the minutes.
E. Financial Report
Mr. Thompson provided the financial report. The district ended the month of October
with a balance of $5,416,134.34. The average enrollment for the first quarter was 1943
students. This is up 119 students from last year. Enrollment numbers continue to rise.
F. Maintenance and Transportation Report
Ed Vestal, Operations Supervisor, updated the Board on the maintenance and
transportation departments. Work continues on the Primary PE facility. He has met with
Van Horn Construction and Steve Elliott regarding the pros and cons of having a
construction manager and he likes the idea of having one to oversee the project. Mr.
Thompson stated he has talked with Steve regarding several issues, including parking, and
he hopes to have drawings in the near future for the Board to review.
IV. Discussion Items
None
V. Action Items (By Consensus)
A. Approval of Minutes
Approval of the October 20, 2008 minutes from the regular meeting and November 11,
2008 special meeting minutes.
B. Approval of November Bills
Approval of the November bills for payment as submitted.
Mrs. McCormick moved to accept the above action items by consensus. Motion carried
5-0.
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Board Minutes
November 17, 2008
VI. Action Items
A. Supplemental Insurance Distribution
Administration recommended approval of the issuance of a one time supplemental
insurance check in the amount of $1050.00 to all district employees who are currently
employed and have been contracted for at least 30 days.
Mr. Thompson noted that he would like to be able to do this since insurance costs
continue to rise and it is included in the budget. Mr. Johnson moved to accept
administration’s recommendation. Motion carried 5-0.
B. 2008 ASBA Delegate
All ASBA member school boards are entitled to a voting representative at the December 3,
2008 annual ASBA Conference in Little Rock. Mr. Woods is the only board member that
will be attending the conference. Mr. Woods stated he would be glad to serve as the
delegate but he is unsure that he will be able to vote since he currently serves on the
Board. After doing some research, if he is able to vote, he will be glad to do so.
Mr. Johnson moved to select Jerry Don Woods as the voting representative at the 2008
annual ASBA Conference. Motion carried 5-0.
C. Petitions for Student Transfer
A petition for student transfer was received from Lisa Akins for her daughter, Callie
Akins, age 15, to transfer from Dardanelle to Russellville.
A petition for student transfer was received from SuAnn Judkins for her daughter, Emilee
Judkins, age 6, to transfer from Dardanelle to Pottsville.
A petition for student transfer was received from Michaelle Wilkins for her son, Brett
Wilkins, age 13, to transfer from Danville to Dardanelle. The Danville School Board
approved the transfer on October 20, 2008.
A petition for student transfer was received from Jennifer Lewis for her daughter, Torrye
Rochelle, age 14, to transfer from Western Yell to Dardanelle. The Western Yell County
School Board approved the transfer on October 20, 2008.
Mr. Woods moved to approve all of the above transfers. Motion carried 5-0.
D. Consideration of Bids for Purchase of Vehicle
Ed Vestal, Operations Supervisor, reviewed the bids that were received from Lambert
Motors, Phil Wright Autoplex, and Hagans Dodge. He recommends accepting the bid
from Lambert Motors, Inc. for $28,950.00 (including Lowes gift card) for a 2008 GMC
Yukon XL 2WD.
Mr. Woods moved to accept the bid from Lambert Motors, Inc. Motion carried 5-0.
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Board Minutes
November 17, 2008
E. Out of State Travel Request
An out of state travel request was received from Coach Walker for the football staff to
attend the Frank Glazier Clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma on February 5-7, 2009. The
approximate cost of the trip is $1751.14.
Mrs. McCormick moved to approve the out of state travel request. Motion carried 5-0.
F. Land Purchase
Mr. Woods noted that he has information regarding six potential properties for the district
to purchase. He noted that while all six are within the perimeters of where the district
would like to buy, each have pros and cons. According to Jana Harwell, some of the
properties are currently listed or some of the owners have expressed their willingness to
sell the properties in question. Mr. Woods expressed his desire to designate a purchasing
agent at tonight’s meeting and authorize him/her to begin negotiating prices on behalf of
the district or possibly schedule a work session to discuss more details. After an in-depth
discussion, Mr. Woods moved to designate Jana Kay Harwell as the district’s agent for
procuring property for future growth. Motion carried 5-0.
VII. Executive Session
At 7:45 p.m. the Board retired to executive session for personnel matters.
At 8:35 p.m. the Board returned to open session.
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Board Minutes
November 17, 2008
Executive Session
November 17, 2008
Employment:
Administration recommended employing Lynn Sigle as a Bus Driver, Step 2, effective
November 10, 2008.
Mrs. McCormick moved to accept administration’s recommendation. Motion carried 5-0.
Administration recommended accepting a maternity leave request from Rebecca Roberds
on or around the dates of January 5, 2009 through March 4, 2009.
Mr. Johnson moved to accept the leave request as noted above. Motion carried 5-0.
A request was received from Teri Holsted for twelve weeks of family leave beginning
January 5, 2009.
Mr. Woods moved to accept Ms. Holsted’s request. Motion carried 5-0.
VIII. Adjourn
At 8:37 p.m. Mr. Johnson moved to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0.
_____________________________
Keith Stokes, President
____________________________
Dawn McCormick, Secretary