Blytheville pre-school program passes audit

The Blytheville School District's pre-school program was hit with a random audit just before spring break and passed with flying colors.

The surprise audit, according to Title 1 Executive Director Jean Cole, was a big deal for the district, as the audit is the basis for determining whether or not the school receives funds to continue the program. Cole said the visit was random, allowing auditors to see how the program operates on a daily basis. The program received a very favorable audit, according to Cole, scoring 6.4 points out of a possible 7.

Cole also said the auditors thought MacDonald's class was a good model for the program, and are interested in sending other districts to Blytheville to observe how its pre-school program is conducted.

"This is a big deal for us, especially since the program is still fairly new to the area," Cole said.

Also during Monday's school board meeting, Director of Operations Randy Jumper told the board about a new program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that the school recently began participating in which provides free meals after school to students.

The "Bright Futures" program provides free meals that range from light snacks to hot meals each day of the week to schools. Currently, the program is being used to feed student athletes in the district, but Jumper said the school is considering making meals available to any student who stays after school.

"We started this with just our athletes because we wanted to test it out, see if it was a legitimate thing," Jumper said. "It's working out fantastic, so we're looking to expand it."

The school board also recognized Diane Hay for her work with the district's Odyssey of the Mind programs, and students gave board members a demonstration of what they did at the recent OM competition.

cpinkard@blythevillecourier.com