The Gosnell School District is planning a $2.8 million HVAC project at the high school next summer.
During his report on the proposed Master Facilities Plan Monday night, Superintendent Bonard Mace told the Gosnell School Board that the new air conditioning system is the top building priority.
Mace noted the state will pitch in $2.1 million for the $2.8 million HVAC upgrade, leaving Gosnell responsible for the remaining $700,000. Last year the district transferred $3.6 million to the building fund for such projects.
“The highest priority improvement for the 2019-21 Partnership program is the HVAC/Energy efficiency,” Mace said in his report on the proposed Facilities Master Plan. “The Secondary HVAC project will be completed in the summer of 2018. The district has completed the Junior High and Elementary 3-6 HVAC renovations. The Elementary (K-2) is next on the HVAC list. The Gosnell district wishes to focus on the fresh air intake and energy efficiency with the revised 6 year plan.”
Mace said many of the buildings are more than 30 years old and in dire need of upgrades.
“These improvements will make the classroom temperatures more level, which in turn will make the atmosphere more conducive to learning,” Mace said. “This will focus on fresh air intake and air quality control. We need the renovations for energy efficiency. These improvements will save the district money in utility bills. We feel that student health is a key ingredient in the development of this section.”
Mace said the district is purchasing and installing a new surveillance system district wide as well.
“We have expanded the secondary 16 cameras to 36,” he said. “The junior high’s three camera system was replaced with an updated 24 camera system. We have plans to add a 48 new camera system in the elementary. The system will help monitor the hallways, parking lots and other facilities. The recording system is designed to monitor the campus 24/7.”
The district also plans several technology improvements, including a voice over IP phone system, continued expansion of its 1 to 1 initiative, additional points of contact for wireless stations, and the upgrading of its fiber optic system.
The district is also considering replacing the weight room roof, resurfacing the street asphalt district wide, remodeling the elementary rooms for academic labs and new programs, building fine arts classrooms, resurfacing the junior high physical education floors and replacing the elementary sidewalks.
Mace noted because the district’s wealth index is 0.23237, the state will pay 0.76763 for projects.
“So we’re getting 76 cents for every dollar we spend if we get approval from the state department for these plans,” Mace said. “None of this is in stone. We’re going to discuss this and talk about it. If you have any ideas, feel free to communicate with me.”
Other ideas that have been mentioned include: a new junior high cafeteria, renovating more elementary restrooms, expanding the senior high auditorium parking lot, new baseball/softball indoor practice facilities, a new basketball gym, a football bleacher renovation, new football dressing rooms and building two safe rooms, to name a few.
The board did not vote on the plan Monday night.
The district received a high rating in the Arkansas Statewide Facilities Assessment in 2014, the latest report available.
The 2017 ARFCI district campus ranking is 928 of 1129 in high school and 964 of 1129 in elementary with one being the lowest ranking and 1129 being the highest/best ranking.
Meanwhile, the board approved a $10,193,107 budget for the 2017-18 school year on Monday night.
The district entered the school year with a balance of $1,540,814, which was leftover from a $10.2 million budget last year.
The district began last year with a balance of $5,187,927, and transferred $3.6 million into the building fund to finish with a balance of $1.5 million.
Mace noted a new law requires schools to take their revenue, multiple it by 20 percent and they should have their ending balance.
In the 2017-18 budget, teacher salaries add up to $5.3 million, while operating fund expenditures total $5.3 million, which would give the district an ending balance of $1,080,305 and potentially would put Gosnell’s budget in the red $460,000.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Mace said. “We always overestimate expenditures and underestimate revenues. We were within $35,000 this year, and I have every goal just to spend all the revenue that comes in.”
In other news, the board spent about 38 minutes of the 1 ½ hour meeting on the annual public report.
Presenting the reports were assistant superintendent Kevin Evans, special services supervisor Elizabeth Bryce, elementary principal Tiffany Kennemore and high school principal Len Whitehead.
The annual public meeting included reports on test scores, school board training, federal programs, technology and Child Internet Protection Act compliance.
Bryce reported that the district received $376,295 in Title I funds for the 2017-18 school year, an increase of $78,523 from last year. She provided a breakdown of how the monies are spent and explained the various programs they fund.
Kennemore and Whitehead provided a breakdown of test scores and offered ways to improve them.
Both said a big key to a student’s success is parental involvement.
After the annual report, the board approved the following:
— Declaring a vacancy and reappointing Greg McGuirt to the board;
— Election of officers. Donnie Wright will serve as president of the board; Gary Payne, vice president; and John Weiss, secretary;
— The statement of assurances;
— The local/state standards and curriculum, and IDEA rules, regulations and budget;
— The purchase of a 30-passenger special education bus;
— Arkansas Public School Unemployment Compensation;
— Contract disclosure review, allowing new board member Danny Quearry (M&D Outdoors) to continue doing business with the district.
— A resolution noting which employees had raises of five percent or more, which range from moving from part-time to full-time or getting a new position in the district.