The Blytheville School Board met on Monday and began the meeting with a recognition of the 2018-2019 teachers of the year.
Each building received recognition for teacher of the year, though, Elementary and District Teacher of the Year Ebony Wells-Brown was unable to attend the meeting. The Blytheville Primary teacher recognized was Tracy Plunkett, Blytheville Middle School recognized Devon Chambers and Blytheville High School recognized Harriet Jumper. Curriculum director Sally Cooke read some of the comments that colleagues of the teachers that were recognized gave with their nominations.
The district's architect for the gym, football field, and track projects, Todd Welch, presented to drawing for alternative plans for the track project as well as a drawing for the "original scope." The alternative plans simply included a resurfacing of the current track and would cost the district around $250,000. The original plans included the rebuilding of the track with additions of new track and field activities. The original plan would cost around $800,000. Neither design included bleachers for seating.
"Around the $700,000 mark sounds like what the board wanted to do instead of just a resurfacing, is that pretty much the way everybody remembers? Any conversation that we have going further will be based on that one," Superintendent Bobby Ashley said.
"We don't need to make a decision until we have all the facts this time, so I would make a recommendation to you Mr. Ashley to at least get everything that we know that we are going to get the second bond for...we need to have full details of what we are asking for and what they are offering us for that price," board member Desmond Hammett said.
Board member Erin Carrington asked if it would be discussed if Baldwin and Shell's percentage rate for the project would be modified, saying that the issue with the architect fees was a failure on both sides. Baldwin and Shell project manager Eric Euler said that he believed that Baldwin and Shell had given the information that they did not have those fees included since the beginning; however, he could speak to someone about the possibility. Ashley noted that an attorney was still reviewing the circumstances concerning the fees and had not given any feedback as of yet.
"I feel like there should be some room for negotiation because it was not just an oversight on the part of the school district, but also on your part as well as on Beardsley's it would seem," Carrington said.
Euler responded, "Well we, and again I don't want to get into the ‘We's', but we told you from day one we didn't have it. I don't think it was an oversight on our part. That decision is above my head I can definitely ask my boss and have them discuss and let them make that decision. I could not answer that right now."
Representatives from the Primary school talked about their food bag program, which currently has around 48 students in the program. The program sends a total of 624 items just for the weekends at its current number.
During spring break the program sent home over 2,000 items and on Christmas break over 5,000 items.
The program is able to survive on the generosity of the community both in and outside the school. The Primary holds food drives for the program and also receives dontations to help continue to fund it.
The board voted to sell a plot of land for $39,500 to Randy Scott at 2510 North Highway 61. The land has in the past been used as lease farmland, however, the state of the land is not very good for farming without expensive modification being made to it. The land encompasses about 15.8 acres.
The board brought up the possibility of holding a special training meeting in the near future to allow the finance director to walk through the district's accounts with the board and explain how they are used and what they are used for.
Though no date could be agreed on at the meeting, board president Tobey Johnson said the board could discuss it via email.
The board also accepted the monthly personnel recommendations, which included the reappointment of district-level administrators, the resignation of six teachers, the retirement of two teachers, and the retirement of a paraprofessional.