At Tuesday's board meeting, board member Desmond Hammett debated at length the viability of continuing their partnership with the New Tech Curriculum at Blytheville High School. The subject was brought up due to New Tech Network's contract with the district being up for renewal. The contract covers two years and would cost the district $97,800.
"Let's just say it's been a little less than $600,000 that the district has paid to New Tech and our district has failed with the New Tech program each year. So to re-enter this agreement for another two years, and our district has failed the previous six years, I think it is time for us to take a step back. If I've been a part of something for six years and it's been failing me, if I was New Tech I wouldn't want to be associated with someone that was failing that I was paying for…What is New Tech willing to do to say, ‘Hey maybe I need to send in some added forces or reinforcements to help this district.'…What I'm asking the district is when do we take a step back and get New Tech here to the table and say, ‘What can you do within your network to help strengthen this program?'" Hammett asked.
Superintendent Bobby Ashley responded that if they were considering "F" to be failing then the district has only had one year of failing with New Tech, however, they have had "Ds" all of the other years.
He said that the things that the district was doing through college and career, although that was not specifically New Tech, the things that the district is seeing and is going to see under the leadership of the new high school principal Matt Swenson was going to give a clearer picture of how a New Tech school should be run.
"I think I ran a good school, but I think that Mr. Swenson with the New Tech model is really running it the way that it is supposed to be with fidelity," Ashley said.
Hammett asked when the district could become self-sufficient enough to not need New Tech's help to implement the programs and models that New Tech has taught the district over the course of the six years the district has been affiliated with New Tech. Swenson responded that they tried to do that at Cross County, where Swenson worked previously, before they were affiliated with New Tech, and it was not possible.
"You tried it before you were a New Tech school. We have been a New Tech school. When do we get to the foundation where we say, ‘We are good.' Under your expert leadership within New Tech, I'm confident that you can do it. From a board perspective of us making a $600,000 purchase and then we get a great principal, I think you can do it. What else can we do with this $97,000 to help aid you with the college and career services sector of this program," Hammett said.
After more discussion and input from both Swenson and curriculum director Sally Cooke, the board eventually decided to renew their contract with New Tech. However, some discussion was made about revisiting their options if they did not see improvements in the next two years.
The board also decided to remove one action item from their agenda concerning policy revisions. The most vocalized reason was brought up by board member Erin Carrington concerning the district's policy for entering into contracts. Carrington, being concerned from the architect fees being left out of their most recent construction project, said that the board needed to put in some kind of contract review policy or perhaps have the district's attorney review contract's before they are submitted.
The board also approved the EAST initiative program service agreement in the amount of $25,000. This will bring an EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technology) program to the high school.
The board received several personnel recommendations including the appointment of four new certified employees one elementary teacher, one middle school teacher, one high school teacher, and one elementary librarian. They also received 10 teacher resignations, five from the middle school, two from the primary, two from elementary, and one from the high school.