Vaccine incentive voted down

Monday night, the Blytheville School Board voted down a plan to provide staff members $200 additional pay to be vaccinated, with some board members contending the amount should be higher.

Board member Michelle Sims recommended increasing the rate to $750, and interim superintendent Jennifer Blankenship agreed to meet with finance director Jennifer Johnson to determine how much ESSER (Covid relief) funding is available.

Board member Erin Carrington motioned to provide vaccinated staff with $200 and board member Tracey Ritchey seconded, but it did not get enough votes to pass.

Along with Carrington and Ritchey, voting in favor of the proposal was school board president Barbara Wells.

Voting against the plan were board members Tobey Johnson and Sims who both indicated they supported a higher rate than $200. The measure needed four affirmative votes to pass.

Board member Billy Fair abstained because he said he needed more information, while board member Desmond Hammett did not vote because he had left the room following a heated exchange with Wells.

Like Fair, Hammett asked for the available amount of ESSER funding.

“Would it be all right if I said something real quick,” finance director Jennifer Johnson asked from the audience.

“No! No, Ms. Johnson,” Wells responded, saying it could be discussed later. “I can’t allow her (to come forward and speak).”

Jennifer Johnson then left the meeting.

Sims called the incentive pay “a great idea” though contends by increasing it to $750 staff would have more incentive to be vaccinated.

Hammett suggested looking at the remaining Covid relief money and possibly using the rest for incentives, with Wells responding there may be a need to use the money for other projects.

“Mr. Hammett!” Wells said, as she banged the gavel. “I asked you before the community, here you go again. What did I say? No one out there got their phones but you. Nobody out there, doctors or detectives or firemen that need to leave, so that is only right. I’m asking you for your behavior, will you please put your cell phone down? That’s right, Ms. Sims, that’s what I said. You looking at me; I’m asking him nicely to put his phone away.”

Sims took issue, saying Wells was looking at her.

Hammett said he was checking his emails for information.

Wells aggressively struck her gavel again.

“There you go, I’m going to give you one more time,” Wells said, noting everyone gets emails but doesn’t check their phone during meetings. “I’m not going to give you the attention that you want, right now that you are getting. You think it’s about me. No! You need to learn to respect. Even when we get another superintendent it’ll be the same way. If they don’t come up here being bold, you, for nine years, you’ve ran them away.”

Hammett then went to the back room and re-entered after the vote.

Board member Johnson said she is in favor of additional pay and suggested looking at incentives for students as well, whether they are financial or a pizza party.

Wells said the board could reconsider the additional pay at another meeting.

Meanwhile, in front of a packed audience, Sims also suggested moving the board meetings to the auditorium and Blankenship and director of technologies Lance Nettles agreed to check into the cost of the equipment needed to make the move.

In other news, Blankenship reported that a total of 133 staff and students are in quarantine.

She said, district-wide, there are two positive staff members, two staff members with close contacts; 12 students are positive; and 117 students had close contacts.

Blankenship said those in quarantine were not vaccinated.

Blankenship also reported the district is seeing a slight increase in enrollment.

She said the first week student enrollment was 1,711, with more enrolling. In the first quarter of the 2020-21 school year, the district had 1,710 students.

“It looks like we might be making some gains with (student enrollment),” Blankenship said, noting the district will know the count at the end of the first quarter.

Also Monday night, the board agreed to refinance a 2019 bond, which is expected to save taxpayers $196,980 over the life of the bond, with a projected interest rate of 1.93 percent. The district could see a $117,540 savings this school year, according to Michael Dobbs of First Security Beardsley.

In action items, Wells asked board members to look at minutes of the Aug. 17 special meeting, saying a motion regarding the superintendent survey was made incorrectly but approved anyway. She asked Hammett to make the motion again and for Sims to second it, as they did previously, though no motion was made.

The discussion once again became contentious.

“Michelle Sims, if you talk again!” Wells said, and then banged the gavel.

“You did not hear me say one word, now you stop that, Mrs. Wells!” Sims responded. “You are constantly trying to pick on me.”

Wells said she isn’t picking on Sims, and then turned her attention to board member Johnson.

“Mrs. Johnson, you was (sic) the president for three years and this board was unorganized and dysfunctional, so I appreciate you, with all due respect, you sit over there and let me chair this meeting,” Wells said. “If you have something to say to me, we can talk about it; it’s no big deal. But y’all have got to learn to respect that. You might not like the way I conduct meetings but we adopted the Robert’s Rules of Order and we’ve got a procedure. That’s the problem now with this Blytheville School District. Some of you all want to handle it like y’all are the CEOs of this school district and don’t want to abide by the rules. Now don’t call my name no more.”

Ultimately, the board voted 6-1 – with Wells dissenting – to approve the July 26, Aug. 2, and Aug. 17 meeting minutes, as well as the financial report, policy updates and statement of assurances.

The board unanimously approved the following personnel recommendations:

— Appointments of paraprofessional Kaylee Jones and entry screener Kourtney Riggs;

— Resignations of transportation director Carolyn Barnes and food service manager Morgan Parnell

The board also heard an update from facilities director Brandon Harper. Harper said the ALE roof repair was delayed after the contractor and his company “have been dealing with Covid.”

Harper expects the work to begin this week. He also addressed drainage concerns on the new parking lot, noting Baldwin and Shell Construction is researching the issue.