Bryant schools OKat-risk youth post
The Bryant School Board last week OK'd the creation of a new assistant principal, who will focus on at-risk children.
The assistant principal will split time between Bryant Elementary and Bryant Middle schools, checking in and helping alternative-learning students, community-based instruction students and special-education students.
The district's deputy superintendent, Karen Walters, said that in the past some 50 students in those learning environments would see different administrators go into the classrooms, so having just one person would be more consistent. The assistant principal would spend more time in the classrooms, hopefully reducing student discipline and increasing student achievement, she said.
Both Walters and Superintendent Tom Kimbrell said they were confident the district could find a qualified person to fill the administrative position at this time of year.
"We want someone with a history of good relationships with special-needs students," said Walters, adding that the district also wanted an assistant principal who could work on curriculum for those students.
Bryant adds 2 jobsto growing district
The Bryant School District will have some new central administrators for the forthcoming school year.
In June, Don McGohan, the assistant superintendent for human resources, asked the School Board for two of the administrative positions: a deputy superintendent and a director of operations. According to the agenda, he said the positions were needed for the growing district "to increase the efficiency ... and add to the quality of services that we have to offer."
The School Board approved the hires after both the certified and classified personnel policy committees approved the matters.
Karen Walters, who previously worked as an assistant commissioner for human resources at the state Department of Education, became the district's deputy superintendent.
Phyllis Stewart became the district's director of operations.
Walters will earn $110,345.94 annually, a nearly $2,000 pay cut from her state job. Stewart began Aug. 1, a month after most school employees, and will earn $59,041.67 this year and $65,000 in subsequent years.
As deputy superintendent, Walters will fill in on district operations whenever Superintendent Tom Kimbrell cannot. The district merged her assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction position with the deputy position.
Stewart will manage the district's central administration office, along with facilitating communication between that office and the School Board. She came to the Bryant district after working as chief of staff and director of communications for the Arkansas School Boards Association. Stewart used to work at the Arkansas Department of Education as chief-of-staff for Kimbrell while he was state education commissioner.
Drugs-for-sex casepostponed 1 month
A pretrial hearing date for a former Saline County sheriff's office lieutenant who was accused of selling drugs in exchange for sex was postponed until next month.
The new hearing for Mike Frost, a former Criminal Investigations Division lieutenant, will be Sept. 22. The move came after Frost got into a motorcycle accident Monday, leaving him with "multiple contusions, serious physical injuries to his arm and wrist," and a possible concussion, according to court records.
He has pleaded innocent to charges of delivery of a controlled substance and illegal use of a communication facility.
Prosecutors summoned an FBI agent and an Arkansas State Police trooper for the hearing before it was rescheduled. The hearing could also include the judge's decision on several pending motions, including one to change the venue of the case.
Metro on 08/17/2014