Reports focus on school district progress

GRAVETTE — The School Board members voted at their Nov. 16 meeting to initiate the process with Scott Beardsley of First Security Beardsley of applying for a permit and related documents to issue bonds. They stipulated the application process is to proceed only after clarification from Beardsley about any prepayment restrictions and penalties.

Superintendent Maribel Childress told the board about the results of the family and community engagement surveys. She said 549 parents, 827 students and 127 teachers responded to the survey and administrators are working to address their concerns.

She reported only 82% of third-through-12th-grade students said they felt loved and cared for when 98% of teachers of those students thought they had provided the necessary support, so “there is obviously a gap in perception.” Childress said the family and community engagement district goal is to exceed the families’ expectations and they are working to accomplish that.

After an executive session, board members voted to request Childress review the possibility of a Christmas bonus for all district employees and the impact of that on each employee and on district finances.

Kelly Hankins, middle school principal, reported on Star 360 data at the Nov. 16 meeting of the School Board. She said testing results showed there’s work to be done in reading instruction but is pleased struggling students had been identified and teachers are working with those. Remedial classes are helping students get back on grade level and multiple students have advanced more than one grade level in reading. Teachers are working to identify the basic skills needed to help ensure their progress.

Hankins said, “We are never where we want to be in math” but reported instructors have been able to get an online textbook so all students are using the same text. She said teaching both in class and digitally has been a huge strain on teachers and is very time-consuming.

District staff did a good job of doing what they knew to do, she said, but had to continually adjust and that has taken an emotional toll. However, the stress level is going down and she feels teachers have done a “fantastic job” of keeping on-site students progressing while working with online students.

She said the best place for struggling students is in class and she hopes to get some online students back in class. She expressed appreciation for the support provided for online students, particularly the provision of meals to take home.

Progress reports have been sent home, along with letters telling parents administrators want failing students back on campus where teachers can work with them. There are about 70 online middle school students and about a third of them are failing. Teachers providing online instruction have been given an extra 43-minute planning period every day. In addition, two long-term substitutes are now available to relieve teachers, and two study hall periods have been set up for lagging students.

One problem is half of the tech staff are out due to quarantine. Several new Chrome-books have been received but no one is available to set them up and the process is time-consuming. Upper elementary principal Mandy Barrett said she and some of her staff have unboxed several of the Chromebooks. She said all fifth-graders and about half the fourth-graders already have their own Chromebooks and chargers.

Shannon Mitchell, high school principal, said letters have also been sent out encouraging online students to come back on campus. Some have applied for admission to alternative school, she said, but numbers are limited because of physical distancing requirements. She said there are a couple of seniors who are in danger of not being able to graduate. She said every high school teacher has been asked to plan an enrichment period, an intervention period and a study hall where students can work quietly each Wednesday. She said she plans to partner some students up to go out and do community service after the Christmas break.

Seven fifth-graders from Gravette Upper Elementary School attended the Nov. 16 meeting of the School Board and led the pledge of allegiance. The students were representing 30 fifth-graders who were recognized for having perfect attendance this school year and each told what they liked about school. The students were Brandon Arnett, Ciara Carver, Jack Grimes, Jax Lawson, Chloe Maki, Marley Miller and Braxton Wilkerson.

Childress also recognized school nurses Carolyn Middleton, Joanna Deaton, Alicia Bayley and Wendy Catron. She thanked them for their work this year and acknowledged they’re spending a lot of extra time tracing contacts and doing paperwork because of the covid-19 pandemic.

Board members also voted to give transportation director Richard Carver approval to seek bids for a new bus and to sell a 2009 Freightliner bus to the highest bidder, Elk River Floats, for $5,001. They accepted Carver’s recommendation and voted to hire Christina Skaggs as a bus driver. Carver said Skaggs has driven a bus route the last two years.

Susan Holland may be reached by email at [email protected] .

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