WHITE HALL -- A shortfall of up to $1.4 million in the White Hall School District is projected for the start of the 2021-22 school year.
Finance director Doug Brown told School Board members Tuesday that the district has lost 81 students through three-quarters of the academic year, which begins every July, compared with this point in the 2019-20 school year. That loss translates to an estimated $450,000 to $500,000 loss in state aid.
Brown said 2,905 students are now enrolled in White Hall schools.
The loss of production at Act IX industry Highland Pellets and staff reduction at the Stant factory would result in a loss of up to $1 million in tax revenue, Brown said. He projects the district to end the school year with $7 million in unrestricted funds.
He cautioned board members that costs would have to be cut to help the district weather the shortfall, but Superintendent Doug Dorris said the district does not plan to cut any staff members.
"We've got to get some kids back," Dorris said. "Some of the major factories we got that are in our tax base are closing down, and that's not helping us at all."
Dorris said the district may purchase one new bus instead of the usual two per year, which would save an estimated $100,000.
The district is banking on federally funded upgrades in technology such as laptops for every certified teacher and webcams, improvements in air quality, and construction of elementary safe rooms, fine arts and multipurpose centers at White Hall High School to attract families to the district. The technological upgrades will be made possible by federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding; while the ongoing construction is the result of a $25 million bond measure from 2019 voters approved.
White Hall schools have hired SSC custodial service of Knoxville, Tenn., for $979,151. Dorris said the move will help the district save about half the cost of custodial supplies and fill open custodial positions that have been advertised.
SSC is a sister company to Chartwells, which operates the district's cafeteria services and is used in the Sheridan School District, among others in Arkansas.
After a question from board member Scott Pittillo, SSC regional sales director Tammy Reed assured board members that current custodians would have the opportunity to remain employed with the district through SSC.
"In a district like White Hall, 80[%] to 90% of employees will stay with us after the first three months," Reed said.
In other district news:
-- Mask requirements will remain in place for the remainder of this school year. The district voted to maintain such policies despite consideration from Gov. Asa Hutchinson as to whether to ease Arkansas' mask mandates at the end of this month.
-- White Hall's third- and fourth-grade Quiz Bowl teams won contests that also featured teams from Stuttgart and Pine Bluff.
-- Middle-school Assistant Principal James Kight, high school math teacher Wade Reynolds, Moody Elementary media specialist Kathy Carnahan, middle-school science teacher and coach David Arcement, high school career and technical education teacher Dottie Strahan and Moody Elementary teacher Julianne Bobo submitted resignations. Kight has been employed in the district for 56 years.
-- The district has hired Watson Chapel Assistant Superintendent Bill Tietz as principal at Gandy Elementary and Lakendra Lovelady to succeed Kight at White Hall Middle School, both to begin at the start of the 2021-22 school year. Fourth-grade teacher Amy York will become media specialist at Taylor Elementary and middle-school English teacher Stephanie Robinson will bcome media specialist at Moody, both beginning in the 2021-22 school year.