As the 2008-09 school year is quickly approaching, the Conway School District's Board of Education made decisions and preparations for another year of learning during its regular meeting Tuesday night.
Dr. Greg Murry, superintendent, joked that rumor has it thousands of children will be pouring into the district's 15 schools Monday morning, but added he knows teachers and staff will be ready for them.
"The principals have been meeting with the teachers and they're all going to be ready to get to work bright and early when those kids get off the bus for the first time," Murry said.
Murry also told the board the enrollment for the year will be around 9,200, meaning 200 more kids in classrooms across Conway. He said adjustments are being made to account for them.
Before going into executive session, Murry told the board extra teachers, mostly on the elementary level, would be hired to accommodate the growth. He added the 200 new kids were not a surprise, either, as a total of 200 to 250 new students were listed in enrollment projections from previous years.
"Our intermediate schools are going to catch a little more growth as it looks right now, but the growth will be spread across the district," Murry said.
He also said Woodrow Cummins Elementary School, which will be open to students for the first time this year, will house more children than anticipated.
Because of the steady growth in both the city of Conway as a whole and within the district, school construction has been a big issue for the board. Although recent rains have put a small delay on the renovation work at Conway High School East, officials said all current projects are going well.
Lonnie Williams, president of Nabholz Construction Co., also took the opportunity to thank the board for its support during the meeting.
"We don't take your district for granted," Williams said. "Our folks do a great job because they have a special place for Conway and for Faulkner County. Thank you for putting your confidence in us."
One specific project Williams discussed was the reroofing of all buildings at Carl Stuart Middle School. He said the first phase was finished early and added he thought it turned out beautifully.
"It looks great but there's one thing you may not know about this project," Williams said. "The insulation system we put in there is going to save a tremendous amount of money on utilities."
Another important preparation every school district has to make before any student comes to class is knowing what the kids will eat for lunch and how much it will cost them.
Carroll Bishop, assistant superintendent for Conway, said although the district will not raise the food prices for the year, the price of an a la carte carton of milk will increase.
The board unanimously approved a bread bid from Sara Lee Colonial and a milk bid from Hiland Dairy during the meeting and were told the price of milk, outside from the carton received with a meal, has increased from 30 cents to 50 cents.
According to Sharon Burgess, director of food services, Hiland is the only dairy available to the district after recently merging with Coleman Dairy. She said this is the reason the district has seen a 100 percent increase in some of the milk products; however, she said there is another option to explore.
She said at Woodrow Cummins Elementary and Ruth Doyle Intermediate schools, she will explore the possibility a direct shipment of dairy products from food suppliers. She said if it works out, it will save a nickel per carton, which she said can make a substantial difference.
The board also took the following action during its regular meeting Tuesday:
Announced the date of the dedication of Woodrow Cummins Elementary School, which will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9 and the public is invited to attend.
Approved a notice of the annual school election.
Approved a motion to allow the polling sites for the Sept. 16 school board election be determined by Murry within the week. The original plan was to hold the election at the Faulkner County Courthouse, but the date coincides with the annual fair parade.
Approved purchase orders.
Approved the list of bills paid in July.
Approved the following student transfers: Lisa Gunter, one child to Mayflower, Karen Bittinger, one child to Mayflower, Frank Isbell Jr., two children to Greenbrier, Melissa Brown, one child to Greenbrier, and Kerri Sessions, one child to Guy-Perkins.
Approved the hiring of Jackye Wilder as a summer project worker for the kindergarten camp at Marguerite Vann Elementary School after executive session.
The board also approved the following resignations of district employees after an executive session:
Charlotte Clinkscale, special education teacher.
Alisha Evans, ABC Preschool paraprofessional.
Courtney Pope, teacher at Ida Burns Elementary School.
Cilynthia Canada, nurse.
Misee Newton, paraprofessional.
Kristie Tucker, paraprofessional.
Gail Ozanich, paraprofessional.
Phyllis Dacus, bus driver.
Buddy Huett, bus driver.
After the executive session, the following hirings were made by the board for the 2008-09 school year:
Vickie Yates, media specialist at Ida Burns Elementary School.
Betsy McCallum, secondary math teacher.
Kalyn Evans, elementary math coach.
Tamara Cook, special education instructional paraprofessional.
Hilary Woosley, behavioral class instructional paraprofessional.
Erin Stanton, speech language pathologist.
Donna Whiting, director of gifted and talented.
Heather Nutt, literacy coach.
Jacob Stroman, secondary social studies teacher.
Karla Walter, elementary teacher.
Christin Rippy, elementary teacher.
Elizabeth Insell, ABC Preschool instructional paraprofessional.
Randy Lachney, Career Center paraprofessional.
Amanda Townsend, school nurse.
Maggie Kelley, elementary teacher.
Alison Maxwell, elementary teacher.
Angelique Post, elementary teacher.
Tracy Bane, elementary teacher.
Sharla March, elementary teacher.
(Staff writer Jessica Bauer can be reached by e-mail at jessica.bauer@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1236. To comment on this and other stories in the Log Cabin, log on to www.thecabin.net. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)
