By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
The Forrest City Junior High School will be vacant when school bells ring in August.
School board members agreed Monday night to move the eighth and ninth grade students to different locations throughout the district while a new junior high is being built at the current facility's location. Construction is expected to take up to two years.
With school scheduled to begin in just a month, district officials urged the board to move quickly on a suggestion for relocating the students.
The board reviewed four options for taking care of the junior high students. Those options carried estimated price tags ranging from about $100,000 to over $1 million.
FCSD Administrator for Foundation Resources and Finance Director Pat Flanagin reviewed the plans, discussing the pros and cons of each with the group. The four plans, as outlined by Flanagin, include:
Plan A: Move all students to the high school campus using six rooms in the main building and two in the band hall. Relocate four existing single room portables and one double-room portable to this location and lease 11 double classroom portables. This plan would cost about $329,600.
Plan B: Move the ninth grade only to high school relocating four portables and leasing one double classroom portable. Locate the eighth grade in north end of junior high, home economics cottage, Title I building and cafeteria. This plan would cost about $100,600.
Plan C: The same as Plan B with the exception of moving the eighth grade to the old Stewart Fifth Grade building. Programs at the old Stewart campus would have to be relocated. This would include renting space or leasing portables for the Rivendell alternative School and moving the Teacher Center. Two double portables would also be leased for the eighth graders at old Stewart. This plan would cost about $142,100.
Plan D: The original proposal that involved using all of the present junior high structure and building the new facility in stages. Students would move from the two-story section into the new east wing upon completion, then the two-story section would be demolished and the remainder of the new construction would continue there. This plan would cost an estimated $1,075,000.
"I'm not for using the old building at all," said Bob Beavers, one of the architects for the new junior high. It is estimated the district would have to spend at least $75,000 to get the current junior high ready for students.
Board member Sandra Taylor suggested letting some of the classes at the Madison campus be absorbed into other elementary campuses and use that facility for the services which must be relocated.
Beavers said a local contractor had told the district it could save about $1 million if the junior high campus was vacated beginning this fall. With a vacant building, construction workers could work inside on the remodeling projects at the gymnasium, north wing and cafeteria on days when the weather was not conducive to outside work, meaning fewer days would be lost due to weather.
The board approved Plan C with some modifications. However, the board asked to be updated on the progress of the changes taking place before the Aug. 20 starting date for school.
Board member Ronald Williams was the only one to vote against the plan. "For years, we've said we're going to go in there and fix it (current junior high) up and use it. That's what we passed the millage on. If we can convince the public that we're going to save money...don't come up and say we ran short because we're going to need the public again," Williams cautioned.
"I think we should put the children in the best places. The alternative school should be the second priority and office space third," Flanagin said.
On a related matter, Beavers and Architect Dave Hodges reviewed several drawings for the new junior high and explained the reasoning behind certain designs. They also reviewed the new 850-seat auditorium which will have modern facilities for theatrical productions and can be used by the community.
In other business, the board accepted a bid for bread from Ideal Bread and a bid for milk from Highland Dairy. The group also renewed the districts' student activity insurance with Guaranty Trust.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Several new video cameras will be installed on buses in the Palestine-Wheatley School District in time for the 2001-2002 school year following the school board's unanimous vote Monday night.
PWSD superintendent Jimmy Allen said the district is working with a Forrest City business to purchase the cameras which will be installed at the front of the buses.
"Right now we're real close to getting everything worked out on the video cameras. These cameras are a lot smaller than the ones that we had before, and if we have them installed by the business, we'll have a warranty. Plus, if something goes wrong or the cameras aren't installed correctly, it'll be on them and not on us. We'd like to have them ready to go when the school year begins, and they've told me that would be possible," said Allen.
In other business the board approved the proposed budget of expenditures, together with a tax levy, for the 2002-2003 school year. According to Allen, the move places the board in accordance with a state law which requires districts to adopt a proposed budget two years in advance.
"This is something that we have to do every year, and it's something that we have to do by state law. These figures are close to what we foresee the budget being, but we can't give you an accurate figure because laws could change. We still don't know how we're going to work the governor's teacher pay raise. It's something that we have to do whether we agree with it or not," Allen said.
The board also approved several personnel changes during the meeting by accepting the resignations of two employees and the transfer of three.
Board members accepted the resignations of Carolyn Parker, assistant bookkeeper, and Rhydonia Anderson, counselor. Parker's position was filled when the board agreed to transfer Kaye Catlett from the junior high secretary position to the assistant bookkeeper spot. Gail Washington also moved to a new spot in the district. She changed from elementary secretary to computer lab supervisor, and Donna Elliot was moved into the elementary secretary position.
The board also approved the hiring of four individuals to fill positions in the district. Destiny Smith was hired as a math teacher, Winnie Wilson will fill a position in the special needs department, Sam Ashworth, will handle science and physics duties at Palestine-Wheatley High School, and Terry Hobson was hired to teach at Palestine-Wheatley Elementary.
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
With over five months left in the year, the Hughes Police Department is over its budget.
Hughes Mayor Donnie Mooney told councilmen Monday night that the city needs to prepare a new budget for the department before the August council meeting. According to Mooney, the overspending is due in large to overtime within the department.
On a related matter, Police Chief Joe Stone told councilmen the city is in the process of obtaining a new radio frequency for the department. The frequency is expected to cost about $450.
The city's previous frequency created problems for the department when it was discovered the frequency was not registered with the Federal Communications Commission.
"We purchased $3,500 in radios for the police cars and then we found out we were operating on a frequency without a license," Stone said. "I found out it was an old telephone frequency belonging to Marked Tree."
Once the new frequency is obtained, the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department will be able to program it into their car radios so deputies can help out the Hughes police when necessary. Currently, SFC is not tuned into the Hughes frequency because of the legality of the registration.
Stone said when the city first obtained the frequency, the SFCSD was not on it. "Sheriff (Dave) Parkman and I discussed it, and I gave him the frequency. But he decided he could not allow his deputies to tune in to the frequency because it had not been registered, and I agreed with him. It was not a legal frequency," he said.
The city council also discussed possible deposit amounts for the use of the new community center. Mooney suggested a $100 deposit for renting the center.
Council members questioned how long a party could rent the center and if the deposit could be based on the amount of time and how many people would be expected to use it. Council members agreed to check with other towns to see what is charged for deposits at their centers.
The city's new water department shut-off policy was also reviewed. The policy of "pay every month or get shut-off" originally appeared to have made a lot of progress and the city found the water billing debt decreasing. However, this month, the figures went back up from $11,000 up to $13,400. Mooney said the city was in the process of shutting off water service to delinquent customers Monday and the amounts should decrease again.
Three local people have been appointed to posts by Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Charles Jones of Hughes has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of East Arkansas Community College. A former principal of Forrest City High School, Jones is a a sales consultant for Jackson Used Cars. He replaces Kevin Jumper and his term will last until Dec. 31, 2004.
Brent Howton, a farmer in the Palestine area, has also been named to the EACC board. His term expires Dec. 31, 2006 and he replaces Dr. Thomas Beasley.
Dr. Dale Morris, a Forrest City optometrist, has been named to the Optometry Board. He will serve until April 26, 2006 and replaces Ralph Wilson.