By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City School Board will most likely ask patrons for a 1.5 mill increase to help it meet a Supreme Court ruling, and will probably ask for it during the regular school elections in September, instead of calling a special election.
That was the consensus at Monday night's regular school board meeting.
Most public attention has been going to a ruling by the Arkansas Supreme Court that the public education system is inadequate and inequitable. However, the high court has also ruled that school districts cannot use excess debt service to make up the 25 mills that state law requires for maintenance and operation.
Right now, the FCSD has only 18 mills dedicated to M&O, and 11.7 mills dedicated to debt service. About 240 school districts throughout the state have been affected by the court ruling.
Jack Truemper of Stephens, Inc., who had spoken to the board in January, was back again. He said the school board had choices on two matters -- the amount of millage to request, and when to hold the election.
He said the district could ask for seven mills, to bring the current 18 M&O mills to 25 mills. The district could also refinance some of its debt, and then ask for only 1.5 mills.
Truemper also recommended that the district hold a special election. He said the reason was the timing of the sale of bonds.
The board members liked the 1.5 mill option. However, Superintendent Lee Vent said he preferred to wait until the September elections, citing the cost of special elections. Board members agreed.
If the 1.5 millage request fails, the St. Francis Quorum Court will be mandated, by law, to impose a millage increase on the school district.
"They will be pulling for us to pass that," said Vent of the quorum court members.
On another matter, Vent passed out copies of a report on school finance adequacy in Kentucky. He said it was significant because it was prepared by Lawrence O. Picus and Associates, the same group hired by the state Legislature to do a study on educational adequacy in Arkansas.
Although some of the circumstances in Kentucky and Arkansas will probably be different, Vent pointed out some interesting highlights in the 50-plus page document.
According to the report, the optimum size for elementary schools is 300 to 600, and the optimum size for secondary schools is 600 to 900. The report recommends that schools larger than that be divided. It also says that schools should not have fewer than 250 to 300 students, "except in sparsely populated, rural areas."
The Kentucky report says small classes of 15 are best for kindergarten through grade three, and 25 should be the maximum in higher grades.
The report also recommends technology (computers) in instructional programs, a recommendation which Vent said the Forrest City District is already trying to achieve.
On another matter, the board refused to adopt some proposals from the Personnel Policy Committee concerning medical leave. It was stated that the school district is already in compliance with the Family Medical Leave Act.
Another proposal was to hire teachers at $20 an hour for "duty" assignments outside the classroom. Vent said legislation had been passed during the recently-completed session which dealt with how many duty hours a teacher could be asked to work.
The board got a report on the new Junior High building, stating that the project was moving forward, and the building would be ready for use for the next school year, with the exceptions of the auditorium and band buildings. On a related matter, the board gave Vent permission to re-bid the demolition of the old junior high cottage. Previous bids had come in too high, he said. The lowest bid had been about $23,000.
The high school's mock trial team was also honored. The team, which recently won its third consecutive state championship, will soon travel to national competition in New Orleans.
Would-be robbers had their gun wrestled from them Monday evening by a local businessman refusing to fall victim to their attack.
Ulries Beard, 45, was closing Beard's Barber Shop at 2135 W. Broadway about 7 p.m. when two black males attempted to rob him, according to a report on file at the Forrest City Police Department.
Beard told police he was preparing to leave when one of the suspects knocked on the door, and as he opened it, a second suspect appeared from the side of the building and pointed a small pistol at him. Beard grabbed the loaded .22 caliber revolver and wrestled it from the man before the suspect ran north across West Broadway. The other suspect fled south behind the building.
Both men had reportedly wrapped something around their faces, making it difficult for Beard to provide a good description of either suspect to police.
Beard received cuts on his hands and elbows during the struggle.
The pistol, along with six bullets and one spent shell casing, were turned over to police.
Palestine-Wheatley High School has named its top seniors in this year's graduating class.
Brittany Flenory and Beth Varvil share the honor as co-valedictorians. Joshua Dover is the salutatorian for the graduating class.
Brittany Nicole Flenory, the daughter of Larry and Angela Gardner, is active in many areas at PWHS. She is a member of the Lady Patriots basketball team and is a member of the cheerleading squad. She is president of the student council as well as the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. She also serves as president of the Parliamentary Procedure debate team and is a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, the Beta Club and participates in the Gifted and Talented program.
Flenory plans to attend the University of Central Arkansas in Conway where she plans to major in chemistry and minor in biology.
The co-valedictorian is Beth Varvil, the daughter of Joe and Mary Varvil of Palestine. She has been a member of the Beta Club for the past six years and currently serves as vice president of the PWHS chapter. She is also a member of the Future Business Leaders of America; the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America; the Future Farmers of American; the science club and the Spanish club. She is a student council representative and participates in the Gifted and Talented program.
Varvil has also been voted to Who's Who Among American High School Students and was in the National Honor Society. For three years, she was a member of the school's Parliamentary Procedure team and has been a member of the Lady Patriot basketball team, the Lady Patriot softball team and is also on the Lady Patriot track team. Following graduation, Varvil will attend Arkansas State University in Jonesboro where she has accepted an Academic Distinction Scholarship.
Joshua Lynn Dover is the salutatorian for the 2002-2003 school year. He is the son of Terry and Pam Dover of Palestine. Dover has been active in the Beta Club, the Gifted and Talented program and several other school organizations including the Spanish club, the science club, FBLA and FFA. Last summer, he served as a delegate to Boys State and has played football for the Patriots for six years. He is also on the Patriot baseball team.
Dover is a member of the National Honor Society and Who's Who Among High School Students. He is a member of Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Palestine. Following high school, Dover plans to attend Arkansas State University in Jonesboro where he plans to study pharmaceuticals.
Graduation services for PWHS will be held on Friday, May 16, at 8 p.m. at the high school football field.
A Heber Springs man was sentenced Monday to five years in state prison after pleading guilty to charges that he illegally attempted to obtain a prescription for pain killers from a local pharmacy.
Robert Keith McGough, 35, of Heber Springs, was sentenced to the Arkansas Department of Corrections during circuit court proceedings at the St. Francis County Courthouse. He was also sentenced to a five-year suspended imposition of sentence after his release from the ADC. He was on parole at the time of his arrest.
McGough was charged with criminal attempt-fraud to obtain a controlled substance after he called in a prescription for hydrocodone to the Harvest Foods pharmacy last September. The pharmacist questioned the prescription, which was supposedly called in by a Heber Springs doctor under the name of a Palestine resident, because she was unfamiliar with the physician. The doctor reportedly was having problems with people calling in prescriptions and writing prescriptions using his name.
McGough was arrested by Forrest City police when he attempted to pick up the prescription which he initially claimed was for his fiance. He later told police he was addicted to pain medication and could "feel withdrawals coming on."