By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
The Forrest City School District has budgeted about $28 million to operate its various programs for the 2003-2004 school year.
"That is a viable impact on all of Forrest City and St. Francis County," Superintendent Lee Vent told board members Monday night after the budgets were approved.
The district's operating budget is $21,558,585, according to Vent, who added the district expects $23,903,546 in revenue this year. That leaves $2,344,961, or about 12 percent, as an ending balance. "That's real good considering all that's going on," Vent said, referring to the special legislative session in December to decide education reform in the state. The board also approved a special education budget of $1,098,205 and the budgets for the federal programs totaling $2,981,318, bringing the district's total operating costs to near $28 million.
Meeting for the first time in the new junior high school, board members questioned when the facility would be completed.
Contractor Gary Kennedy and architect Bob Beavers told the board that the facility stands at 95 percent complete, with work still being done on the cafeteria, auditorium, band room and choral room.
"How much longer before the cafeteria will be ready?" Board member Ronald Williams asked.
Kennedy responded that this portion of that project would be completed before the end of October. District employees are assembling the new kitchen equipment, and Vent said that work would be done in time for the cafeteria to be used when construction is completed.
Board member Mallory Nimocks asked Kennedy if the work on the cafeteria could be expedited. "Let's do everything we can to get this cafeteria open first. This class of ninth graders has been booted around, and now they get in this new building and they're eating sack lunches for a semester. I think we need to try to do right by these ninth graders," Nimocks said.
Kennedy explained that the cafeteria and auditorium share certain utilities that are having to be connected before either project is completed. "We're in the finishing stages of connecting these parts," he said.
"There will still be a lot of inconveniences to everybody, and we're sorry about that," Beavers said. "But, you were able to open school here."
In other business, the board reviewed quotes from three companies for roof and siding repairs at three elementary campuses, the band hall and a cottage at the Lincoln Middle School.
Vent questioned board members as to whether or not the district wanted to put money into the building at Caldwell with the uncertainties regarding education reform. The Caldwell campus serves 243 students in kindergarten through fifth grades. The cost to replace this roof is estimated at $58,835, and the siding work is estimated at $1,975, with a portion of the project being covered by the district's insurance policy.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Alice Barnes said there is not enough room at other elementary campuses to absorb these students.
"Certainly, five campuses right now more than serves the needs of our elementary schools," Vent said. "Ideally, to me, would be grade-level buildings. Due to the desegregation order, no one has a home school. If we had grade-level buildings, the desegregation order would not be a problem."
"We have a real dilemma here with Caldwell," Vent said, before recommending the board approve all of the roof projects except for the Caldwell job until he can determine if the roof can be repaired instead of replaced until a decision is made regarding that campus.
The total project cost is about $116,000 for the remaining
campuses, with an estimated $31,000 being paid through insurance
coverage.
A ranking of the efficiency of Arkansas school districts, recently released, doesn't tell the whole story, according to a local superintendent.
The report centers around an index created by Mary F. Hughes, a professor of education with the University of Arkansas, which ranks the efficiency of school districts in Arkansas, taking in about 23 variables, including district spending and student achievement. In that index, Forrest City was ranked at number 253 out of 309 districts. Palestine-Wheatley was ranked 269, and Hughes was ranked 274.
Forrest City Superintendent Lee Vent said if figured differently, the index would show different results.
"It's simply a group of data that Dr. Hughes put together, ranking schools according to an efficiency model," said Vent. "It includes 23 different variables. But it does not factor in race or poverty."
Vent said he has seen a printout of an index that includes race and poverty, "and the rankings are almost reversed. It's something she did that factors in many things, but I don't suppose it's anything that we can hang our hat on yet."
Vent said he wished the index, which included race and poverty, had also been published.
"In those, the schools that are almost all white show up in the lower part," said Vent. "But it's nothing engraved in stone at this point, as far as being an instrument to define adequacy in Arkansas public schools. It's one of many studies being done."
In the study, the Charleston school district, with 842 students, was ranked as the most efficient in the state. Valley View, with 1,430 students, was ranked second. Arkansas City, with 105 students, was ranked at 309, while Lake View, the school 157-student school district whose lawsuit resulted in the state's schools system being declared unconstitutional, was second lowest, at 308.
The Palestine-Wheatley District has 713 students, while Hughes has 781.
Rankings of some other area schools were as follows: Wynne
(2,843 students) 90th; Cross County (756 students), 248th; Lee
County (1,622 students), 284th; Parkin (392 students), 294th.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City Municipal Airport Commission met briefly Monday and the main topic of discussion was the commission's next meeting, which will be Oct. 6.
Engineer Dan Clinton will be at the Oct. 6, meeting, with plans for the fences, gates and other improvements to be made at the airport. The Federal Aviation Administration recently awarded a grant of $225,038 for the improvements.
"We can expect to really have something to talk about," said commission chairman Bill Hays.
The commission also got an update on the extension of the airport parking area. Some dirt needs to be removed and replaced, and there is also a moisture problem, Hays said, which has slowed down the work.
Hays also commented on a recent story which highlighted the charitable work of one of the board members, Dr. Thomas Beasley, who is also an ophthalmologist.
"I think we're privileged to have a person of his character on the commission," he said.
Over 20 St. Francis Countians cast their ballots in early voting Monday bringing the total ballots cast to 137 in the county's three school districts. Millage increases are being requested in the Forrest City and Hughes school districts.
In Forrest City, the only contested race is between incumbent Wayne Jones, who is being challenged by Pat Flanagin for Position 2 on the Forrest City School Board.
In Hughes, two positions are up for grabs. The Hughes Position 6 (at large) seat will be decided between Melinda Patrick and Edward Watt. Charles Smith will face off against incumbent Hudie Hardaway. Earnestine Jackson is running unopposed for her seat on the school board.
In the Palestine-Wheatley School District, Vickie Hawk and Randall Holman will battle for the Zone 3 seat that is currently held by Gail Gardner. Board member Rodney Hicks is unopposed in Zone 2.
Early voting is being held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the SFC County Clerk's office Monday through Friday, until Monday, Sept. 15. The election will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 16, will polls open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at various polling locations throughout the county.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
For animal control officer George Cochran, it was a reminder last week that "animal control officer" is more than just a euphemism for "dog catcher."
One never knows what animal one might be called upon to "control."
A call came in that an emu -- one of the world's largest birds, second only to the ostrich, in fact -- was running around on Broadway. Cochran admits he was more than a little skeptical at first.
"I thought to myself, 'Naw, you ain't seen no emu.' But then the second emu call came through. By now, the bird had left Broadway and gone up into the Edgewood area.
Meanwhile, word was spreading. One Edgewood resident, who didn't want her name used, said she was out watering.
"I saw this pickup truck coming down the street, and this kid yelled at me and said, 'Did you know you have an emu in your yard?'
She finally got a glimpse of the bird. "It had to be tame," she said. "How it got loose and how it got here I don't know."
Actually, as it turned out, it may not be as rare to see an emu as most folks think.
The natural habitat of the emu -- which can grow up to six feet tall and weighs 130 pounds -- is Australia, but they have been grown in the United States and elsewhere.
According to the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, the commercial raising of emus began for meat, leather and oil. By the late 1990s, however, production was exceeding demand. Although some Australian growers are still hoping to make a go of it through population control and aggressive marketing, the bottom fell out of the business in the U.S.
"For a while, everybody was getting emus, because they were going to make all this money," said Cochran. "Then the price fell off, and people couldn't afford to feed them. Some people eat them, but there just wasn't any money in them. So some folks just turned them loose."
Although large, they are not considered dangerous and are usually docile around people, preferring to run away if possible.
"Running around like that, it's more dangerous to the bird than it is to people," he said.
Cochran and a couple of helpful citizens finally cornered the emu in Edgewood, in a place where there was a gated driveway and fencing, making it difficult for the bird to get away. They were able to catch it, finally, because it actually allowed one of the people to come up and pet it.
In order to keep the bird from thrashing and possibly injuring itself, it was gently tied up.
"They took a rope and tied it, but they did not mistreat the bird," said the unnamed witness. "But the bird was frightened and started fighting them."
Cochran took the emu home with him, where he has several other animals. It currently has the run of a large pen, along with some guinea fowl, a deer fawn and other animals. They all seem to get along.
Cochran said it's possible that the emu is someone's pet that
got out, and if so, all the owner has to do is contact him through
the city, to reclaim the bird. If not, it looks like Cochran has
another pet.
Robin Jayroe of Forrest City outplayed the field to win the first Professor Pigskin Contest for 2003.
Jayroe missed just three of the 21 high school, college and NFL games to win the $50 cash prize.
Game selections for week two can be found inside today's Times-Herald. All entries are due each friday by noon.
Widener residents can expect to see things a little brighter at night, according to Mayor Dot Halford who told city council members Monday that damaged street lights would be replaced.
In an abbreviated meeting Monday, council member Brenda White questioned Halford on when the lights could be repaired.
"We can get them put back in, but the kids will just break them out again. I'll drive around and get a number on how many need to be replaced and where they are and get it in," said Halford.
Council member Versie Pitts agreed that vandals would strike again, but said the number of lights damaged was down this year.
"Normally we have a lot more lights knocked out during the summer when the kids are out of school, but we didn't seem to have as many this summer," she said.
Halford told council members that the city could have bulbs replaced twice a year and this would be the first time for 2003.