The Arkansas Department of Education warned the Pine Bluff School District of indicators that could lead to fiscal distress, school officials acknowledged at a meeting Tuesday.
Arkansas Department of Education coordinator of the financial accountability and reporting division Hazel Burnett wrote a letter addressed to Pine Bluff School District Superintendent Linda Watson. Burnett cited a declining balance and a state or federal audit exception of violations.
“Although the Department currently deems these indicators as non-material, the Department may revise and deem these indicators to be material on the basis of future review and investigation,” Burnett wrote. “… The Department will provide technical support and assistance as the District develops a plan to correct each indicator.”
To achieve this goal, Watson invited the board members to a meeting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4 with Burnett.
One indicator stemmed from an unnamed assistant principal not being paid in accordance with a salary schedule, Watson said. The employee was supposed to be paid $56,576 for 215 days of labor. However, the employee was actually paid $68,000 for 215 days of labor.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The department said that several indicators stemmed from incorrect documentation related to money and checks. There were 12 instances in which receipts did not indicate either cash or check; four receipts that were not deposited in a timely manner; and not all deposits of money received a receipt.
“No money has been lost,” Watson said. “Paperwork was not done correctly.”
School District Director of Business and Finance Pam Winkler is correcting the documentation related to the monetary record-keeping, Watson said.
The Arkansas Department of Education identified another violation. The Child Care Development Block Grant of $2,500 was incorrectly recorded in the general fund instead of the special revenue fund.
Watson has previously provided a detailed report showing the district is saving $1,055,824 in 2014-2015 by not filling 20-and-a-half full-time jobs. As part of this report, Watson said there may be a need to consolidate Southeast Middle School and Belair Middle School students. She also discussed moving Jack Robey ninth grade students to Pine Bluff High School.
Board President Harold Jackson said the district should have already taken corrective action, because Pine Bluff is losing students and needs to make adjustments incrementally.
In other news, Pine Bluff Classified Personnel Policy Committee Chairwoman Jewelette Courtney requested that those employees get a raise of 5 percent.
“We feel in order to continue the path of eradicating the inequities within the classified employees pay schedule, an increase is needed,” Courtney said. “… We were hopeful the Job Study Survey would have been in place and there would be no need for this proposal.”
Courtney also requested that those full-time employees receive a $1,000 bonus and part-time employees receive a $500 bonus before Christmas.
Pine Bluff Personnel Policies Committee President Rebecca Bayird requested that those employees receive a $1,500 bonus by Christmas.
“The teachers face new challenges every day,” Bayird said.
The board did not take action on those requests.
In other news, Jackson began a discussion about money that comes from people who attend Pine Bluff athletic competitions.
“In this day and age, two people should handle the money,” Jackson said.
Watson indicated she would answer his questions privately as she did not want to highlight sensitive information or jeopardize the safety of people handling money. She said she did not want to disclose names.
“If I am handling the money, I do not want someone to knock me on my head,” Watson said.
Pine Bluff School District director of communications Kenetta Ridgell said that two people count the money.
Jackson made a motion that a person who handles the money must be bonded. The board passed the motion six to zero.
Cheryl Hatley is the executive principal coach of school improvement for non-priority schools. She informed the board that security guards escort people from the athletic fields to the place where they deposit the money.
In personnel matters, the board approved the following changes with Harold Jackson, Phyllis Wilkins, Leon Jones and Andrea Roaf-Little voting yes, and Henry Dabner voting no. Herman Horace had stepped away from the table; Ken Dickson was absent.
The board hired George Davis as a para-educator at Southwood Elementary School; Candace Kay Carroll as a para-educator at 34th Avenue Elementary School; DeShunda Nikol Henry as a bus attendant; Pamela Baxter Johnson as a para-educator at Broadmoor Elementary School; Stacey Murphy as a para-educator at W.T. Cheney Elementary School; and Anthony D. Ward as a para-educator at W.T. Cheney Elementary School.
The board accepted the resignation of Sharon Beardon as an elementary teacher at W.T. Cheney Elementary School and approved the terminations of LaSandra Adams as a para-educator at Oak Park Elementary School and Larry Anderson as a bus driver.