An audit from the state Legislative Audit found that the Dollarway School District did not meet some requirements, according to Dollarway School Superintendent Bobby Acklin, who discussed the findings with the Dollarway School Board on Tuesday night. State auditors found a significant deficiency with Dollarway not expending Title 1 School Improvement money within approved budget categories, according to their report.
The auditors advised Dollarway to implement procedures to make sure costs are incurred within an applicable category and to contact the Arkansas Department of Education for guidance on the matter, according to their report. Board members Ruth Bogy, Gene Stewart, Cleollia Robinson, Dorothy Singleton, Billie Lankford, Charles Girley and Irene Murphy heard from Acklin. Acklin said the district also was found to have deviated from its salary schedule, Acklin said.
Four employees performed the same tasks, but one employee was paid in violation of the salary schedule, Acklin said. Acklin said there was an additional problem of employees performing overlapping duties. “This is an issue that small districts run into,” Acklin said. “The auditors do not like it.” Stewart told Acklin: “I find it unacceptable that we have a plan on purchasing items but we do not follow it.” Children have a schedule and must abide by it. If they do not, children face consequences, Stewart told Acklin.
Acklin told the board that the auditors found human error. In one instance, the district exceeded Title One threshold by $4,100. In another instance, the district had 18 Promethean Boards but listed only 17 of them. In other business, Dollarway Assistant Superintendent Melvin Bryant gave a report on an academic plan. About 28.5 percent of Dollarway High School students scored proficient or advanced in math and literacy in the state standards on testing in 2014, Bryant said.
Dollarway High School is in academic distress, as fewer than 49.5 percent of its students achieved proficient or advanced in math and literacy on the state-mandated criterion referenced assessments administered for the most recent three-year period. Bryant said educators are making improvements to help more students graduate from high school. They are also looking to make growth among subsets of students: those who are in special education programs and those who are economically disadvantaged.
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“Based on our learning institute, we are making growth,” Bryant said.
In personnel news, the board approved a motion to hire Gabriel Jackson as interim principal of Dollarway High School and Troy Witherspoon as a custodian. The board extended the employment for Assistant Superintendent Melvin Bryant, federal programs director Patsy Hughey, LEA supervisor Barbara Boyce, athletic director Lee Hardman, Robert F. Morehead Middle School Principal Yolanda Prim, Townsend Park Elementary School Principal Ernestine Roberts and James Mathews Elementary School Principal Linda Davis.
The board accepted the retirement of custodian Freddie Martin.