The Dollarway School District Board of Directors heard an update on the district’s progress in updating its zoning maps to reflect 2010 Census numbers during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday night.
“James Hartshorn of EFS GeoTechnologies is in receipt of the district’s zoning maps, which took some time to acquire due to the large area that our district encompasses,” district superintendent Bettye Dunn-Wright told the board. “He is currently in consultation with our neighboring school districts to make sure that we know where we all start and end. He will have something for us this week which will ensure that phase one of this project will be complete by Dec. 16. The board will have an opportunity to ask questions about the maps before they are a done deal.”
Board member Gene Stewart asked Dunn-Wright if it would be possible to hold a community meeting to allow interested residents to have a chance to see the new zone maps.
“If that is the board’s wishes then yes, that is something that we can do,” Dunn-Wright said.
Board president George Stepps expressed his interest in having a chance to see the finished maps.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“This is something that we are all looking forward to seeing so that we can all know exactly where all of the boundaries are,” Stepps said.
In other business, the board heard a construction update from Dave Sadler of Nelson Architectural Group on the three projects that have been ongoing in the district.
“The new restrooms and air conditioning system at Townsend Park’s physical education gym was completed as of Oct. 31,” Sadler said. “At Matthews the new physical education gym is virtually complete and will be finished between now and the holidays. The new technology building at the high school is 48 percent complete, which includes all of the ARRA funds that had to be used by now. The building is still due for completion by around April 1 and we should have it in the dry in about a week.”
Stewart asked if all projects are coming in within their respective budgets.
“Yes, everything is all right now on budget,” Sadler said.
Stewart asked Dunn-Wright if a board tour of the new elementary school construction could be arranged and she answered in the affirmative.
“What are we planning in terms of furnishings for the new technology building?” Stewart asked.
Sadler said that the building would come with some built-in furniture as part of the new laboratory space.
“We can also get surplus furniture that is all in very good shape at a good price to put in the new building,” Dunn-Wright said. “One way or another we will have it all in place.”
The board approved the October financial report, which included a balance of $3,890,340.82.
The board heard the Dollarway Education Association report from DEA president Rhonda Hill-Jones.
“Representatives of the Dollarway Education Association went to the state Arkansas Education Association meeting in Little Rock Dec. 2 and 3 where we discussed the need to increase starting teacher pay up to $40,000 per year as well as the need to increase classified employee starting pay,” Hill-Jones said. “Yesterday we had our District Five meeting at Bonanza, where representatives from Dollarway as well as Pine Bluff, White Hall and Watson Chapel were in attendance. Dollarway was well represented.”
The board recognized three students from Townsend Park Elementary School whose art was featured in the Arkansas Weatherization Assistance Program’s 2011-2012 calendar.
After a one hour and 10 minute executive session the board approved the retirement of Nancy Lattman effective Dec. 31 from Robert Morehead Middle School and voted to table discussion of consideration of employees for an after-school tutorial program.