The Pine Bluff School District Board of Directors, at its regular monthly meeting Tuesday night, voted to send a petition for a public forum back to local attorney Gene E. McKissic asking him to secure the signatures of 50 voters living within the Pine Bluff School District.
Board president Herman Horace said that the petition the board received in early April did not have enough valid signatures to be legal.
“In a letter dated March 21 the board denied a request for a public forum because it must have the signatures of 50 electors of the Pine Bluff School District,” Horace said. “We received a petition with 65 names. Only 47 were good names as certified by the Jefferson County Clerk on April 9. So, what is the board’s pleasure? Do I send it back and let them get the 50 like they are supposed to do? Is it OK for me to send this man a letter?”
Board vice president Donna Barnes said she had no problem with the holding of a public forum.
Board secretary Freddie M. Johnson made a motion to send the petition back.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“Let the person who wrote the letter with the petition know that he needs 50 people to be legal,” Johnson said. “I make a motion that you [Horace] let this person know that they must get the required number of signatures to be legal.”
Horace agreed that a public forum could be held once the 50 signatures were gathered.
“The board has no problem giving them a forum if they have 50 people,” Horace said.
Facilities report
In other business the board heard a report from district facilities director Seth Wynn on the results of a sale of old equipment that was stored at the closed Indiana Street School.
“At the auction we sold a total of $24,318.50 worth of equipment less a 5 percent commission from the auctioneer of $3,647.78 and a $264 fee for advertising,” Wynn said. “This was a sale expense of $3,911.78 for a total proceed to the district of $20,406.72. There were still several tables that did not sell at the auction and I sold them on Monday for $630 which bring the total proceeds to the district of $21,036.72.”
The board approved a recommendation from Wynn to prepare for an auction in August to sell old equipment stored in three closed elementary schools — Sam Taylor, Lakeside and Sixth Avenue.
Wynn briefed the board on the results of a study of potential new security cameras for Jack Robey Junior High School.
“I was asked to look extensively at the camera situation at Robey by the superintendent and the board president,” Wynn said. “I went to Watson Chapel to see how their system works and also went to El Dorado to see their system. I took bids on a security system and received three quotes. Johnson Controls could provide a system for $235,741; Precision Alarm quoted $214,024 and Arkansas State Security quoted $205,861. I recommend Arkansas State Security because they were the low bid and they provide a three-year maintenance contract. There are also 58 districts in the state that use this company including the El Dorado district.”
Johnson asked Wynn if security cameras were really the best use of district funds.
“What can a camera do when a fight breaks out?” Johnson asked. “We have asked for more bodies, more security there. Director Jackson has been asking for more security for a while.”
Wynn said that in the first semester that El Dorado had its security system there were 75 incidents with students and in the second semester that number was down to three.
“People know that they will be seen,” Wynn said. “They are some of the best cameras in the state of Arkansas.”