The White Hall School Board in a called meeting Thursday voted unanimously to give certified and classified personnel raises and agreed to an $180,750 liquidated damages settlement with CWR Construction Inc. because of excessive time required to complete major construction projects on the White Hall High School campus.
The district has maintained it should receive $424,000 in liquidated damages from CWR because of multiple delays, including construction of the two-story, 17-classroom addition at the high school, while the company cited a much lower amount.
Several months ago Supt. Dr. Larry E. Smith told members “we are probably headed to binding arbitration.”
The district has been withholding a final payment to contractor because of the dispute. With the agreement, the final amount will be reduced by $180,750.
The cost of raises in salaries and benefits, retroactive to July 1, will cost the district $168,000, according to the projections Smith provided the board along with his recommendation to approve to approve the pay hikes.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Certified personnel — teachers and administrators — will receive a $500 across-the-board raise on their base salaries, while classified employees, including bus drivers, secretaries, custodians, cafeteria workers and maintenance personnel, will see a 10-cent an hour pay hike. The latter are also retroactive to July 1.
In other action Thursday, the directors:
¦ Accepted the $15,100 bid from Showcase of Floors Inc. of Pine Bluff to replace carpet with tile flooring in the fourth phase of improvements on the second floor at the high school. The bid was the lowest of three received.
¦ Accepted the bid of $12,270 from Rainey Electronics of Little Rock for a new scoreboard at the high school baseball field. Four bids ranging from $12,178 to $18,260 were submitted and the lowest did not include sales tax on the bid form.
¦ Approved the hiring of a library-media director at Redfield Middle School; hiring of a choral music teacher at the middle school/elementary music teacher at Hardin Elementary School in Redfield; maternity leave for a teacher at Taylor Elementary School; resignation of a ground crew foreman; transfers of secretaries from WHHS to White Hall Middle School and from the middle school to the high school; termination of a custodian at Gandy Elementary School; hiring of a custodian at Hardin elementary; and renewal of a contract for a custodian at Hardin elementary inadvertently left off the hiring list earlier this month.