Beginning next school year, Watson Chapel High School students can work toward a diploma and an associate degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff at the same time.
WCSD Superintendent Keith McGee announced a memorandum of understanding between the district and the university at Monday’s school board meeting. Under the associate degree pathway, a high school student at Watson Chapel will be able to earn concurrent credits toward both a high school diploma and associate degree at no cost.
“By the end of their four years at Watson Chapel, they can earn two-year college degrees,” McGee said. “What this allows is for us to be able to teach kids on our own campus.”
The district hopes to begin with a cohort of 20 students starting next school year. The district has already designed a pathway course catalog.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB will be responsible for all aspects of concurrent courses, including hiring or designating an institutional concurrent coordinator, according to the MOU.
Last year, a Watson Chapel graduate, Aviana Smith, became the first person in Jefferson County to simultaneously finish high school and become a certified nursing assistant through Southeast Arkansas College’s Career Center. Smith earned her SEARK certification the night after graduating from Watson Chapel.
The district also becomes the first in Jefferson County to have a concurrent-course plan with UAPB, McGee mentioned.
“The difference is, our kids won’t have to leave now,” McGee said. “They’ll be able to take those courses here in the Watson Chapel School District.”
DISCIPLINE DATA
The WCSD has seen drops in many discipline categories from the 2023-24 school year, Assistant Superintendent Aleta Posey revealed in a presentation to the board.
The district released data for the number of incident reports in disorderly conduct, physical attack/harm on a student, fighting, physical attack/harm on staff, insubordination, bus misconduct, rough play, sexual behavior, classroom, terroristic threatening and others.
At Edgewood Elementary, grades kindergarten and first, the biggest drop was related to disorderly conduct, from 68 in 2023-24 to 21 so far in 2024-25. Physical attack/harm on staff is almost equal to 2023-24, from 15 to 14.
At Coleman Elementary, grades 2-5, reports of fighting (49 to 29) and physical attack/harm on students (49 to 13) have seen big drops from last year, but reports of bus misconduct have more than doubled from 40 to 81.
“With the little fellows, instead of fussing we’re bringing them in and having a little discussion,” said Phyllis Cage, who is acting as Edgewood’s principal. “We’re asking them, ‘What did you do?’ When there’s a bullying issue, we’re having them come in and talk it out. We call the parents, and we tell them we have an issue with bullying. We ask them to talk with them about bullying. Sometimes those little ones don’t even know it’s bullying, so we’re discussing with them and we’re using terminology, like I told one little boy – ‘I need you to be accountable. Tell me what did you do, and how do you fix it, because you have to decide do you want a consequence or a punishment?'”
Bus misconduct has been on the rise among junior high students, from no reports August 2023-February 2024 to 13 between August 2024 and this month. But classroom misconduct (31 to 5), fighting (99 to 32), physical attacks (43 to 1) and rough play (from 58 to 9) saw big drops for the two timespans.
“We’re reintegrating safety precautions,” Transportation Director Penny Waddell said. “There is a list of bus rules on each bus, and when a student violates one, we’re not trying to put them off the bus, but we’re letting them know that it’s a safety issue. Our little ones want to crawl up under the seats while the bus is moving, so we have to let them know, these seats are made of metal. If you’re standing up and crawling and the driver has to hit brakes, they can harm you.”
Waddell said a video of a student harmed from a bus incident has been shown to the young people, which has led a to decrease in bus misconduct from last month to this month. Parents are also being called and asked to talk about safety issues.
At the high school for the first semester, there were no reports of alcohol (compared to seven in the first semester of 2023-24), 31 students fighting (36 in fall 2023) and two reports of physical attack/harm on students (15 in fall 2023).
Eight bullying incidents have been reported across the district this school year, with six of them at the junior high school.
COST SAVINGS
Facing a loss of about 160 students from last school year, McGee proposed saving $1.9 million in costs.
McGee estimated $687,000 would be saved through attrition and cuts in classified staff, as well as a reduction in bus routes. McGee did not request a board vote on the matter but wanted to address it Monday.
PERSONNEL MOVES
The district accepted letters of resignation from elementary teacher Pamela Carter (immediately) and special education teacher Melissa Hopson (effective the last day of the school year).
Stipends have been approved for Steven Heard, for safety and security; Elizabeth Roberts, for serving as acting principal at Edgewood; and Cage as Edgewood acting principal.