Board mulls school policy changes

After a long and often convoluted discussion of attendance policies, the DeWitt School Board voted to let each school adopt whatever policy suits its needs, as long as it meets state standards.

The question came up during the second reading of proposed handbook changes at the regular Board meeting Tuesday night. DeWitt Middle School principal Jeff Rader, who had recently attended a state standards assurance workshop, explained that school and district policies should match. “That’s how it should be geared,” Rader said.

However, that doesn’t mean individual schools can’t have different policies as long as district policies allow that. It all started when DeWitt High School counselor Audrey Purdy presented a proposed change to the handbook stating that students can have up to 10 absences per semester and two of these may be unexcused. “We wanted to clarify our attendance policy,” Purdy said. The old policy of eight excused and two unexcused absences led to the question: “What happens if you have nine excused absences?”

At DeWitt Middle School, however the policy is no more than 10 unexcused absences per semester. Rader explained, “We were told that if it falls under excused, it doesn’t matter how many absences.”

Purdy said that would not work at the high school. “We went to unlimited excused absences and absenteeism tripled,” she said. It went back down after the school adopted the more restrictive policy.

The elementary school principals asked for a different policy, 20 absences per year, rather than 10 per semester. Purdy added that this made sense, since in high school, students receive credit per semester.

There is a policy for extenuating circumstances, Purdy explained. This year, three students at DeWitt High School were given credit because of extenuating circumstances.

In another policy action, the board tabled a proposal to give the ACSIP chair at each school a $1,000 stipend. This is the person who compiles the state’s required school improvement plan, which is a very complex and detailed process, “A lot of [the work] is done after hours,” said federal programs coordinator Lillie Crossland. “It’s a lot of work.”

However, Board members and even some principals who are serving as ACSIP chairps for their schools questioned whether an administrator should be getting another stipend. “I look at it as part of my job,” Humphrey Elementary School principal Iciphene Jones said.

The Board approved other stipends, which had been recommended last month for the Quiz Bowl coach, the bowling coach and the chess team coach. Board member Bruce Morgan recused himself since his wife, Lee Ann Morgan, is the bowling coach.

In other business, superintendent Tom Wilson explained that the financial report showed a balance of under $1 million for the operating fund, since the County Treasurer had not turned money over to the district until the last day of May, so it was credited on the June report. “We’re down, but not by as much,” Wilson said.

The Board approved student athlete insurance with United Health Care and occupational services with Therapy Possibilities. The members tabled bids on video and sound equipment for the principals’ offices and portable buildings at the middle school to give incoming superintendent Gary Wayman involvement in those decisions.

The Board took a number of personnel actions. For certified personnel, it approved the retirement of DeWitt High School special education teacher Susan Horton, amended the contract of librarian Diane Gray from part-time at two schools to half-time at Humphrey Elementary School, hired Mark Price as assistant principal of DeWitt High School, accepted the resignation of Brandi Dollar as a para-professional at DeWitt Elementary School and hired Dollar as a sixth-grade math teacher at DeWitt Middle School upon completion of her certification requirements.

In classified personnel actions, the Board amended the contract of Melvin Horton by dropping coaching stipends and reducing his contract from 200 to 190 days. An afternoon bus route was added to his bus-driving contract. It hired Wayne Mayer for summer maintenance at the football field and field house. The Board accepted the resignations of Sandra Clark as summer maintenance worker and Dot Hubsch as bus driver. The board hired Tara Hall to the summer maintenance crew.

In stipend positions, the Board accepted the resignation of Connie Hudson as DeWitt Elementary School science coach and Mary Ann Dumond as parent involvement coordinator. It hired Debbie Smith as half-time science coach for grades K-2 and Hudson as half-time science coach for grades 3-5 at DeWitt Elementary School.

The meeting was the final one for outgoing superintendent Tom Wilson. Board president John Fuhrman thanked Wilson. “You left here with class,” Wilson also acknowledged the departure of assistant superintendent Johnnie Johnson. “We’ve been through thick and thin together,” Wilson said.

Gillett prepares for local disaster

Even before a tornado destroyed much of Dumas in February 2007, officials in Gillett were worried about what would happen if such a disaster struck their isolated town. Spurred on by that disaster — and the tornado that struck Stuttgart May 10— officials developed a response plan. Last Thursday, they revealed the plan to the public in a meeting at Gillett High School.

Board mulls school policy changes

After a long and often convoluted discussion of attendance policies, the DeWitt School Board voted to let each school adopt whatever policy suits its needs, as long as it meets state standards.

Council takes few actions

The DeWitt City Council took few actions in a 42-minute meeting Monday night.

Stuttgart cleanup going ‘smoothly’

A month after an EF3 tornado hit Stuttgart May 10, the cleanup “has gone extremely smoothly,” Mayor Marianne Maynard told members of the Arkansas County Intergovernmental Council last Friday.

JPs hear of county disaster relief

Things were relatively quiet at this week’s Quorum Court meeting. After a moment of silence in honor of Leonard Bisswanger, County Judge Glenn “Sonny” Cox applauded the large turnout of seven people.

Dragons fare well in 7-on-7 games

The DeWitt Dragons competed in the Sonic Air Raid 7-on-7 Tournament at Harding University June 7.

Obituaries

Leonard Harvey Bisswanger

DeWitt Police Report

DeWitt Police reported answering the following calls May 31-June 6: