Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Teachers get raise, tickets going up

Salary increases were approved for Gurdon teachers at the Tuesday, August 20, meeting of the Gurdon School Board.

The 2001 Arkansas State Legislature increased teacher salaries $1,000. The Gurdon School Board approved this salary increase Tuesday night.

A 4 percent raise was also approved for the non-certified personnel employed by the Gurdon School District.

The board also approved raising the price of admission at junior and senior high basketball and football games, as well as baseball and softball.

Student prices will remain the same. Junior and senior high football and basketball admission for students is three dollars. Baseball and softball ticket prices will remain at two dollars per student.

However, adults will pay four dollars to enter all football and basketball games and three dollars for baseball and softball games.

The reason behind these admission increases is Gurdon's athletic department is not self supporting.

It was researched and found most AAA schools have already raised admission prices for both adults and students.

After careful consideration it was approved to only raise adult prices at this time and see how this increase affects the athletic fund.

Another non-self-supporting problem is with the food service. Superintendent Bobby Smithson said, "Our food is good and you can't get a meal as good as we serve anywhere for the price we offer."

Smithson also said the school district is not required to even serve meals to students or provide transportation for them.

The board agreed with Smithson and thought the options presented to the board were reasonable. Option one increased lunch prices .25 cents and breakfast .10 cents.

Option two increased lunches by .35 cents and breakfast .20 cents.

The board discussed which they believe to be within the best interest of the students and the school district itself.

Option one was the board's final choice.

Teachers will appreciate the bereavement days approved by the board.

The proposed sick leave and bereavement policy states: The Board of Education shall grant to every teacher in the Gurdon School District sick leave at full pay at a rate of (1) day per month that the teacher is employed.

Teachers should be entitled to take a sick leave for personal illness or illness in the immediate family.

The board shall grant three bereavement days each year to be used as needed in the death of an immediate family member. Bereavement days are not accumulative and do not transfer to sick days.

The board shall maintain a record of sick leave used and accumulated for each teacher. Sick days will be cumulative up to 90 days for all personnel. Personnel with 90 days accumulated will be given nine more days to be used during that school year as needed but can carry over no more that 90 sick days for the following year.

This new policy was approved after an amendment was made to allow the three days bereavement as long as one of the three days included the actual day of the funeral, and that teachers would be allowed three days for each death involving an immediate family member.

Cheryl Reed addressed the board about a classroom credit problem her son is having this school year.

Reed said, "My son has worked hard to take the courses to allow him to receive a High Honors Diploma. He is a junior this year and only needs two credits to be considered a senior."

He has taken all the math classes that he can. The only math left is Physics. However, in the course description book it states under the Physics description "Twelfth grade students only. No exceptions!"