Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

School board deals with student issue

Gurdon's School Board held a special meeting before the regular meeting on Tuesday, November 19.

Board members were presented with an episode that had recently taken place at Gurdon High School.

Apparently a student had gotten into some trouble with teacher and told assistant principal Charles Failla he would like to cause bodily harm to the teacher who had asked him to leave her classroom.

By following the rules of the student handbook and looking over the situation themselves, the school board decided to suspend the student for the remainder of the school year.

Board member Mark Sanford told the student and the parent how the board hoped the child continued their education whether it by through the General Education Diploma program or through summer school.

Pam Runyan reported the Gurdon Primary School collecting 200 lbs. of pennies amounting to more than $500. The money raised goes to the Arkansas Rice Depot to help feed hungry Arkansas children.

October 28 kicked off Red Ribbon Week. The week was full of Drug Free pep-rallies and skits performed by high school students encouraging younger students to just say no to drugs.

Primary school also inducted 22 members into the Honor Club for the first nine weeks of school.

More than $3,600 was raised through cookie dough sales. The money will go towards the purchase of new computers at the primary school.

Carla Jester reported Cabe Middle School students working with math in different scenarios. Students are figuring stock quotes, figuring in tips at restaurants and other situations.

Other students have participated in solving crimes. The students have been writing detective stories and learning about real FBI cases.

Bonnie Ross, Gurdon School District Curriculum Coordinator, reported Gurdon's teachers participating in several of Dawson Coop's workshops. Ross also reported teachers working hard to help students bring up Benchmark test scores.

Pat Talley, representing the Gurdon Education Association (GEA) requested certified teachers be given a $500 across the board raise. Talley said she had figured $300 could come from the district's trust fund because the money gained in the fund can be used for teachers salaries.

Talley said the remaining $200 could come from extra revenue brought in by the state.

Superintendent Bobby Smithson told the board members he had done some figuring on the proposed raise and said Talley was correct about the trust fund money and he knew the teachers deserved a raise.

However, the district has lost 25 students and had several unexpected expenses recently such as the barriers and gates to the parking lots, new fuel tanks after the EPA shut down the old ones, paving to the cafeteria, side goals for the gymnasium, lights for the baseball field and softball field along with bleachers and hopefully at the end of the school year a new school bus.

The board took no action towards the teacher raise at this time.

Smithson offered a big "thank you" to Clark County Judge Floyd "Buddy" Manning for his help repairing a soft spot on the access road to the cafeteria. Smithson reported the crushed stone to cost $2,212.19.

Guard rails were installed at the middle school. The rails cost $120 total with the materials being donated by Tommy Ricketts.

Terry Purifoy, Bryan Watson and Jimmy Martin have installed the gates at the football field to keep big trucks off of the pavement in hopes of protecting the parking lot.

Barriers have also been installed to help protect the parking lot. the total cost of the barriers were $7,407.60.

Replacement of the fuel tanks at the bus garage cost the district $17,790. After the EPA shut the old tanks down, these had to be purchased.

Plans for dressing rooms to be added to the middle school gym were discussed. The current dressing rooms are to small and need to be enlarged to help better the physical education program. The cost of this project is estimated at $29,656.