Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon High School on academic alert

Gurdon High School is on state academic alert, with a need to improve in the area of literacy as the main problem, according to Bonnie Ross, coordinator for curriculum and federal programs.

"We are focusing on getting the students ready to take the state test. Our high school did meet state standards on math last time," she said.

Superintendent Bobby Smithson asked if anything else could be done by the district to help with this problem? Ross said literacy was the main deficit, and, "We are focusing on getting the students ready for the test. She said extra help with literacy was in progress.

"If our students are taught on the level of State Department tests, those kids are very testable."

Ross was optimistic about Gurdon meeting the standards, siting the good progress made at Cabe Middle School.

She said both schools have appeals in to the state as to how many students have taken the test. The state needs 95 percent of a school to do so. Cabe won its appeal and proved more than enough students had taken the test.

And the middle school did meet all standards this year. It was on alert the year before. If all standards are met in 2005 at CMS, it will be off alert.

"Cabe Middle School's dedication and performance was amazing," Ross said. "We had to move 52 kids to proficiency, and through hard work all 52 got moved to proficiency. That is amazing."

School Board member Gina Robbins said, "Some kids are just not good with tests, but still have ability."

Ross said she agreed with that but the state academic standards are mandated and must be met.

In other business, the School Board passed the financial report, with Smithson reporting October's expenditures as $474,970.10  with an ending balance of $269,842.74.

Moreover, Smithson told the board about the second Pre-K class, which started with 17 students on Monday, Nov. 8. It accommodates 19. The district put in two restrooms to this portable building, and a lot of work has been done on the inside to make it attractive, Smithson added.

"We still need to underpin it," he said, "but this project will pay for itself. I think the General Assembly will fund this Pre-K for another year and someday it will be mandated."

The total expenditures on Pre-K number two is $68,610. The school system's grant for 2004-2005 was $86,500.Gurdon schools have a balance of $17,890. This does not include some items that may be outstanding and utility expense.

"Our workers have turned their attention back to the press box," Smithson said. "The baseball press box had been delayed so we could work on the Pre-K building."

As to the baseball field, the press box is to be finished by Dec. 1, the seats are scheduled to be shipped by Dec. 6 and completed in a week if weather permits, the public address system should be completed by Dec. 15 and wiring to the scoreboard should be in order by Dec. 15 also.

The lighting for the softball field has been ordered and shipped. Once received, Smithson said the installation will take approximately one week, depending on the weather. "We are looking at the first of December if everything goes well." Smithson said, "We have arranged a loan from First State Bank for $48,500, to be repaid in three years at 5 percent interest. The Louis Cabe Foundation has already agreed to pay $5,000 of this cost. We are also applying for the Horace Cabe Foundation grant to cover more of this. These lights are pre-set from Austin (Texas) and it is a good system."

The board then approved the minutes. A special request was made by the high school cheerleading sponsor, Cindy Duke, to add some males to her cheerleading squad, without formal tryouts. She said there is a need for males to accommodate routines the cheerleading squad has planned in the future.

"We have Brandon Smith, Bobby Byrd and Kenneth Harper that have actually stuck with us," Duke said. "Five said they were interested, but a couple did not like all of the commitment."

She explained that the guys will boost Gurdon into a co-ed division, and that the male cheerleaders would also have to meet requirements with grades.

The Board approved the request to make them official cheerleaders. Duke was asked if the no-tryout clause was comfortable for the girls? She said all had told her it was OK.

Billy Tarpley, school board member, said, "Cheerleaders today are athletes. And these guys probably won't object to working with beautiful girls."

Duke thanked the board and said the guys would really help in some of the routines for supports etc.

In other business, the district was assessed a fine of $2,250 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Smithson said the district has been cited for failure to perform six months of re-inspection for the primary school.

"This is my fault because I thought once asbestos containing material (in floor tile) was covered with new tile or carpet, the six month re-inspection was not required," Smithson said. "Our records were checked last spring and the EPA representative said the re-inspection had to be done as long as the asbestos containing material was in the building."

Smithson said the penalty was paid, rather than go through the appeal process. He said the new school buildings do not have any asbestos containing material. Smithson said the old site would be looked at every six months from now on, as EPA requires.

In other business, Smithson informed the board he paved the middle school parking lot because of heavy truck damage from turning around.

"The City of Gurdon employed Jett Asphalt of El Dorado to overlay streets. I thought it was a good opportunity to repair the parking lot. The cost was $8,175.92, under $10,000 so no bid was required nor was School Board approval," Smithson said.

Moreover, the annual Arkansas School Board Association meeting will be held at the Peabody Hotel and Convention Center in Little Rock from Nov. 30 thru Dec. 2. Gurdon has pre-registered board members Mark Sanford and Billy Tarpley.

Smithson said he attended the Region Arkansas School Board Association (ASBA) meeting on Oct. 18 in Arkadelphia. The topic was how will the General Assembly address the Court mandate to provide adequate facilities for all Arkansas School Districts.

"My opinion is how to finance the cost of adequate facilities, renovation or new construction, will be the most important issue the General Assembly will address when they convene in January of 2005," Smithson said.