Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

McAfee tels Board about education bills being considered

There are several bills being addressed at the 85th General Assembly school districts need to keep abreast of.

Rick McAfee, superintendent of the Nevada School District, discussed some fo the proposed Acts with the Nevada School Board at its regular meeting, Jan. 20.

HB 1034, he said, requires 40 minutes of visual arts or music for grades k-6. Under current law, schools are required to offer both arts and music, but this is proving to be difficult for smaller districts.

HB 1076, he said, will create a back-to-school tax free holiday. Should this pass, one weekend a year, sometime in August, would be set aside where no sales tax would apply to certain items. This is being done in Texas now.

HB 1116 reduces the number of in-service hours for teachers from 60 to 30 a year, giving teachers five paid work days for their 190 day contracts.

HB 1154 will give school districts two more weeks to get their budgets together. Should it be approved school budgets wouldn't be required to be in by Sept. 1, as they currently are, but would have to be submitted by Sept. 15 each year. This, McAfee said, would make it easier on districts.

On the senate side, SB2 would give a physical education credit to students participating in athletics. This would free up one period per day for them to take another course.

SB 102 would repeal the limitations on non-instructional duty for teachers. According to McAfee, if a teacher volunteered to work an athletic event, under SB 102 they wouldn't have to be paid, as they currently are, even if the activity is voluntary.

SB 50, he said, would exempt bus drivers with two or more years experience from taking tests when they renew their licenses. However, this bill could have some consequences as others who have commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) may lobby for the same exemption. This could include those who drive gravel trucks, log trucks and semis and get their licenses in Arkansas. This could conflict with federal law.

SB 112, he said, would repeal the mandate requiring schools give teachers 200 minutes planning time, and would add another teaching period to the school day. "I don't think this one will go through."

The Board extended McAfee's contract for another year, giving him three more years to serve as the district's superintendent.

The district accepted a bid from Ward Bus Co. for a 65 passenger diesel bus with an automatic transmission. The bid was $53,490.

The Board also approved a bid from Little Rock Dodge for a 3/4 ton diesel pickup for $18,700. Jim Cross, maintenance and transportation director, said this is a plain work truck with no frills. The district will obtain the loans for these vehicles through the Bank of Prescott as it offered a lower interest rate than the state's revolving loan program.

McAfee told the board the results of the facility report. A facility study team visited the district in July to see what was needed and what met or didn't meet state regulations. What was funny, he said, is he was informed the district had no elementary school and needed $3 million to build one.

What made this laughable is Nevada is a K-12 facility under one roof.

But, under the new regulations no school can have a flat roof. Now, all roofs must be pitched. To do this at Nevada, McAfee said, would cost $750,000 and require moving all of the air conditioning units from the roof.

Should this be required, he said, it should fall under Area I with the state picking up the tab.

In other business, Cross said five routes are being ran for the after school tutoring program. These routes deliver 82 children home. One route, he told the Board, takes 90 minutes to complete.

Frank Bradley, Nevada High School principal, said it's a quiet period for the school now, as one semester just ended and a new one has started.

Basketball season, he said, is winding down and Spring sports are about ready to get underway.