Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Districts Tax Settlement Large

By JOHN MILLER

It was a busy night for the Gurdon School Board Tuesday, Oct. 21, but it was business as usual.

The board addressed several issues during the meeting, and was informed the district will be getting a large tax settlement next month. Bobby Smithson, superintendent, said the district had received $270,000 for the September taxes paid, with more expected for the October payments.

He said little money will come in from November until next September. This, he said, is not unusual as most people wait until the last minute to pay their personal property taxes.

The board approved a band handbook, with a couple of minor changes, including agreeing to follow the band association and Arkansas Athletic Association guidelines. The handbook is geared toward students in the Gurdon band program.

Band Director Alan Wimberly told the board the band has been to a couple of contests, receiving first and second division ratings.

Smithson, discussing the parking lot situation, said the asphalt has been removed with gravel put in and compacted to 95 percent. The lot, he said, is now ready to be asphalted again.

The concrete portion of the lot was expanded.

Cost of the work, though, was more expensive than originally expected, with only two bids received. The low bid of $24,704, from Ledbetter Construction, was accepted.

Smithson said the long-term solution to the problem may be to concrete the entire parking lot, as it holds up better to wear and tear than asphalt. He said this could be done a little at a time until the entire lot is concrete.

Suit has been filed against the original contractor and subcontractor in hopes to recover some of the money the district is paying out for the repairs.

Officers were elected for the coming year, with the current slate remaining in their posts. Charles Ledbetter will be the president, with Jesse Runyan vice president and Charles Hatley secretary.

Smithson said the construction crew for the new middle school has only had workers on site once in two weeks.

He said H.E. Wright got the bid for the foundation and signed a contract on Sept. 26, but is reportedly waiting for Bobby Bunn to do the final grading on the gravel before beginning its part.

Smithson said the slab needs to be poured before the rainy weather sets in.

A parent questioned a school policy after his child was sent home because of an altercation.

The parent said his child didn't start the fight, but was only defending himself. Because of the involvement, the student was suspended for three days and missed four tests.

The board will look at this issue for the future.

GHS Principal Leonard Gills talked of his visit to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.

The purpose, he said, was to get the district to help in recruitment from Arkansas. The state can have as many as 30 recruits, but only had 24 slots from Arkansas filled at the time of his visit.

Gills said results from the Stanford 9 tests came in, with the sophomore class slightly above the state and national level. He said the scores in several areas were over the 50th percentile.

Smithson gave an update on the Gurdon forfeit to Dierks on Oct. 3. He said the vote by the AAA board went 11-5 against Gurdon, with several members of the board voting against their convictions.

He said Gurdon is being held responsible for a rule that doesn't exist. This is a district supposedly being responsible for contacting officials before a game to make sure they will be on hand.

The lead official, Smithson said, wrote a letter of apology to Gurdon saying he plans to retire at the end of this season. At the AAA meeting, though, this official said he didn't look at the contract for the date of the game.

According to Smithson, AAA officials fed information to Dierks about the situation.

Gurdon, he said, never had a chance to negotiate with Dierks, and made the offer to give the Outlaws half the gate receipts and pay their expenses if they would play. "They don't want to play," he said.

Because of this, the district has retained Bill Wright as its attorney and filed suit. The next step, Smithson said, is to go before a judge in a court of arbitration.

However, he said, if the issue isn't settled by the end of the regular season it will be a moot point.

"I feel the players have been done an injustice," he said. "We'll fight this as long as we can. They (the AAA) don't care about us, but want the dues ($800 annually) paid. It's a good old boy system."

Notifying the officials a week before the game, he said, is not a rule, but a suggestion and good procedure. Smithson said he hopes the judge will overturn the AAA decision because no rules were violated and the district had a written contract with the officials.

A well was drilled for the Gurdon Rural Water Project, Smithson said, and the well turned out to be on land owned by the district and not International Paper as thought.

In seeking the easement, the city agreed to pay the district $10 for the property.

A discussion of raises was held as most employees with the district wanted the pay hike now instead of at Christmas when they are normally given.

The raises, $1,000 across the board, are in compliance with the salary schedule, and above in many instances. This amount is for certified employees. The non-certified personnel will receive 5 percent raises.