Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

New Classrooms May Not Be Ready At Emmet

It will be close for Emmet to get its new classrooms built by the time school starts Aug. 19.

At this point, the exterior block walls are going up, but much remains to be done before teachers can move into the rooms and set up shop for class.

Dr. Gene Ross, superintendent of the Emmet School District, told the Emmet School Board, Monday, Aug. 2, everything is coming together with the building, but it is doubtful it will be ready for the first day of school.

Dr. Ross praised the contractor, saying he's been good to work with, but added there have been problems with the block layer. Apparently, the block laying crew has been working during the cool part of the morning and not returning in the evening. This crew, he added, isn't working Saturday's either.

However, once the facility is completed, room 2 of the current building will be used for high school classes, while the three new rooms will house two second grades and one sixth grade.

Floyd Pollock, Emmet Elementary Principal, said there will be two second and two sixth grades for the coming year, with a total of 182 enrolled for the 1999-2000 school year.

This is up from last August, he said, when 165 students were enrolled.

Open house for the Emmet district will be Tuesday, Aug. 17, in the Ross Gymnasium. At this time, parents can meet with their children's teachers and learn of the changes made for the coming year.

Some visitors to Emmet school could be upset as tobacco products are now forbidden on campus.

A new law bans smoking, and using other tobacco products, on campus.

The teachers must now practice what they preach, Pollock said, as those instructors who smoke can't do it on campus any longer.

Those wanting to light up or take a dip will have to leave campus to do so.

Emmet Elementary, Pollock continued, is now on a nine-week grading period, with reports to be sent to parents in the middle of the nine-week time frame showing how their children are doing.

Dr. Ross said the district wasn't formally notified of the new tobacco law, but had seen it in a newspaper.

Jack Faulkner asked who would be responsible for enforcing this new anti-tobacco law, saying this will be a problem.

As it's a state law, it was surmised by the board, it will be up to area law enforcement agencies to enforce it.

Returning to the topic of the new building, Dr. Ross said it, too, will be hooked into the video surveillance system, with cameras in the rooms.

In addition, he said, a camera will be added to the gym.

These cameras can be purchased for $1,816 from the company the district bought its existing system from. These additional cameras can be hooked into the current system with no problem.

The board agreed and gave Dr. Ross the go-ahead to buy the cameras.

Emmet High School students will be able to partake of distance learning through the Arkansas School of Math and Science.

It will cost the district about $4,000 to offer the calculus class, with the teaching to be done via computer hookup through the Arkansas Public School Computer Network (APSCN), instead of satellite.

The cost will e for a dedicated phone line as all communications between students and teachers will be done by telephone.

Two students will be taking the course this year, with the possibility being more classes will be added in the future.

A teacher will be in the classroom monitoring the students during this period. Because the teacher will be observing and not teaching, they don't have to be certified for calculus.

Next up was a discussion on bidding out various food items for the cafeteria.

The district has been using one or two vendors, but the board didn't feel it was getting a competitive price.

So, last month, the board asked Dr. Ross to let bids for the foods used in the cafeteria.

Four companies were contacted with two responding, Alliance and NIFDA. Alliance had the lower bid.

Dr. Ross said with the bid turned in by Alliance, the district could save about $425 per month over what it's paying now.

Some items, he said, are seasonal and weren't priced in the bid.

But, he added, those items not available from Alliance can be bought elsewhere, as the district will not be under contract with Alliance, but will be buying in bulk as needed.

With the first Monday in September being Labor Day, the board voted to change the meeting date to Sept. 13.

The board will have its report to the public at 7 p.m., followed by its regular monthly meeting at 8 o'clock.