Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nevada Board Agrees To Back Amendment 1; OK's Student Transfer

By JOHN MILLER

Amendment 1 was heavily discussed at the Nevada School Board meeting Thursday night.

Rick McAfee, Nevada superintendent, informed the board many districts in the state are supporting this measure as a means of keeping the courts out of the educational system and providing equity in funding.

Under the proposal, all school districts in Arkansas would have a mandatory 25 mill for maintenance and operation. These tax monies would be collected at the local level and sent to Little Rock.

From there, the funds are placed into a collective "pot" and are then equally dispersed based on the number of students in the state. School districts will receive money according to student population.

McAfee said this is being attempted to help alleviate the inequity in funding which currently exists.

"This provides the best hope for stability in Arkansas school funding," he said.

However, if the measure fails, the federal courts could step in and decide another method of funding. McAfee said the judge would have the power to create as many school districts as the court wants, and the judge in question supported former Gov. Jim Guy Tucker's concept of "super districts."

According to a governor's task force, he said, the optimum school size is 2,600 students. But, there aren't 2,600 students in Nevada County. This, McAfee told the board, would mean having to take in peripheral districts, such as Blevins and would create a transportation nightmare.

Should the amendment be approved by Arkansas voters on Nov. 5, he added, it doesn't necessarily mean the funding situation is over.

He said the judge could rule to keep it in court anyway, and the concept is already being challenged by the Lakeview School District.

The board agreed to pass a resolution supporting Amendment 1.

The situation was different when McAfee brought up Amendments 4 and 7, both concerning gambling in Arkansas.

He said there has been a lot of propaganda surrounding these amendments which is very misleading.

In actuality, he said, these amendments won't add any money to the state's educational budget, but Amendment 7 will tell the state how to spend the capital.

McAfee checked school districts in nearby states which have gambling and said they aren't " overflowing with money."

Other business addressed by the panel included the possibility of creating awards for the district's top employees.

McAfee said these awards could be broken down into different categories, such as food service, maintenance or transportation, and done on a monthly basis. The "Employee of the Month" would then have a reserved parking place designating the honor.

The new air conditioning system has been installed in the gymnasium and is operational.

McAfee said the system isn't used every day and lauded State Rep. Percy Malone for his efforts in helping the school get an energy grant for the cooling system.

The Nevada School had a reporter from the Channel 7 morning program "Daybreak" down to talk with students recently, and received a pat on the back for their efforts on statewide television.

Remarks made on the program centered around how much like new the physical plant looks though it's nine years old, and how well mannered the students were.

McAfee praised the maintenance crew, especially Jim Cross, for their diligence and work.

Cross said they are proud of the facility and have had relatively few major maintenance problems. He credited the students and parents for the pride they, too, have in the structure.

However, he said there are a few problems to be addressed. There is a leak in the kitchen which his crew may not be able to repair. This is because Nevada has a rubber roof instead of the more common asphalt roof.

Rubber roofs require specialists in getting repairs made, but also tend to last longer than their asphalt counterparts.

The board decided on bids for two stackable ovens for the kitchen. Three bids were received, with Phillips and Son being awarded the contract.

Phillips was within $1 of the low bidder, but was given the contract because of its proximity to the district as the company is located in Texarkana. The ovens will cost $5,319.

The board approved a student transfer in a rare move during the meeting.

It seems the student had been attending school in the Prescott district, but not legally as it turns out.

McAfee said because Prescott operates on a four-period day and Nevada has a seven-period day, the student could lose credits if not released from the parent district and recommended the board approve the transfer.

The district will have an auction to sell off old items it can no longer use. This auction will be held Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m.

The final item of business was to change the date of graduation for NHS this academic year.

Originally, graduation had been scheduled for Friday, May 16. This, though, was in conflict with the Hope and Prescott graduations, and many of the seniors wanted to be able and attend one of these ceremonies to be with their friends.

The senior class voted to move the NHS graduation to May 15. The board also agreed to the change.

This will be publicized throughout the remainder of the school year, with the school calendar changed to reflect the new graduation date.

As the meeting concluded, McAfee presented Cross was a safety award from the Arkansas School Board Association for the efforts of his staff at Nevada in the area of safety.