Monday evening the Pine Bluff School District held its monthly meeting to discuss what was a lengthy agenda that highlighted elections lots for current board members, PPC updates, and presentations. Superintendent Jennifer Barbaree and board President Shederick Rick led the meeting by welcoming Mayor Shirley Washington, council members Bruce Lockett, Glenn Holcomb Jr., and Latisha Brunson who were present to help assist with the distribution of the election lots.
Mayor Washington and a few council members helped distribute the election lots to each member and Barbaree explained that process and when these election lots take place.
Each board member opened their envelopes with the election lots and announced which election year they would join elections. Those lots are as follows, Lori Guelache November 2024, Jomeka Edwards November 2025, LozAnne Calhoun November 2026, Charles Colen November 2027, and Rice November 2028. This leaves one lot empty for November 2027 and another for November 2028 which will be announced at the next meeting with absent board members Stephon Broughton and Ricky Whitmore Jr. Each board member will start a five-year term beginning in November 2024.
Following the election discussion, the board went over the process of board committees. Rice explained to the board a policy he created that comprised of four subcommittees in total. Those committees included an education affairs/policy committee, a facility committee, a financial affairs committee, and a governance committee. Rice advised that the board review and make changes or suggestions for their next meeting.
Next on the agenda was the financial report which was approved highlighting the last three periods from July to September of this year.
During the Superintendent’s report, Barbaree introduced Lewis Architect Engineers the architecture group and construction management company that was hired for the design of the site plan for Pine Bluff High School. Vice-president Clayton Vaden gave the board a presentation about their current progress on the preliminary layout of the current land. He discussed some layout details including a drain that runs through Hardin on the campus and could cost $3 million to move or leave the building the way it was designed.
Vaden said they have completed 75% of the layout and the next steps include hiring a local surveyor to help the structure designer. The board questioned if the timeline would be two years, but he advised that the construction would take two years or more, approximately completed in August 2026. 
The board was asked to vote on the construction document presented and it was approved to move forward with current plans.
During updates, Barbaree introduced a group called Operation Transformation for students at the Pine Bluff Junior High Academy Ambassadors were acknowledged as this month’s Zebra Strips acknowledgement. 10 of 17 Ambassadors joined the meeting to receive their certificates along with a group from the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission to promote nonviolence events around the community.
Next up was the Personnel Policy Committee (PPC) Report presented by Chair Calvin Thomas. Thomas updated the board on the newly elected PPC committee members and their official meetings which take place once a month on the first Monday. The PPC focus for the 2024-2025 school year is the district calendar with preparations for a year-round schedule, competition package, and sick leave pay.
Barbaree then went on to discuss what she described as a vision of, “board room to the classroom” as she presented the common assessment score district which highlights where students are academically. This includes a six-systems update plan that focuses on academics, human capital, student support, stakeholder and community engagement, facilities and transportation, and district operations and fiscal governance.
In new business, the board approved petitions for student transfer requests, invoice approval for East Harding Construction Inc. for managing a painting project that took place at Robert F. Morehead Middle School, purchases of Chromebooks, and a 14-passenger bus.
