The Watson Chapel School Board met for their monthly meeting on Monday, April 11th, and several items were on their agenda including the ESSER recruitment and retention plan for the 2022-2023 school year. Assistant superintendent LaDonna Spain presented multiple items on the agenda for the evening, including recognizing three students as their ‘Wildcat Warrior’ for the month. Those students were eighth-grader Malachi Craig, ninth-grader Kha’Leyce Cooper, and senior Arvionna Hollins.
On the subject of ESSER funds, Spain presented to the board the Ready for Learning Report which was approved by the Arkansas Department of Education to be implemented for the next school year. The plan included a recruitment and retention plan that will compensate district employees $5,000, which is $2,500 for each semester. Deltaplex news was present at the meeting and spoke with superintendent Dr. Andrew Curry about the plan and he further explained the qualifications for the incentive payments.
In relation to projects underway in the district, the board had a presentation from Johnson Controls to reapprove their contract to go over the performance contracting overview. That overview includes reducing the overall operational cost of the district’s energy bill, addressing areas that are needed for renewal, garnished energy-saving, capital avoidance, and solar revenue. The board approved continuing their contract with Johnson Controls highlighting the installation of solar panels, HVAC improvements, building weatherization, and identified potential saving options.
A resolution on the district map was also approved during the meeting to be presented to the state board of education.
During the superintendent’s report, Curry spoke to the board about new initiatives that the district will be working on for the fall semester including a potential partnership with Central Maloney and Jefferson Regional Hospital.
