The Watson Chapel School Board discussed some exciting items on their agenda for the district including a resolution for the 2022 facilities master plan that includes a new high school for the district. John Hayden, the executive director of support services explained more about that plan to the board.
Hayden projected that the new building construction would begin in November 2023 and would be complete by May 2026.
The board also featured a presentation from GradeResults concerning an Online Instructional Service Contract for at-risk juveniles. GradeResults is digital courseware that offers several modalities that support differentiated learning in Arkansas in collaboration locally with Jefferson and Lincoln County circuit judge who deals with the juvenile court. Chris Lee on behalf of the GradeResults spoke to the board and explained more about what they do.
Lee explained that those students that given the opportunity to enroll in GradeResults would be off-campus and a different division separate from the school district. Those students will also be working with certified teachers in the Arkansas education system.
The board also approved a presentation from Johnson Control for a potential performance contract consideration to create more efficient HVAC systems throughout the district that would save energy and expenses. The district could receive 20% in utility savings which the Superintendant Andrew Curry explained that they pay $350,000 a year for utility expenses.
During the superintendent’s report, Curry announced that the attendance for the facility throughout the district has increased to a 689-day difference from 2020 in the number of days people came to work in 2021. The board’s next meeting will take place on January 10th.
