001She's she's reser. But that's >> good evening. like to go ahead and call the meeting to order. Mr. Moore, let me read the vision and mission statement. Jacksonville or Palaski will be the model district where every learner is valued and empowered to become a successful contributing member of society. It's our mission to foster a culture of ownership and accountability through partnerships that create multiple pathways for success. Please call the roll, sir. >> Carl Smith. Daniel Gray >> here. >> Ava Coleman is not here. Jim Moore here. Ron McDaniel >> present. >> Diana Tony >> here. >> Lauren Martin >> here. >> Lauren Walker. One not here, sir. >> All right. Thank you. You guys will join me as we stand for a moment of silence followed by the pledge. Mr. McDaniel, if you'll lead us
002in the pledge, please. Sir, >> please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. All right. First on our agenda is reports, special presentations, finance and prek. >> Good evening everyone board members. Our first presentation uh with finance will be from Mr. Kyle Hunt, our director of finance. And then following him will be prek, our prek director, Mrs. Bradford. board. >> Good evening. >> I uh take a few minutes to talk a bit about finance, talk about where our funding comes from, and then discuss some of the goals that I know that you guys have. >> Is your microphone on? >> I don't think it is.
003>> I don't see a green light. There it is. >> All right. Better. >> Yes, sir. >> All right. All right. So, a bit about how schools are funded. I don't know if you're aware or not, but it's funded through what's called the matrix funding. The matrix is based on a 500 student school district. And basically, you're funded upon um of those needs. You're funded for things like salary and benefits uh and basic operating requirements. So within the major funding, you receive funding but not a defined amount for things like technology, athletics, substitutes, maintenance and custodial, transportation, central office staff. What you don't receive any funding for but still have to provide on some level are assistant principles, dyslexia services, special ed aids, dean of students, athletic directors, and security. Those things are not defined
004in the matrix. Yet we all know that we need those things to operate on a daily basis. The other thing that we operate under when it comes to funding, well, we try to keep an eye on are class size ratios. And these are in the state regulations. Kindergarten classes ideally will be around 1 to 20. You can see that that class size grows as students get older. So, keeping that in mind, when it comes time to figure out how many teachers we need at each grade level, we run a a simple spreadsheet that might want to load. Who knows? Um, to kind of see how many we need. [snorts] So, you can see like at Merl Taylor, they have four kindergarten classes and 59 students. They have room for 80 students. So they have 21
005empty seats on a daily basis. If you extrapolate this out across the district, you can see how many open seats you have in kindergarten here at 76, which is three classrooms worth. If you go on down, you notice you have 341 empty seats in your elementaryaries on a daily basis, which equates to 14 teachers too many. Now, I say that like there's 14 teachers, too many. That number can never get to zero. You don't want it to get to zero. Five, six. That's a realistic number. So, kind of keep that in mind as we go on here. I'm going to see if I can get out. This is the best one. So, why So why do we want to focus on funding and why on staffing? All right. So in FY24 we were funded for
0064,200 students. In FY25 we were funded for 4,140. This year we're funded for 4,63. Next year we're projected, I'm projecting that we'll be funded for around 3,950. So over the course of those years, that's about $2 million or a half a million dollars less in funding that's coming into the district each year. So as that population drops, and that is something that's happening across the state, that is not a Jacksonville thing. That is a statewide issue. The graduating classes are bigger than the classes that are coming in in kindergarten. Part of it is due to birth rates and then part of it is to students going to charter schools, private schools, the vouchers that were available. We also know that the federal government right now is shut down and we have we have heard that
007we could expect up up to a 67% decrease in federal funding. We know that some funds will be going away altogether. We also expect others could be cut. That is yet to be defined. So, our goals when it comes to finance and staffing is to be able to do all the things that the district wants to do. At the last board meeting, I believe everybody had at least one idea for what to do with the building fund money, right? There's always something more that we want to be able to do. So, money that we are able to roll over each year goes into that building fund to continue those projects. We also want to be able to give bonuses and raises from time to time. And I'm going to go on tonight to talk about
008strategically adding some staff that I think you'll agree that that we need. So our simple goal is always to do what's best for students. If you take a base of $50,000 and multiply times that 14 teachers that we have at elementary that we technically don't have to have, that would equate to an $1,100 bonus for each teacher on a on an annual basis. I'm not saying that we do that, but that's something to be considered. The leaner we can be, the more flexibility we have. Additional considerations. This is a big part of why I'm here tonight is maintenance of effort. We have an obligation under law for maintenance of effort when it comes to special education. And I could read you that long law or I could just tell you the sentence that tells you
009basically what it means. Whatever dollar we spend this year, we must spend again next year and every year thereafter. So in FY24, we spent 4.391 million. Last year I kept it at 4.391 million by using some extra Medicaid and ARMAC funds that we had that were not allocated for anything. Our projection for this year by the end of the year is we will have spent $5.2 million. So on that upward trajectory we will reach a point at which we cannot sustain with me on that. We'll get to five and a half. We'll get to six. We will not be able to sustain that. Why is that happening? We have we have an increased behavioral needs population. We have increased number of kids going into life skills classes and we have increased kids needing specialized transportation.
010So what I would like you to consider that spede can go up by every dollar that we spend. I know this is kind of small. Sorry. But getting it to go back down is a challenge. You can take certain credits, but the credits that you can take are minute in in comparison to how much you can go up. So we know that our population, the reason that we need to moderate that is because we're going to reach a point of no return if we can't sustain. We also know that behavioral needs are a great need in our district. So in order to lower we need to be able to remove some paras that are in special education that are doing onetoone work. If a student has high behavioral needs in cases we will place a
011onetoone para or one to one adult with that child costing us in a neighborhood of 50 $60,000 by the time benefits are paid. They have no skills but basically keep that child safe, keep the other children safe and let's get through each and every day. Does that make sense? >> If we can remove those one to one pairs, we can take that credit against and slowly bring that number down or moderate it to where it is much easier to maintain at a safe level for the district. You staying with me so far? In order to do be able to remove those oneto ones, we have to have specialized people who are trained to work with behavior. And we are talking about severe behaviors, both what I call chosen behaviors and also behaviors that are attached
012to a child's disability. They're not necessarily choosing the behavior, but it comes along with that. So, I am proposing that we take on a little more spending in the short run to counteract it in the long run by hiring a board-certified behavioral analyst for the school district. There are about, my understanding is there are about 13 in the state. This is a very hard to achieve license. Um, so we would I'm proposing that we pay them on the B13 pay level, which is the director's so that we can attract someone who can truly help us out. In addition to that, I'm asking that we consider hiring four registered behavioral technicians which would work under the BCBA. They would also be trained by the BCBA and they would also be able to train teachers, parents, administrators
013in best ways to work with these students with behaviors. Over the course of time, we would be able to remove these oneto ones and bring our down. These people would work with not only sped students, special ed students, but also regular ed gened students, whatever they needed to, whatever the need was. So, basically what they do is is they work hands-on with with the child. Right now, if you needed a VCBA, if we had a child that did, we would get one that would come through the computer and try to direct us how to help the child through the computer. And you can imagine how much help that would be when you've got a child with behavioral needs. I'm proposing that we get one that is right here on the ground, able to come in
014and work with other adults, not only show them how, but work with them, be able to give them the skills, and then move on to other children as well. Try not to take too much of your time. I could go on for days, but what questions do you have? What could I expound on? >> Questions? >> How many students do I'm sorry. >> How many students do we have in this category? Right off the top of my head, >> give me a ballark. >> Well, we have 60 in elementary life skills and probably half of those have behavioral shoes just in elementary. >> How many paras do we currently have? [clears throat] >> And under this proposal, how many paras do you see moving forward? >> Well, there's four one-on- ones on tonight's board agenda
015alone. >> Right. So we are slowly over the course of this year I think we have added 12 new one to ones this year already >> and for safety >> is there for safety >> is there a legal require requirement sometimes where a student is required to have a pair of >> do you want me to >> I can answer that yes in in some instances when you talk about personal care needs ambulatory needs those kinds of things yes but forh behavior. No. >> So like Okay. I I think Okay. I I think uh the idea of hiring the behavior, whatever that position was called, uh I mean it's a great idea. Um but is it going to be able to help us reduce the paras like you're thinking it will or is that's my
016my question was it are they not required in some instances? >> Yeah, the majority of pairs we hiring right now are based on behavioral need. >> Oneonone pairs are an IP team decision. So if we have one that needs one for healthare needs that is still going to be a need but if we have one for behavior and it's an decision um this position as written is not a sped position so I don't have any I mean this is not my position so we would then consult with the BCBA um to help us with the behaviors but if we have an immediate need for safety and security we would still seek you know, oneon one for immediate um safety and security for the scholars >> and board members um and audience. Um the reason why
017we did not write it as a personnel member under the special education department is so that u this specialized position would be able to assist with all students. So just not our students with IEPs but all of our students across the district would be able to be supported uh with this team. >> Question. >> Do we get additional funding for >> special? >> Yes, we get I mean we now that number that I gave you fore is separate and apart from the amount we spend about 2 millionish on 6702 sped money that we get. That's federal money. So that's in addition to that several million we already spent. >> So as our sped numbers increase that federal funding would increase >> sometimes yes sometimes no. That's all depends on the number that they allocate for
018it in a given year. >> And we any scholar that has a one-on-one would you claim them on an additional fund? >> But it doesn't cover the entire cost of a >> we're also called catastrophic funds. We spend over x amount of dollars on the child, we can file for catastrophic. That all depends on how many schools in the state applied for catastrophic and then that money is divided out. >> How many scholars do we have that are only have a onetoone parent for behavior? >> So most of them that would need a one to one pair already have an IEP that's running through special ed >> for behavior. Yes, ma'am. >> Keep in mind this also benefits those students who are in your gened classrooms that are [clears throat] affecting instruction on a daily
019basis for not only themselves but also 20 other kids that are in the class benefit as well. So we are legally required by federal and state regulation to do this. Is that a correct statement >> to hire these BCBAs and RBTs? >> No. To uh for the special ed kids to provide this service I guess for the students >> legally legally required to educate them in a safe manner. >> Okay. >> And we do that as an team. We put in the supports that we feel are required to keep everyone safe. >> Okay. >> And oneonone is our last resort, but right now we're dealing with behaviors that are extreme, especially in our kindergarteners right now that we have not seen before. This is a different group of kindergarters. >> Are we doing testing? >>
020Yes, sir. One more time for those of us that are forgetful. IEP stands for >> individualized education >> or and sometimes we have them under ADA section 504 Americans with disabil. >> Any other questions on that? That is an action item for us to discuss later on down the agenda. All right. If we have any more questions we get there, we may call you back up. >> Thank you. >> Sounds good. >> Stay tuned. Thank you, sir. >> M. >> Thank you, ma'am. >> Good evening. Um I am Miss Bradford, principal of homes, the homes prek. Um and happy to be presenting for you all this afternoon. Um so our vision statement is JMP JP will provide a safe, nurturing and engaging early learning environment where children build strong academic and social foundations. We are
021committed to developing the future leaders of tomorrow, one child at a time. Um so just a little bit about um prek. So we have three sites that we're housing. Uh our main site is Homer where we have four um well I'm sorry we have four prek3 classes. Um we're actually full to uh report that um we have 20 house 20 students in each class. So for eight students for prek3 uh we have eight prek4 classes. We're currently sitting at enrollment of 117. So our total enrollment at Homer Atkins is 197. So we're about 43 short from full. Um and all those remaining slots for prek4. Um we also have two classes at elementary. um one prek and one prek4 um to which both of those classes are pulled for a total enrollment of 40 and
022then one class um our brand new class prek class in the district prek4 class at Bobby Gester elementary um with an enrollment of 20 um we have some new things happening this year with our curriculum um we are contining prek rise um at the prek4 level. Um last year or when I came in we were doing he prek3 um since then we have um implemented for prek um prek wise at the prek3 level um also new to all of prek is fro curriculum. Um this is a brand new curriculum costing about $70,000 but I am very pleased to announce that um We were one of two uh districts in the state offered this pilot with collective money. So of no cost to the district. Um it's going to be a great change. It's going to
023have a great impact on our scholars and learning. Um and the goal really is to see a I would say we want we want when our kids leave, we want to know what based on their level preparedness. Um and I truly believe that fall is going to take us there. Um we also are a part of the class pilot um cohort 3 and that is a classroom a new classroom assessment scoring system. Um this isn't mandatory by the state but it's coming down to where this will be um something that um prek will be moving to. coming from the office of early childhood. And so we wanted to give an early kick start um where we kind of learn about it, get our feet wet, and if we make some mistakes, we can learn from
024them with all there's no pressure. Um and so we are participating in the class school year. Um just a little bit of data. So we had our first learning is required walk through um with the district team. Um and so from that um 70% of the classrooms and this is just for homework act well actually yeah this was just for homework um walk through at our at our at our building um and so we saw that 17% um of classrooms show that learning was being required through the use of HQM um you know schedule um preparedness evidence of of learning in the classroom um utilization of HQIM which was 80%. Um and then of course 80% um showing that there was rigor and grade level standards. Um we measured learning throughout the year using the
025kindergarten foundational survey. Um and so we have already completed um our first set of data, the beginning of the year data um which showed 42% of scholars scored low um in letter knowledge. So this just simply means that um these scholars recognize zero to five um uppercase letters, zero to three lowerase letters and just have a limited exposure um to letter knowledge. I see this as a starting point for us um where we can, you know, where scholars uh lead us, right? Um how we can grow our scholars and then we will of course test that grow throughout the year data and our end of year data. Um again the goal is that you will know they come from home because they will be ready. We heard uh Miss Darington talk about that it's some
026different kind of kindergarters. Some of those came from a but we are working on making sure that we have um some tools in place and testing in place. Um if there are, you know, special needs and and getting started with the paperwork and the testing that they need to ensure that they have those things in place and our kindergarten teachers know a little bit more about our scholars. Um I think that's going to help them tremendously. Um so all prek JPSD prek um is excited to do some great things. >> You all have any questions for me? >> Yeah, I love acronyms. Uh HQIM, what does that stand for? >> That's just our curriculum. >> Okay. >> It it stands for high quality instructional material. Okay. All right. Thank you very much. >> Thank you.
027>> All right. Next item we've got is public comment. Do we have anyone sign up for public? >> Thank you very much. All right. Legal update. >> Yes. Um Mr. Richardson could not join us today. Uh he's on the trip, but we did want to present to you all. Uh as stated in the last board meeting, uh we have been able to receive unitary status. But to close that out, uh we do have to pay attorney fees for the um interveners uh the the defendants uh of the uh case. And so Austin Porter is the attorney and Joyce Springer is the monitor. Um you see before you that his total fee, Austin Porter's total fee is $8,440. And then Joyce Springer's uh total fee is 1,320 for their amount of $9,760. Um it actually came
028out cheaper than what we thought it was going to come out. Um but uh we wanted to present for your approval so that we can go ahead and payment for these and then continue to close out uh the exact case. Yes. >> Is there a motion? I make a motion to approve. >> Motion in a second. Any other discussion? All those in favor? >> Any opposed? >> That passes unanimously. >> Thank you. >> Very good. Um, all right. Facilities update. >> Ball and shell. >> Gentlemen, ladies, >> thank you. >> I'm sorry. >> I didn't see you behind there. Michael's >> big head. [laughter] >> Coming off of there. >> So, we we're here. We have several multiple things to do today uh for facilities. First thing we want to uh the most important business
029first and we want to present you all with a uh ABC Arkansas which is the association of building contractors uh award. It's a award of excellence uh for the construction of the uh Baya Elementary School project. And so uh every year what our industry does is our ABC industry puts together a competition of all the projects that were completed the previous year and they they rank them against one another and so uh we selected the body media project because it was the first project completed for body media and Merl Taylor we have the option I believe to submit Merl Taylor uh this next goound. So we don't want them to compete against one another and lose the opportunity to for either one of them. So, uh it won in the entire state of Arkansas for
030all the contractors here. >> Uh it was the top uh award of excellence institutional K through2 project between 20 million and $25 million. And so, [applause] so part of this want to give this to you all. Uh this is you all to keep. >> They want to come for a picture. more people would have come, but we're dividing >> up. Get in here. >> All right. >> Count of three, y'all. One, two, three. I got you. So, we're forever grateful for our partnership uh with with the Jacksonville North School District uh and with our partnership with architects on all of the projects within the district. The second I left something in my backpack, but the second is we want to talk about update you on the range of magnitude estimate for prek today that this
031right now. Okay, one second. Sorry, I'm >> gonna give everybody a copy. Is it possible for us to plug in a computer? Thank you very much. All right. So, uh what you have before you is the uh this is a range of magnitude estimate. Uh I think we've been meeting uh for the last couple of weeks with uh with Mr. Lester and his team um to to really come up with the uh scope of work for uh the prek. I know we just walked through the horizon's uh scope over at the ME Taylor conversion project. And so uh we're moving that project forward and we're looking to uh commence that work on December 1st uh for the horizon scope. And so what this estimate is is the continuation of all the work to finish out
032prek uh inside of the moral title conversion as well as the exterior of the building and the uh uh the site work for that area. So right now range of magnitude estimates all in uh based on on our conversations with uh the design team and Mr. We think that's around $7.9 million. And we want to show you uh what all that includes. And so you see that. All right. So trying to So I'll start at 12:00 and I'll just work my way clockwise. And so this the north part of that existing M Taylor building. So what we're going to do is go in add concrete areas. I don't know if you can see that cursor. Um, add concrete paving. Concrete paving for a new uh kitchen area, new side area, a [clears throat] new canopy
033for drop off uh for the of the prek students, uh parent drop off, and then also we're including a new turf uh playground area with new playground equipment. Can you go back? >> Yes, sir. Zoom out just a little bit. I thought >> this all the back side of the building. >> Yes, sir. This is all back side. And then this here is the east side of the building. So, here here what what we discussed today. Uh we're anticipating from a large parking lot just south of the clinic. Uh we reduced that uh as of probably about 5:00 today. Uh so uh what we're carrying right now is allowance for a new parking lot somewhere on this campus most likely on the north side. We probably enhance that of 50 new parking spots. So that
034includes all the site work potential undercut uh based on the area and the soil conditions in that area, the parking spaces, the uh striping and the signage for those for those areas. Also uh we've included in this price is uh power washing the entire exterior of the building. Uh tuck pointing which is you know just really touching up the masonry on the exterior of the building and then painting the exterior of the building. I'm going to have Jared come up and walk us through the interior scope. All right. So, I'm going to start with I'm going to start with the kitchen. I'll just do the rest of the kitchen and work my way. All right. So, this essentially we're going to have Sorry, 13 new prek classrooms. Each classroom is going to have its own
035individual toilet. The kitchen, there's a whole lot going on with this kitchen. We're going to have to remove the slab that's there. Put back in the slab. Got a new dryer and washer, cooler, freezer, whole yard. Super nice kitchen. brand new cafeteria. We're going to keep the existing toilets where they're at. We are going to replace the plumbing fixtures that go to those have a nice size break in this area's office storage. see it up here. We have a new vest vestibule right here. It's going to be made of aluminum storefront. In order for this kitchen to work, we are going to have to extend just a little bit of that here in this area. We are going to have to put a new grease truck in there for the kitchen. It's going to have
036some HBAC pads on the exterior as well as a generator pad on the exterior. All the HA, all the electrical including the cubbies for storage. I say everybody knows. So have this really nice indoor play. We enision running them up in there. It's going to be good. It's going to be a good time. And the work room more laundry area here. Your electrical. We did include like some structured cabling and intercom system work. Uh Fire suppression for the most part was taken care of in the the PR6 or the horizon buildings and this one we're going to turn the heads down and center ceiling tiles. So so essentially what's going on um you know we start off with one big project and we've broken it down into a small sample size small individual projects. Uh
037the first phase was the clinic uh which is completed and operable uh The second phase that we're getting ready to begin is the horizon space. Part of that horizon scope that we're going to do on the east side of the building. It also includes uh uh demoing out the existing concrete slab in certain areas to install a new sewer main. I think that's been discussed with you all. But then also it includes bringing in a new u suppression uh system. And so in that space, you bring in the fire suppression system for what's going to be prek for that open space for the horizons areas and for the uh for the clinic. Right now we have a a pipe that's above the uh ceiling in the clinic. So now we're going to tile that in,
038drop those uh sprinkler heads in the ceiling tile in the clinic area. What we'll have to do if if if we're approved or if the design team is approved to move forward and finalize the design for prek, uh we hope that we can time this as such to where we can take those sprinkler heads uh that that'll be turned up right in phase two and we can turn those down uh before we uh finalize the scope in phase two. We think that'll save a little bit of money for the district if we're able to time it perfectly. So essentially what what this is is that 7.9 million it essentially completes uh the finish out for the marit that existing conver >> Mr. Hansbury uh considering that I know you all are working overtime to have
039this presentation for tonight um do we have some wiggle room in that price? So I will tell you we're carrying a pretty healthy uh uh project contingency uh at the moment just because it was so rough uh a lot of a lot of discussion a lot of uh items that weren't uh detail uh wasn't finite and so we want to carry that contingency now because our ultimate goal is to start bringing that price down once we uh have some this is our starting point our baseline >> so is it possible for us uh and definitely appreciate you all rushing to get this between last month and this month. Uh is it possible for us the district admin with you all we shell to continue to discuss this over the next few weeks and come up
040with the revised presentation in December for the board. >> We can do that. I think the only uh one of the topics of discussion today is timeline. I believe this project uh I think we won it uh August. Is that correct? And so uh we we believe that this is somewhere probably about a sevenmon project. And so obviously um as you know time is of the essence for us to be able to to have you all some form of approval for design and move forward. We can continue the conversation but I think that the design team probably need to start moving forward so they can finalize design. we can get all the necessary approvals then we can be prepared to go to bid by 1 of 2026. So are we asking the board to approve
041the design and not the >> we only so what we're coming to you today is present hey range of magnitude this is where we are 7.9 and we think we have everything included uh with some wiggle room. All right and so our our ask is for uh approval for the design team to move forward to be able to finalize uh construction design You bring the first number down to a five deal. [laughter] >> I'm with the board president or close to it. Closer to it. We'll go back go back to the drone and work with the team >> and and we can uh if if if uh we need to do a workshop or a special meeting between now and December we have Thanksgiving and and we're moving the December meeting to a week later
042because of Thanksgiving. If we need to try to do a workshop in the next two weeks or so before Thanksgiving, we can we can try that. So >> why don't you all connect and keep grinding on it and I'll see if we can get something figured out. >> So I want to make sure I I understand this well on our end. So the the number where we need to get to truly 5 >> closer to it. Yeah. So we and I met with Mr. Lester this afternoon about that. So, if we can go back to the proposed uh price a couple of years ago that we we discussed [laughter] and kind of meet closer to that number. So, >> we got to get the scalpel out. >> Yes, sir. >> Did you hear the finance
043presentation? [laughter] >> I did. >> Full of joy. Full of joy. >> Do y'all have any other questions regarding this? >> I mean, it looks great. It's going to be great. Uh, we just got to figure out how to do it. So, appreciate y'all. >> Thank you. >> Was that all of your presentation? >> I think that's I think that's all of my presentation unless there's any update. >> All right. Thank you. >> Thank you all. >> Okay. District reports. Dr. OA. >> Yes. I have two hopefully uh brief reports for you. The first one I'm going to uh call Dr. Walker up. Um, we had a great we have a great opportunity that we would like to present to you all uh that will not only benefit our our Jacksonville community but uh central
044Arkansas community as well. And so Dr. Walker will come forward to present. >> Thank you Dr. OA. You should have in front of you the Starbase Arkansas partnership proposal and I have with me tonight Mr. Author Brown. He is the deputy and director of business operations with the 19th Contracting Squadron at the Little Rock Air Force Base. And so we have kind of been working together on this. So I'm just going to hit some highlights and it's a proposal for you to consider. So it's um Starbase. I'm going to tell you a little bit about it and the program history, the partnership opportunity, the course of actions, and the path forward and possible timeline. So if you look at your uh presentation that's in front of you, Starbase uh dates back to like 1991 and
045it focuses on hands on learning through STEM and it's federally funded uh across there are like 81 star bases throughout the US and um it focuses on uh careers ignites and spark the interest of scholars uh in the STEM field. There's some stats on here that talks about um the direction in which the STEM uh jobs are going for the future and we want to make sure our scholars have an opportunity to have that experience and it also impacts them in the community engagement and um we think it would be great for us to partner with them and this is just kind of the history. It started the first Star Base here in Arkansas actually is the only one. It's located here right outside of the Little Rock Air Force Base. Open in 2022 and
046then there have been some additions to that in 2024 and uh the operations paused in February of 2025 just due to funding. Uh previously it was uh being uh managed uh by forward institute. It was a nonprofit profit that had partnered with uh the Little Rock Air Force Base. So what we have done is that on September the 18th we started having conversation with the little arc air force base through Mr. Brown and when we met uh he talked about the possibility of what it could look like in the the star base at Barkstdale in Louisiana he said it was being uh kind of funded managed through a school district. So we went down um last week and we had an opportunity to tour. It was very interesting. So under this particular model, we as
047the district would lead and host the Starbase program and the Little Rock Air Force Base providing reimbursements through the invoices that we submit. And it would be a collaborative effort to inspire STEM throughout our community. But this is a statewide program that's offered to fifth graders. Uh and also it offer have opportunities when you go to level two that there can be some things uh as far as STEM and the middle school as well. So this is the proposed structure that the classroom structure uh there are currently three classrooms that are available but we would only start out with one particular classroom. There would be a program director deputy and then there would be a instructor which would actually be a teacher and office manager who could actually be in the role of a secretary.
048And then the 19th airlift wing they would work with processing and reimbursing for expenditures and validating any cost based upon department of defense regulations. And then the uh airlift wing commander has approved the proposal. He's just waiting to back from our district to see what the interest is from there. There's also a support built in through a contracted company called Spectrum. That's kind of who kind of sets the boundaries. Uh and so we would have that support from there and participating uh schools that um comes to Starbase, they are responsible for their own busing, their own uh housing if their students want to stay here. Like I said, it's geared toward fifth grade, but there are options and opportunities. And if we partner uh as a school district, that gives us some more benefits that
049we can tailor toward our school district to offer more STEM opportunities for our particular students. And this is just the timeline, which is October 28th, we had the visit to Starbase, Louisiana. And I'm presenting the proposal tonight to the board. Uh is approved, then we move to the next uh step, which would be a memorandum of agreement that we would work out uh between the Little Rock Air Force Base and our district. And then we would start the process of inventorying uh the facility and uh looking at the equipment and making sure everything is lined up. And then we would appoint uh a director. But what we had discussed that it would just be internal. We would not hire out and create another position at this particular time. We would work with the staff that
050we have and we would spend the next couple of months trying to get everything ready and then look at hiring um with hopefully the government will will be back up running, funding will be flowing and then we will be able to move forward with hiring and then we have an August uh starbase open date and I'm going to pause here if you have any questions. Mr. Brown is here if you have any questions for >> questions, comments. Colonel Smith, you have anything to add? >> Yes, thank you. Uh yeah, this uh partnership between uh the base and the district for this program would I think be beneficial to all of us, which was one of the reasons we proposed it to Colonel Eard and he was supportive of it. So it it helps us um
051be able to re uh bring bring this program back uh for the state um and also just uh further increases our partnership with the Jacksonville local community. So uh we're definitely supportive of it from the Bayside um and hope you guys are interested in partnering with us. >> Sounds like a tremendous opportunity for our staff or our our scholars and uh it's only beneficial as I see. I can't see why we wouldn't. >> Do we need a motion tonight or >> ahead? >> It would it would be nice um if you all made a motion for us to move forward with the discussions and and any major uh decisions we could definitely bring back to the board for your consideration approval. He just would like to go ahead and give an affirmative response to the
052Air Force base and their personnel and then as well start planning for the fall of 2026. >> I would like to make that motion to partner on this starbased structure. >> Second. >> Motion in a second. Any other discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? >> Unanimous. >> Thank you, Dr. W. Thank you. >> All right. the last presentation. Of course, it it is November, so we have the report to the public. Sorry. >> [clears throat] >> Jacksonville, where learning thrives, dreams take shape, and the future shines bright. Every day, our educators and staff inspire excellence and belonging across every campus. J&PSD is more than a district. It's where our families connect, traditions grow, and opportunities flourish. [snorts] This annual report to the public highlights the growth and achievements of the 2024
0532025 school year. A year that truly embodied what it means to be Titan strong. Jacksonville High School partnered with First Arkansas Bank and Trust to launch the Academy of Sales Service and Marketing, giving scholars realworld experience in financial literacy, banking, and money management. The 202425 school year began with excitement as we celebrated ribbon cutings for our two newest elementary schools, Viamea Elementary and Merl Taylor Elementary. Both stunning state-of-the-art facilities built to inspire the next generation of learners. Speaking of those two schools, we had a proud district moment during last school year. New and improved letter grades were released and Taylor Elementary jumped from an F to a C while Vamea rose from a D to a C. Several of our schools, Lester, Taylor, Viamea, Jacksonville Elementary, and Jacksonville Middle School earned peer summitive student growth
054school incentive awards celebrating measurable academic growth and progress. Our scholars continue to shine in competitions across the state. Jacksonville Middle School scholars placed in the AMC math competition and high school scholar Ray Sean Wilkerson earned second place in the Skills USA culinary arts competition. Athletic director Barry Hickinbotham was recognized by the National Intercolastic Athletic Administrators Association as a certified athletic administrator and Ava Wesley earned all state honors in volleyball. The district also partnered with Tempest realy partners to explore opportunities for 529 growth savings plans for scholars and staff at Taylor Elementary. An initiative that underscores our long-term commitment to financial empowerment. JNPSD gained statewide attention for its innovative partnership with UA Literon through the teacher residency program where education majors spend a year at JNPSD, gaining valuable classroom experience alongside mentor teachers. The Jacksonville Titans
055trap team made an impressive showing at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission tournament with nearly every participant achieving a new personal best score. And in the field of technology, our cyber security scholars took first place in the Innovate for Good challenge, developing a project that highlighted the importance of protecting personal information and cyber security awareness. We are incredibly proud of the outstanding scholars, educators, and staff who represent JNPSD with excellence in academics, athletics, the arts, and community service. Their dedication and achievements continue to make our district [music] titan strong. At the heart of JNPSD's mission is an eight member board of education dedicated to empowering scholars and supporting their growth. An exeicio board member from the Little Rock Air Force Base strengthens our connection to military families. Each financial decision is made with careful consideration
056to align resources with our community's [music] educational priorities and long-term goals. Let's look at the financial breakdown from the last school year. The district had an annual budget of $50 million. We received state funding in the amount of $7,771 per student. The amount per student raised by local taxes was $3,54.86 with the remaining $4,716.14 in state participation. The fiscal year ended with a legal balance of nearly $5.8 million and nearly $1.4 million was transferred to the building fund for future projects. District leaders established strategic goals for the school year, focusing on three key areas: student achievement, teaching and learning model, and culture and safety. Under student achievement, the district expanded its literacy program aligned with the science of reading, providing targeted teacher training using data to drive improved reading outcomes. Teaching and learning model. The
057district strengthened instructional consistency through PLC's, MTSS, and RTI. Teachers received ongoing training in HQIM, state standards, [music] and the science of reading. supported by instructional coaching, AVID, and the [clears throat] art of teaching to enhance [music] equitable learning for all scholars. And under culture and safety, the district prioritized creating a safe, inclusive environment through positive behavior, supports, communication, and engagement that strengthen relationships and scholar well-being. We continue to follow the portrait of a graduate model which outlines the essential [music] skills, values, and mindsets every scholar should develop from preK through 12th grade. This framework leads directly into our district's mission of the three E to ensure every graduate is prepared to employ, enlist, or enroll. JNPSD remains committed to keeping our scholars, our staff, and visitors safe every day. Each of our eight schools have
058armed security officers, and advanced safety features [music] such as full body scanners, surveillance cameras on campuses and buses, and [music] 3M bullet resistant window film. We also use the Raptor management visitor system to screen all visitors and volunteers. Our strong partnership with the Jacksonville Police and Fire Departments and the Palaski County Sheriff's Office help us stay proactive working together to protect our schools and keep district leaders informed if any scholar could be at risk. Here's a district snapshot. The 20242 school year was a year of growth and progress for the Jacksonville North Palasi School District. We served 4,357 scholars, each one with unique dreams and talents that inspire our mission every [music] day. Of those scholars, 49% were identified as lowincome and 17% receive special education services, reflecting our deep commitment to meeting the diverse
059needs of every learner. Our team included 332 licensed educators with 40% of them holding advanced degrees along with 275 classified staff members who keep our schools running strong and student focused. JMPSD proudly operated eight campuses including one prek, [snorts] four elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and the Titan Learning Academy, our alternative learning program. Every JNPSD campus earns full accreditation from the Arkansas Department of Education and our district continues to be recognized as a Purple Star School District, honoring our dedication to military connected families. Through school choice, families have the flexibility to select the best learning environment for their children. And thanks to the community eligibility program, every scholar in JNPSD receives free breakfast and free lunch daily, ensuring that no child learns on an empty [music] stomach. The Jacksonville North Palasky School
060District continues to move forward with purpose, addressing academic challenges headon while celebrating meaningful progress in key areas. Our educators are committed to innovative teaching, strong community partnerships, and personalized support to help every scholar reach their full potential. While academic improvement remains an ongoing journey, JNPSD is making remarkable strides in expanding extracurricular opportunities, strengthening emotional wellness initiatives, and advancing technology across all campuses. Each day, our district grows stronger, becoming a place where scholars are inspired to learn, lead, and thrive. Students are encouraged to explore their interest, take ownership of their learning, and make choices that prepare them for life beyond graduation. At JNPSD, our vision is clear to be a model school district where every student is valued and empowered to succeed and contribute positively to society. [applause] So, definitely want to uh give kudos and
061uh big thank you to our director of communications, Mrs. Chisa Williams who put that together and so thank you. [applause] The last uh bit of information we had seven legal transfers for the uh district uh going out uh two SC uh two applications to Lonoke and five to Cavitt uh school district. That concludes my uh district report. >> Any questions on those reports? All right. Next item we've got is consent agenda. We got the minutes of the October 6 regular meeting, the 13th special meeting, assistant superintendent report, and then also our financial report. Is there anything on there that needs to be discussed? I think there was some minutes correction in there. Good. Anything pull down? If not, I would entertain a motion to approve. >> So second. >> All right. All those in favor
062say I. >> I opposed. That is good. All right. Uh December board meeting. Uh currently we're scheduled for the second, I think. >> First, >> the first which is the weekend after Thanksgiving. I know people would be traveling out of town. So, and the whole week before that we have enough time to get everything ready. So, we thought about moving it to the >> the December 8th. Is everybody good with that? A motion motion. >> Yes, because you voted on the previous days. >> Motion to move the board meeting to December the 8th. >> Second. >> Motion and a second. Any other discussion? >> All those in favor say I. I. >> Any opposed? All right, that passes. All right. master plan 2026. >> Yes, annually um we have to present this to the well
063Dr. Charles Stein our facilities consultant uh develops this plan to uh present to you all and then for public comments if there any public comments. So then if uh after that process we submit that to the state which will be in February. And so before you you have or in your packet the full facilities plan uh and then hopefully everyone sign the including our audience if you have not signed the signing sheet by the door if you can. So that uh will serve as our record of attendance for this meeting. Um and so the recommendation is to approve the 2026 facilities master plan. The only projects that you'll note that are on there are the projects that we've discussed with the old Merl Taylor uh campus. And so we want to move forward with those
064uh items. And so the recommendation is to approve the FY26 uh master plan. >> Do we need to public hearing >> that? Uh so the law gives us uh multiple ways. We can have a public hearing, a separate meeting, or it could be part of the board meetings agenda like we included it tonight. >> Okay. Any questions? >> Make a motion to approve superintendent's recommendation. >> Second. >> All right. Got a motion and a second. Any other discussion? All those in favor say I. I opposed. >> That passes unanimously. >> Legacy Pavilion. >> Coach Barry Hickimotham is here. Uh he's already presented to you, but I asked him to come tonight in case you have any questions. uh we would like um he uh suggested and definitely we support his uh request to establish a
065legacy pavilion at the end of the football field on the north end um of the uh campus. And so this will allow the opportunity to have organizations and groups to rent and host events uh during football, soccer, or track events. The estimated cost is $25,000. The funding source is the athletic gate and the recommendation from superintendent is to uh support and approve this project and he's here if you have any questions. >> Congratulations on your recognition and the certification you achieved. Sir, >> thank you. Uh, so like I think the question last time we had was where it was going to be located and I was thinking it was somewhere else but in the packet you'll see the aerial of the football stadium and is it correct that at the very end of the 100
066yard dash wherever that starts that's where you're putting it where the at the pole bolt or >> the outside the fence in the grass area there. >> Okay. So, as you enter from School Drive, the stadium is to the left. It's that immediate grass area to the left of the football stadium. >> South and the colors of the technical standard colors. You're saying uh what color for the iron will be >> I'll send an email to try to get it black. I haven't got response yet forward. >> I think it in that location view of It'll be covered from the elements and that kind of stuff. And when you're standing on the field, just being filled level is pretty good. So, >> how will you access the pavilion? >> Go down the stairs on that
067side right there. Take a left. Somebody in a wheelchair. We'll get security to bring them down in a wheelchair and then they'll come through the bottles. I'd also talk to Kevin Stacker. I know he has a double gate right there. Maybe put some gravel down there in case somebody wanted to bring a smoker in there for a game or something. We talked about a few different things. He thought we graable and put some off. [clears throat] >> There will be a concrete pad under the pavilion. >> A concrete pad under the [snorts] pavilion. >> Yes. I talked to a guy the other day about trying to get some numbers on concrete leaning on those guys. I think there's all right. Do I hear a motion? >> So move. >> Second. >> A motion and a
068second. Any other questions or discussion? We'll confirm the colors before we get it going. >> All right. All those in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? >> All right. >> Thank you very much, sir. >> Thank you. >> Appreciate you. >> All right. Uh, open a parent paid four-year-old classroom, Bobby G. Lester Elementary, January 2026. >> Yes. Board members, uh, earlier you heard the report from our prek director, Mrs. Bradford, and saw that most of our, uh, prek classes are full. And so, and even with those because of the funding stream, uh, several of our parents in the community, uh, do not have access to it because they do not qualify for the program under the current funding stream. And so, we would like to provide a 4-year-old classroom uh, that parents can opt
069to in to pay for it and it would be uh, located at Bobby G. Lester Elementary. we do have the space and we if favorably approved we would open it January 2026. Uh and so the cost is there before you um for FY26 and then a FY2627 uh school year and then the parent cost per child is before you as well at $175 weekly and the team did do their research on what the [clears throat] average cost should be and so we would like to move forward with that. So the super uh my recommendation is to approve the opening of a paid four-year-old classroom at Bobby G. Lester Elementary for the spring semester of 2026. >> Miss Logan approves too. >> Do I hear a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion in a
070second. >> I got a question though. >> How many discussions questions? >> How many kids are we talking about? >> Is it 20? >> which will probably fill very quickly. So um but we we >> is it first come first serve or will there be a lottery or >> first serve >> and when will we start registering? >> Well we'll start the process after the vote tonight. >> 175 weekly >> weekly weekly. There was a there should have been a correction on there. >> It should be weekly. >> Weekly. Yeah. >> And so if it says if it says monthly, it should have been weekly. >> Well, let me let me be very clear. >> $175 per week. >> Weekly. >> I show the real thing. weekly. >> I think it's >> weekly. It's weekly.
071>> As long as it's 175 a month or I mean a weekly [laughter] weekly >> pretty cheap or 175 a week. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Yes. That passes unanimously. >> PreK design. >> We've already talked about that during the facil facilities update. So, >> and you're going to continue working and if we need to schedule a workshop or a meeting, we will. >> Yes, sir. >> All right. Purchase of two passenger buses. >> Yes. Before you um the Mr. Beck uh Gary Beck, our director of trans transportation uh has proposed the purchase of two used 77 passenger school buses. Uh these buses are needed to replace one route bus and one trip bus that are nearing life expectancy. Uh the buses nearing uh that we would retire we
072would use uh for subbes. Uh the amount is $221,400. Uh funding source would be enhanced transportation fund that we receive from the state each year as well as student growth funding that we currently have. And the recommendations to approve the purchase of these two used 77 passenger bus. >> Those are 2024 models. >> Yes, sir. >> All right. Do I hear? >> So move. Second. >> A motion and a second to approve is recommended. Are there any questions? Discussion. >> All those in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? >> All right. That passes unanimously. Next item I've got is a millage election ballot. >> Yes. Just to be clear, it's not a millage uh increase. is our annual uh millillage election ballot that we have to submit uh to you all for approval that
073would go before the community members uh in the newspaper and then during the election in March of 2026. So the uh ration is to adopt the attached proposed budget of expenditures of the tax levy for fiscal year beginning in July 1st, 2027 to include including June 30th, 2028 and then to approve the related sample ballot for the election of March 2026. The recommendation is to approve both the budget notice and the sample ballot. >> Do we hear a motion? So move >> second. Motion in a second. Village election ballot. Any other questions? All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? That passes unanimously. New vendor for volunteer background check B checks. >> Yes sir. Uh we had a prior prior to this year we had another company uh when we shifted to
074Stiggics and some other safety measures that kind of shifted the cost and Mrs. Logan as well as officer ODM um reviewed some options for us and came and after meeting with this company wanted to present this to you all. Uh so we're removed we're recommending approval to contract with BEX to provide the security uh backgrounds uh for our volunteers who go in and out of the school buildings. And so it's the screening process to make sure they're eligible to work with our students and be in the building. So the recommendation is to approve this um this contract with B checks for the volunteer screening service. >> Okay. Any questions? >> Motion to approve. >> We got a motion and a second to approve. Any other discussion? Questions? All in favor say I. >> I. >>
075Any opposed? That passes unanimously. board certified behavior analysis and registered behavior technician hires. >> Yes, this was presented by Mr. Hunt earlier um with his finance update if you all took action. >> No, we didn't. We said we'd get to it here in a minute. >> Let's make sure Mr. Hunt did not leave the building. [clears throat and laughter] >> Do I hear a motion? >> So moved. Second >> motion in a second to approve those hires uh those positions. >> I have a question. >> You created a question. >> Are there districts in Arkansas that have these? Are they under special ed? Are they just under or is it similar to what we're doing? >> Dr. Walker, Mr. >> I know Mr. Han has been talking to u an individual out of Conway. He
076can probably share a little bit more about their role in Conway. You can come to >> Sorry, those online can't hear unless we're talking into the mics. >> The lady that is the head of the BCBA program at Conway is the lady who's worked with me previously. Uh she is housed both under special ed and under um the uh assistant superintendent for curriculum instruction. Ultimately that is who she reports to. So she that enables her to work with both special ed and general ed students. She is not funded in any way through special education. >> And that's the reason we're not putting it under special ed because it can be >> if we try to fund it under special education, we're going to be pinned into just working with special education students. This way we
077can work with >> all of our students. Got it. >> All right. All those in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? That passes unanimously. Uh, okay. Uh, student disciplinary actions. >> Yes, you have six in your packet. They are uncontested, but they are there for your review. Y'all take a second to look at those. certificates. Sure. >> [cough] [clears throat] >> Do I hear a motion? >> So move. >> Second. >> Motion in a second. All those in favor say I. >> Any opposed? Those pass unanimously. All right. Next item, we've got personnel. We do have an addendum to be added to the agenda. So before we talk about personnel at all, do I hear a motion to add the addendum of the personnel agenda. >> Second >> motion and a second. All those
078in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? Opposed. All right. So, personnel, any discussion? And we've got superintendent evaluation on the agenda this evening. So, we will move into executive session to discuss personnel and the superintendent evaluation. We'll be back. I just woke up as long as we could. [snorts] >> Did you get one? All right. Going to go ahead and call us back into open session. We've got personnel. Um, do I hear a motion on the personnel report that was presented as as amended? >> Second. >> Got a motion and a second to approve as presented. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? That passes unanimously. Uh we began the process of superintendent evaluation and we'll have the results for that next month. It went very well, a sneak peek.
079So, thank you for Dr. Olo for all he does for us. We appreciate it very much. Uh upcoming events, November 11th, 2025, Stars and Stripes Veterans Day drive-thru parade in front of the military museum at 9:30. November the 24th through the 25th is Thanksgiving break, my favorite holiday. November through December, we've got the Titan Angel Tree project. December 22nd uh through January 5th is winter break. >> And is there anything else on that? [snorts] >> All right, Mr. >> Make a motion we adjourn. >> All right, we're journ. Thank you all very much. Have a great night. customer on my