PEA RIDGE — There will be an hour for cheerleading practice during the school day.
School superintendent Mike Van Dyke told School Board members of the decision at the monthly meeting Thursday. The item was not listed on the agenda.
Just prior to the close of the meeting, Van Dyke said Retta Zumwalt, the high school social studies teacher who is also certified to teach physical education, will teach a seventh-hour athletics period with the junior and senior high cheerleaders, before they work with the coaches after school. Van Dyke said the class will probably be taught in the Primary School gym.
After the resignation of the senior high coach and announcement of a leave of absence of the junior high coach, school administrators had two vacancies to fill. HeatherPhillips, a second-grade teacher, will coach junior high cheerleading and Jamie Bunting, special education teacher, will coach senior high.
Neither teacher has an hour free from their teaching duties during school hours.
Cheerleaders and their parents attended the June School Board meeting requesting the reinstatement of an athletic hour during school hours and that cheerleaders receive the same as any other athlete. The board directed Van Dyke and the administrators to find a way to provide that.
“We feel like it’s a good plan,” Van Dyke said Thursday. He said students will be given credit for the class as an athletic period, either as P.E. or an elective.
The bulk of Thursday night’s meeting was spent hashing out plans for the new multi-purpose facility.
“You have $2 million,” Van Dyke said to the board, coaches andarchitect Steve Elliot. The plans recently were reduced in size as the previous drawings put the project over budget.
“(The drawing) has been cut down considerably. Why? Give me an answer and no dancin’,” board member Rick Webb said.
Elliot said no one in the state is building projects at that cost. They are all more expensive. Construction manager Baldwin and Shell originally estimated the cost at $2.1 million, $1.9 with alternate bids.
The new design cut storage space and reduced the size of each room, including locker rooms, coaches’ offices and a weight room.
Elliot set up an alternate bid plan, however, that includes 30 extra feet on the end of the building that would house baseball storage, two batting cages and a turfed practice area. The board approved Elliot proceeding with the plans includingthe add-on.
Elliot said bids for construction of the tornado safe room came back over budget also. He said Baldwin and Shell, the general contractors on the project, will evaluate the numbers to attempt to get the price down.
In other business, the board:
◊Approved leaves of absence for Marcia Moore, teacher, and Nikki Van Dyke from junior high cheerleading coach for at least a year, although she will continue to teach;
◊Approved a change order for a water line expansion at the Primary School;
◊Accepted the resignation of Marilyn Brock, Intermediate School media specialist, and hired Allison Brewster, first grade teacher, and Heather Phillips as junior high cheerleading coach; and
◊Approved revisions to the high school handbook.
News, Pages 1 on 07/21/2010