Pea Ridge School Board hires staff

School Board members approved receiving 108 students into the district through School Choice. School superintendent Rick Neal said 29 of those are currently attending Pea Ridge Schools.

Board members began the meeting Monday night viewing a video promoting the city and community that was made by the audio-visual students.

Mayor Jackie Crabtree and city council members Ray Easley and Lance Sanders were present.

"I think that is fantastic," Crabtree said. "This was their (the students) idea from start to finish. It was their script. It's absolutely amazing. This is about a $28,000 video if we'd went through some other way and had that done."

Crabtree said he shared the video with people at the Arkansas Municipal League.

"It's very professional," Crabtree said.

Neal and Crabtree both said the video will be available on the school and city web sites.

Neal reported that the gym remodel is going well; that seats have been removed and a new floor is being installed in the weight room. He said it should be finished by July 13.

The fine arts building is about a week ahead of schedule, Neal said.

The technology staff is installing telephones in each classroom in the high school and middle school.

The next three School Board meetings will not meet on the second Monday of the month. They will be held July 20, Aug. 17 and Sept. 21.

In other business, School Board members:

• Hired Wendy Pruitt and Emma Eoff-Swadley, pre-k instructional aides; Amy Miles and Jazmine Hyytia, special education para-pro; Carolyn Starnes, middle school counselor; Mollie Hignite and Pamala Guyll, food service; Kiki Crider, half-time speech language/half-time dyslexia; Denise burnett, PRMBA health instructor; Kelli Keene, Middle School math; and Kayla Bangs, half-Middle School media/half-time Primary instructional aide.

• Transfer Barbara Bateman, food service to food service manager;

• Accepted resignations from Jena Anderson, Middle School counselor, and Ben Love PRMBA math/science;

• Created two new positions -- Middle School teaching position and a half-time Primary instructional aide and half-time Middle School media specialist.

General News on 06/10/2015