North Little Rock schools notebook

Joint effort for fixes of Main Street OK'd

The North Little Rock School Board approved an agreement with the city to share the costs of widening and improving Main Street near North Little Rock High School, between W. 22nd Street and Pershing Boulevard.

According to the agreement approved earlier by the North Little Rock City Council, the city's share will be $601,850 and the district's share is $447,415.

The project is centered on the demarcation of the pedestrian crossing between the school's parking lot on the east side of Main and the school on the west. Large wildcat statues will sit on sidewalks on either side of the crossing. Planters in the Main Street median will further bring attention to the crossing.

The break between the planters for the crossing will give pedestrians a resting spot and protection from traffic at the halfway point across the street.

Baldwin & Shell will oversee the work that is to start this week and be mostly completed by Sept. 1.

Human-resources chief gets new post

Gregg Thompson, the North Little Rock School District's executive director of Human Resources, will become executive director of transitions, effective July 1, as the result of School Board approval last week.

The transitions job is a short-term job overseeing the receiving and placement of furniture and supplies necessary because of all the new buildings and classrooms that are opening in the district. Thompson will do the job at the same salary he is paid now.

At the same time the board approved Thompson's title change, it also approved $1.64 million in furniture purchases for Crestwood, Glenview, Indian Hills, and Seventh Street elementaries and North Little Rock High School. It also approved the purchase of 616 seat-back stadium chairs for $79,464.

Superintendent Kelly Rodgers said the assignment of Thompson to the transitions job falls under the category of administrative reorganization. The human resources job will be advertised in the coming weeks, he said.

Board leader says 'no' to a third term

Scott Miller, the president of the North Little Rock School Board, won't seek re-election in September to a third, three-year term, he said last week.

He said he was blessed to have been a part of a group that enabled the school district to prepare educational facilities that will serve students for the next 50 years.

The district will next need to "focus on academics that will occur in these wonderful facilities the community has created," he said, adding, "Academics is not my expertise."

Miller, a civil engineer who owns his own engineering business, said he was announcing his plans early to give others time to consider running for the board. He represents Zone 2 in the district that encompasses the southern part of the city -- the downtown, Argenta area that is largely east of Pike Avenue and Percy Machin Drive, south of Interstate 40.

Metro on 05/25/2015

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