The North Little Rock School Board will consider a plan to demolish its long-vacant North Heights Elementary, 4901 N. Allen St., and transfer part of the property to Habitat for Humanity of Central Arkansas as a site for new housing for low-income families.
If the board approves a proposed agreement with Habitat for Humanity and the city, the district would seek a grant from the Arkansas Development Finance Authority for money to pay for the demolition of the school.
The district would transfer the title for part of the property to Habitat for Humanity and the title for the remaining property to the city, which currently leases district-owned land for a recreation center and other purposes.
While the district would not be paid for the property, it would benefit by saving the money now spent for upkeep of the old school, Superintendent Kelly Rodgers said.
The district closed North Heights as part of a districtwide capital improvement program in which 21 operating schools were reduced to 13 — nearly all of which were built anew or extensively remodeled.
Previously sold school district properties include the Argenta, Rose City, Lynch Drive, Baring Cross, Redwood, Park Hill and the old Amboy school buildings.
LR district, union back policies plan
The Little Rock School District and the Little Rock Education Association, a union of licensed and support employees, have a tentative deal on a new certified personnel policies manual and on a benefits and grievance procedures agreement.
The association membership approved the manual and what is officially referred to as the Professional Negotiated Agreement last week. The documents are now subject to the approval of Education Commissioner Johnny Key, who acts in place of a school board in the state-controlled Little Rock School District.
Teresa Knapp Gordon, president of the employees’ association, said the proposed two-year benefits and grievance procedure agreement — once finalized by Key — will expire Oct. 31, 2019.
The 10-page agreement does not include across-the-board salary increases for employees at this point. It does include a provision stating that “the parties agree to reopen negotiations only for the purpose of bargaining wages and/or benefits no later than Oct. 1 of the 2017-18 school year and no later than Oct. 1 of the 2018-19 school year.”
Gordon said in an interview that the parties hope to have updated information on the district’s revenue for this school year by Oct. 1. That would be the basis for reopening negotiations on possible raises.
The Little Rock district will contribute $275 toward each employee’s health insurance premium, a provision unchanged from the past negotiated agreement.
The new certified personnel policies manual was two years in the making and contains many of the policies and provisions that were once part of the Professional Negotiated Agreement, Gordon said.
Education agency names key official
Gina Windle is the new chief of staff at the Arkansas Department of Education, replacing Deborah Coffman, who moved to an assistant commissioner’s post in the agency, Education Commissioner Johnny Key announced Friday.
Windle’s annual salary at the job she starts Monday will be $86,887.
For the past 11 years, Windle, 45, has been a high school counselor in the East End School District. She began her career more than 20 years ago as a language arts teacher at Prescott High School. She subsequently taught in the Perryville and East End districts.
Windle earned a bachelor’s degree in education, English and communication from Henderson State University at Arkadelphia and a master’s degree in school counseling and leadership from Arkansas Tech University at Russellville.
LR superintendent picks 2 executives
Little Rock Superintendent Mike Poore has recommended the appointment of two people to top-level administrative positions in the district.
Poore asked Arkansas Education Commissioner Johnny Key for approval of Stephanie Walker Hynes as the district’s director of child nutrition at an annual salary of $109,062. She would replace longtime director Lilly Bouie.
Poore has recommended Kevin Yarberry to be director of maintenance and operations at an annual salary of $91,175. He would replace Wayne Adams, who retired.