WHITE HALL -- Each White Hall School District full- or part-time employee as of July 1 who has received or will receive a covid-19 vaccination will be given a one-time $200 bonus, the district board unanimously decided during a meeting Tuesday.
Superintendent Doug Dorris said the compensation follows Gov. Asa Hutchinson's announcement on May 20 that state employees who choose to be vaccinated could receive the bonus.
The news also came the same day Arkansas reported the largest single-day increase in new coronavirus cases since Feb. 5. The state reported 1,476 new cases Tuesday, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
White Hall School District employees who were given shots during the district's vaccination clinic in February will receive the bonus, as will others who were or will be vaccinated elsewhere. Those individuals, Dorris said, will need to show their vaccination cards to the district office for proof of eligibility.
Students 12 and older who are vaccinated will be given a "free day" upon showing their vaccination cards to their respective schools as proof. The policy is retroactive to those vaccinated during the 2020-21 school year.
Free days, however, cannot be used during Aspire testing or semester test days. Students are asked to notify their school office 24 hours before using a free day or by 9 a.m. the day of absence if they become sick and want to use the free day in lieu of a sick day.
Another covid-19 vaccination clinic for all current employees and students 12 and older who missed the previous one will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. July 22 for the first shot and from 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 12 for the second. The first day of classes is Aug. 16.
TAX GAINS
Finance and technology director Doug Brown told board members that the district saw a $1.6 million increase in its net fund balance from the start of fiscal 2021, which began July 1, 2020.
The ending balance for the fiscal year was not available.
In March, Brown warned board members that the district could face a shortfall of about $1.4 million, given that the district had lost 81 students through three-quarters of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. Making matters worse for the district financially, Brown said at the time, was the loss of production at Highland Pellets and the shuttering of the Stant factory, which would result in a loss of tax revenue.
Brown said Tuesday that he could not put a finger on what led to the local tax surge.
"It's local taxes, and I haven't got a handle on it," Brown said. "Our average over the last five years has been a net increase of 6%. We experienced a 20% increase in local taxes being turned over to us from the county for the 2020-21 school year over 2019-20."
Jefferson County went through a reappraisal during the 2019 calendar year, Brown said. In November of that year, White Hall district voters approved a 2.9-mill increase, to 42.1 mills, to fund construction of new buildings such as a multipurpose facility and a fine arts center.
"Those new reappraisal figures were put on the tax records in 2020 and collected in 2021," Brown said. "I think we've got three factors: We've got an increased assessed evaluation for every taxpayer in our district, we've got collections earlier this calendar year than normal, plus we've got 2.9 mills that were applied to this tax payment that were not in previous years. That's what's paying the debt on our buildings, the 2.9."
Because of the increase in local tax revenue, Brown said, funding from the state to the district decreased by $1 million.
That does not affect the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding that White Hall schools receive. Brown said the district has invested $2.5 million into technology upgrades, with $1.8 million of that coming from second-phase ESSER funds and the other $700,000 from state Enhanced Student Achievement money.
DRESS CODE
The district also updated its student dress code for the 2021-22 school year. Among the changes:
• No head coverings of any kind may be worn while indoors.
• All shirts must have sleeves covering the shoulders (rule applies to both genders).
• No clothing displaying political statements is allowed.
• No sunglasses may be worn while indoors.
• No pants with holes, tears, rips or frays above mid-thigh are allowed.
• If wearing leggings, then the shirt must be fingertip-length.
• Nose rings or facial rings are not permitted.
• No body piercings except for the ears are permitted.
• Any extreme in clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, non-prescription glasses or other appearances will not be acceptable.
STAFF CHANGES
The board approved three certified new hires and three classified new hires, and it accepted three classified resignations.
The new hires are:
• Sarah Breedlove as a sixth-grade English teacher.
• Dalton McGathy as a business/EAST Lab teacher.
• Jake Tomboli as a seventh- and eighth-grade English teacher.
• Joey Hobson as a licensed practical nurse.
• Walter Ashley as an in-school suspension facilitator.
• Rosalind Jones as a Moody Elementary School lunch aide and instruction interventionist.
The resignations were:
• Leanne Gabriel as a district bus driver.
• Phillip Gassett as a Hardin Elementary School custodian.
• Lesley Hipp as Moody Elementary School physical education and special education interventionist.