Northwest Arkansas educational cooperative approves employee vaccination bonus

Bryan Law, Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative director, addresses regional superintendents Thursday at the cooperative's first Board of Directors meeting of the school year. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Mary Jordan)
Bryan Law, Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative director, addresses regional superintendents Thursday at the cooperative's first Board of Directors meeting of the school year. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Mary Jordan)

FARMINGTON -- The Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative board on Thursday approved a covid-19 vaccination incentive bonus for employees.

The board unanimously approved the bonus at its first meeting of the school year. The board meets monthly throughout the year except for July and August.

Employees who can verify they've received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine will receive a $200 bonus, said Bryan Law, cooperative director.

The cooperative will receive money from the Arkansas Department of Health to pay for up to $20,000 in total bonuses for about 100 employees, Law said.

The policy will go into effect immediately, with bonuses beginning at the end of September, he said.

The cooperative can't legally ask employees if they've been vaccinated, Law said. He estimated up to 90% of staff has received the covid-19 vaccine.

The board also unanimously approved transferring $150,000 to the cooperative's building fund. The transfer brings the fund balance to about $450,000, Law said. The fund will help the cooperative if it moves from 4 N. Double Springs Road.

The cooperative rents the former school building from the Farmington School District for $38,350 per month, said Jakki Vanhook, cooperative business manager.

The cooperative has been in the space since 2005, said Patti Wohlford, cooperative business assistant.

The organization has no plans to move at the moment, Law said. The Farmington School District consists of five schools serving about 2,500 students, according to the Arkansas Department of Education.

In other news, Joe Rollins of the Northwest Arkansas Council shared a workforce development update with the board.

The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan statistical area population was 548,634 in 2020, Rollins said.

"Over the last five years, we've grown by about 57,000, and we're on track to grow by another 53,000 over the next five years," he said.

That growth has increased competition for the region's graduating students, Rollins said, as well as an increase in job opportunities for those seeking work.

There have been 17,000 job openings in Benton and Washington counties over the last 30 days, he said.

"Those numbers ought to be pretty eye-opening," Rollins said.

Construction, manufacturing and health care and social assistance are the areas of greatest need in the region, he said.

Jobs in construction grew from 12,245 in 2015 to 15,948 in 2020, an increase of 30%, Rollins said. Jobs in health care and social assistance grew from 23,752 to 27,381, a 15% increase, and jobs in manufacturing grew from 24,733 to 28,093, a 14% increase, during the same timeframe, he said.

"This place is exploding up here with a lot of opportunities for kids and even adults," said John Karnes, West Fork superintendent. "It looks like those opportunities will continue."

Karnes said his district is helping to prepare graduates to enter the workforce by offering certification training. The district works with Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale to offer certifications in fields that include dental assistant, welding, automotive repair and surgery technician, said Randi Hutchens, West Fork High School counselor.

"It's very important, and we're doing all we can to help our kids get those certifications and have open opportunities for them," Karnes said.

Northwest Technical Institute is a state-supported vocational-technical school with an enrollment of more than 2,000 students.

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Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative

The Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative offers professional development and support services to school districts in the region. The board consists of superintendents of each district. Information on which districts participate in the cooperative is available at https://www.starfis…">https://www.starfis….

Source: Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative

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