DMJ down to four board members
Published 2:37 pm Thursday, October 22, 2026
MT JUDEA — At the regular, rescheduled meeting of the Deer – Mt Judea school board on Thursday, Oct. 15, it was announced that Rodney Ellis had resigned from the board. Appointed in May of this year to fill the vacancy in zone 5, it was reported that he accepted a new position that would limit his ability to attend regular, and especially specially-called meetings.
Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Nichols presented the 2026 Annual Report to the Public. Key points from the report include the 2025-26 school report cards recently released by the Arkansas Department of Education . In comparison with 2024-25, the overall district retained a C grade, Deer fell from a C to a D, and Mt. Judea rose from a C to a B. Both schools remain accredited.
With the D rating, the state has imposed more requirements such as walk-throughs with teachers, but the school now has.
Board President, Johnny Smith, asked Nichols to provide a report to the board on which grades/classes performed the worst.
Enrollment stands at 241, with 128 at Deer and 113 at Mt. Judea, which includes the digital students. Of those, 135 were in grades K-6 and 105 were in 7-12. They are served by 25 certified and 39 classified staff.
Nichols reiterated the district’s core values of 1) engage stakeholders, 2) empower staff, and 3) enhance student experiences. The priority remains the students. Key areas of focus are school safety, health and wellness, the school improvement plan, the School of Conservation Leadership, and family engagement.
Regarding the HVAC project at Mt. Judea, the units have been shipped, the lights have been installed, the concrete pads have been expanded because the original pours were too small, the duct sock has arrived, and they still expect to have all work completed by the end of October.
The board approved a new concession policy that allocates 75% of net proceeds to the school organization, 20% to athletics, and 5% to Maintenance/Operations.
The board also approved:
• a resolution designating Smith as the district’s qualified elector to vote for the district’s millage, though there is no proposal on the ballot
• the contract with IPEC, LLC for Medicaid billing
• the contract with Nabholtz to inspect all buildings on both campuses based on the detection of asbestos in the lower elementary building on the Deer campus. It will include an air quality test of all buildings. Cost $21,300, which will be paid from the district’s building fund
• the resignation of Jamie Barber – bus driver on Northark route
• the resignation of Lily Roberts – Deer combined 1-2 paraprofessional
• the hiring of Vernie Heydenreich – bus driver on Northark route
• Philip Campbell as board vice-president
• Austin Williams as interim board secretary
• the transfer of one student in to the district
The next regular meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov 9 on the Deer campus.
