JASPER — Several expenditures were approved by the Jasper School District Board of Education during its monthly meeting Monday night, April 19. Purchases of curriculum, fire alarm improvements and copying machines were given the go-ahead.
Renaissance Products & Services quoted a price of $12,645 for its Accelerated Reader and Renaissance Star Reading products.
Apex Learning quoted a price of $9,840 for its digital curriculum solution product.
A new fire alarm system is needed at the Oark campus as the school has two alarm systems that cannot be connected to one another and is in violation of state codes. The school is under a state fire marshal's order to correct the problem. Tempo Fire and Security LLC, of Harrison, made the bid to install a new fire alarm system for the campus at the cost of $25,128.08. The work will begin as soon as possible and should be completed before the end of the current school year.
A copier purchase agreement with Kyocera Document Solutions calls for a 5-year term. It will cost the district a monthly lease payment of $1,490, plus tax. The machines, each performing certain tasks, are networked district-wide and monitored for security.
In other action:
The board elected to continue for three years, its financial advisory agreement with First Security Beardsley, a division of Crews & Associates, Inc.
Financial advisory services include consulting and advising the school district concerning the annual school election, preparation of the annual proposed budget and corresponding ballot, and providing four hours of finance training for board members as required by the Arkansas education department and the Arkansas School Boards Association. It also provides debt issuance services for which it receives compensation for bond counsel fees, cost of printing bonds and out-of pocket expenses incurred in connection with the issuance of the bonds. If no sale occurs, then neither the district nor any of its agents or employees are under any obligation to compensate the financial adviser for any services performed.
The board also approved the 2021-22 salary schedules, stipends and other rates of pay. Superintendent Dr. Candra Brasel said the schedule includes stipends for district maintenance positions for individuals who are trade-trained such as electricians and plumbers. Salaries include the raise in minimum wage to $12 an hour. "Everyone will make more money," she told the board.
Other rates of pay include the minimum wage for substitute teachers, she added.
The board went into executive session to deliberate on personnel matters. In open session the board accepted the resignation of Phillip Martin, a food service and food pantry worker at Jasper and the resignation of Audrey Farmer, an aide at Kingston.
The board elected to hire Brad Chalmers as a district maintenance worker for the 2021-2022 school year.
