Hope School Board
The Hope School Board held a meeting in the administration building on Tuesday morning (2-13). After the meeting was called to order, Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Crossley talked about the order of items being addressed. The first item was a student petition to transfer. A motion was made to accept the petition. It seconded and passed.
The next item covered was a waiver for inclement weather which didn’t currently exist. The board approved a motion to apply and extend the day for teachers by 20 minutes. This will allow the schools to end in June.
The next item was the updating of ABM (building and maintenance). Mr. Thomas spoke for the company and acknowledged the low rate of pay for its employees and the stated a desire to change it. Bubba Powers thanked him for appearing before the board but stated that he had received a lot of complaints about the service. This was solely informational with no action required at present. Mr. Thomas stated employee pay would be immediately increased and said they would make sure that floors were buffed and cleaned. The school board will have a chance to see if the service improves before deciding whether to renew for the next year.
There was a student hearing in which the board voted to accept Dr. Crossley’s recommendation of expelling the student.
Afterwards there was a work session in which the board talked about reconfiguration of the Magnet program. A parent spoke and offered his opinion stating his concern that parents at Beryl Henry and Yerger were simply surviving and not actively engaged in their child’s education. He talked about his inclination to shield his child from the different culture. He felt conflicted about the decision. Dr. Crossley stated that Beryl Henry and Yerger students were on target. He mentioned both the options of doing nothing, which he said was not a good long-term solution and the three options in the survey. While there wasn’t a clear-cut answer he seemed to be leaning towards the option of giving the Beryl Henry school to HAPS.
Dr. Crossley mentioned his concern about something holding the schools back and the need for all students to receive a good education. Misty Flowers was asked about cost savings and she said there would be administrative cost savings in closing the school. Dr. Crossley stated he wouldn’t eliminate positions but instead they would be eliminated by attrition over time or shifting staff the extra staff could be absorbed. Board member Linda Haynes noted parents at all campuses love their schools and understand that there is a downside to the current situation. She stated the second choices demonstrated the reality is understood. The busing between schools was one of the drawbacks. Dr. Crossley stated the district is doing well in the moment but the current arrangement isn’t a long-term solution. He also mentioned his concern about the division between students. He stated he would love to build a unified $40,000,000 facility but that wasn’t an option. Dr. Crossley talked about a decision being reached by February 20th. When asked if he was okay with a transition period of a year he said he had no issue with that. Bubba Powers stated his concern about doing the transition too quickly. Haynes expressed her concern about delaying the move. Dr. Crossley stated changes mean loss so there will be an adjustment period and expressed his concern that competent people are leading. A goal was expressed to unify the district. When asked about the costs of keeping the Garland building open Dr. Crossley stated it would cost $25,000 this summer to keep it open. After more opinions were expressed future options for the Garland building were discussed.
The meeting adjourned.