Week 27: Spring Break!

Happy Friday!

This week’s Wrap-up will be short so you are not left with a lot to think about as you start your Spring Break this afternoon. I will update you on our district goals and provide some other short pieces of information.

* Thank you for all that you did this week to help us reach our district goals as we keep trending in the right direction. Even attendance inched up a little bit. Although I will not have any hard data to report on literacy at the next board meeting, the work being done at Louise Durham and Holly Harshman is indicating positive results.

* The legislature has still not released our per pupil funding amount for next year; so, our revenues are still unknown. Secretary Oliva has been visiting coops and during his visits, he has said that we can expect the increase to be somewhere between $100 and $200 per student. This amount will have to cover the increased cost of insurance and a raise in classified employee pay.

* Please apply to serve on one of the LEARNS rules-making committees. This is open to all who have an interest - certified, classified, board members, parents, etc. Here is a link to the Commissioner’s Memo with more information and the application in a Google Form. The form is short but you will have to submit a resume. Be a part of shaping the history of education in Arkansas!

* Mena has been allocated nearly $168,000 for safety improvements and we submitted our plan to the state today. They intend to fund projects according to the priorities determined by Governor Hutchinson’s School Safety Commission. Mena has many of the priorities already in place so to meet the requirements of the grant, we will focus on secure fencing, door locks at Holly Harshman, better signage, front entrance security, and door prop alarms.

* There has not been much participation in the Thought Exchange about LEARNS but it remains open until March 31st at the link above. Here are some results thus far.

* Congratulations to Holly Harshman’s Principal, Mrs. Smart, for being recognized as one of Polk County’s Women in Business! You can see her story in The Polk County Pulse.

* Congratulations to our baseball, softball, soccer, track, chess, theatre, and FFA judging teams for all of the successes this past week! It has been a fabulous week of performance for a large number of our students who showcased their skills and talents.

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a great weekend and Spring Break!!