The Jacksonville North Pulaski School District Board of Directors approved a package of motions, largely by unanimous votes, covering a community recognition plaque, facilities agreements, personnel actions and a tuition-reimbursement policy revision.

Jacksonville Education Foundation plaque and trust uses

Dr. Bob Price of the Jacksonville Education Foundation presented the board with a proposal to honor Fred and Anne Thompson with a plaque in the district office. Price described the Thompsons’ local history and said the foundation had received remainder funds from a trust formerly managed by First Arkansas Banking Trust. Price said the foundation designated Thompson family trust funds to help start a cybersecurity program at the high school and to support subsequent workforce-focused programming. The board moved, seconded and voted unanimously to approve placement of a plaque in the district office. (Motion passed unanimously.)

ARcare clinic addendum and architect contract

The board approved an addendum to an existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ARcare to expand clinical space in the Murrow Taylor Elementary conversion (the district’s health clinic project). The addendum increases the leased clinic footprint by approximately 1,137 square feet for a new total reported as 4,637 square feet; the expanded area will add a group-therapy room, a provider’s office for medication management and a therapist’s office, and staff said the public and student/staff entries will be separated. The board also approved a revised contract with WPR Architects to cover the changes; staff reported the architectural change order is approximately $150,000 and will add seven days to the project schedule. The motions passed unanimously.

Tuition-reimbursement policy revision

A committee and the professional personnel council presented revisions to the district’s tuition-reimbursement policy. Key changes approved by the board include clarifying the policy’s role in recruitment and retention, allowing the district to define local critical-shortage areas in addition to state lists, expanding eligibility to employees on licensed contracts (including alternative-license holders), increasing the maximum allowable coursework in a 12-month period (committee recommended raising what had been six credit hours to a 12-credit-hour total for conditional reimbursement), and updating the policy language to reflect an existing maximum total reimbursement pool ($70,000) and superintendent-level recruitment funds. The board approved the revised policy as presented; presenters said the changes aim to make reimbursement more attractive for educator recruitment and retention.

Superintendent contract extension and personnel actions

In executive session the board considered personnel matters, including the superintendent’s contract. A board member moved to extend the superintendent’s contract by one additional year, bringing it to the three-year maximum permitted under Arkansas law; the board approved the extension unanimously. The board also approved uncontested student-discipline recommendations with a unanimous vote and recessed after scheduling the required closed expulsion hearing for one case.

Other updates

During the meeting staff gave an informational legal update about planned changes to the district’s employee-termination and nonrenewal policy to align with the LEARNa (LEARN) Act and current law; no policy change was adopted that night. Facilities staff also reported that the Molteno conversion project (clinic work) is about 90 percent through demolition, with some additional sewer work and related change requests pending. Superintendent’s staff highlighted budget work: district leaders reported about $1 million in reductions already identified as the district prepares for a budget workshop and noted the district received a DESE notice that it is no longer assigned “directed literacy support” under Annotated Code 6-15-2913 and that the district’s previous required bimonthly meetings with DESE’s district support unit will end.

Votes at a glance

- Thompson family plaque (Jacksonville Education Foundation): motion to approve placement of plaque in district office — outcome: approved unanimously (yes: Carol Estelle; Daniel Gray; Ava Coleman; Ron McDaniel; Dina Tony; Lauren Martin; Laura Walker).
- ARcare MOU addendum (Murrow Taylor clinic expansion): motion to approve addendum — outcome: approved unanimously (same yes roster as above).
- WPR Architects revised contract (change order for clinic): motion to approve revised contract — outcome: approved unanimously.
- Tuition-reimbursement policy revision: motion to approve revised policy as presented — outcome: approved unanimously.
- Consent agenda (minutes, assistant superintendent reports, financial report): motion to approve — outcome: approved unanimously.
- Personnel motions including uncontested student-discipline recommendations: motion to approve — outcome: approved unanimously.
- Superintendent contract extension (one-year extension to reach three-year maximum): motion to approve — outcome: approved unanimously.

The board did not record mover/second names for several motions in the public transcript; where present, votes were announced as unanimous. The district said staff will follow up with scheduling, contract execution and policy-adoption steps where necessary.