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Magnet Cove board adopts 2025–26 proposed budget, renews contracts and adopts multiple policy updates
Summary
At its July 15 meeting the Magnet Cove School District Board of Education unanimously approved the proposed 2025–26 budget and tax levy, renewed vendor contracts (including armed guard services), adopted sets of ASBA model policies and made several personnel appointments; two executive sessions were held with no minutes details.
The Magnet Cove School District Board of Education on July 15 unanimously adopted a proposed budget of expenditures and tax levy for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, approved vendor contracts and adopted multiple model policies ahead of the 2024–25 school year.
Board President Jeff McJunkins presided over the meeting at the Central Office Board Room. The board voted 5-0 to adopt the proposed FY 2025–26 budget and tax levy after routine business and reports from building principals were presented.
Why it matters: adopting the budget and tax levy sets the district’s spending framework for the next fiscal year and authorizes the tax rate the district will use to collect revenue to fund operations, personnel and student services.
Major actions taken
- The board approved a board-to-board transfer admitting three students (ages 12, 8 and 4) from the Glen Rose School District (motion: Mike Hughes; second: David Sulton; vote: 5-0).
- The board authorized electronic fund transfers for vendors listed in the minutes, including Arkansas Aims, Hardman Lumber, Malvern Power Equipment, Pitney Bowes and Southland Septic (motion: Samantha Nuckolls; second: David Sulton; vote: 5-0).
- A one-year renewal with Dyer Enterprises for lawn care services was approved at $24,000 for the 2024–25 school year (motion: Karen Scott; second: Samantha Nuckolls; vote: 5-0).
- Property and vehicle insurance with Arkansas Public School Insurance Trust was renewed at $209,014.17 (motion: David Sulton; second: Mike Hughes; vote: 5-0).
- The board entered a purchased service agreement with Star Security Solutions to provide an armed guard for the 2024–25 school year at $25 per hour for eight hours per day (motion: David Sulton; second: Karen Scott; vote: 5-0). The minutes record approval of the contract and hourly rate; no further operational details are provided.
- The board approved the Magnet Cove Athletic Handbook (with corrections) and adopted elementary, middle and high school student handbook policies for 2024–25 (motion: Mike Hughes and others; vote: 5-0).
- Two sets of ASBA model policies were adopted as district policy for 2024–25. The first set includes policies 1.1, 1.2, 1.14, 1.24, 2.1, 6.5, 7.12, 7.5F3, 7.14 and 7.15; the second set includes policies 3.0, 3.17, 3.19, 3.2, 3.26, 3.28, 3.28F, 3.34, 8.0, 8.13, 8.20, 8.22, 8.22F, 8.25, 8.45 and 8.48 (motions carried 5-0).
- The board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Hot Spring County Sheriff’s Department for a School Resource Officer for the 2024–25 school year (motion: David Sulton; second: Mike Hughes; vote: 5-0).
- The board entered an MOU with the Dawson Education Cooperative for professional development and adopted the district Parent, Family and Community Engagement Plan and School Improvement Plans for 2024–25 (motions carried 5-0).
- The Arkansas Legislative Audit Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, was accepted by the board (motion: Samantha Nuckolls; second: Mike Hughes; vote: 5-0).
- Human resources appointments approved included naming Karen Harris as the district’s 504/Title VI/Equity/ESL/Homeless/Migrant Coordinator and implementing a surrogate parent program; Cameron Alexander was appointed Title IX Coordinator; Lori McJunkins as Federal Programs and Curriculum Coordinator; Danny Thomas as Ex-Officio Financial Secretary; and Annette Parker-Brown as district Testing Coordinator (motions carried 5-0).
The board convened two brief executive sessions—one to discuss litigation (6:28–7:14 p.m.) and a second to discuss a site assessment (7:38–8:04 p.m.). The minutes note the sessions and their start/stop times but do not record substantive discussion or outcomes from those sessions.
The superintendent presented a report that the minutes say was heard but do not summarize. The meeting adjourned at 8:14 p.m.
Notes and limitations: The minutes provided are formal meeting minutes; they do not include verbatim quotes or extended discussion. Where motions and vote tallies are recorded, the article attributes the motion text and the named mover/second exactly as shown in the minutes. Details such as operational terms of the SRO agreement beyond hourly rate and hours, or specifics from the executive sessions, were not included in the minutes and are therefore reported as not specified.
