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Gravette board approves multiple hires, accepts several resignations ahead of 2026–27 school year
Summary
The Gravette School District board approved a slate of hires across transportation, special education, classroom, and support roles and accepted several resignations at its July meeting, citing staffing needs for the 2026–27 school year.
The Gravette School District board approved a series of hires and accepted multiple resignations as it finalized staffing for the 2026–27 school year.
During the business portion of the meeting, a board member moved repeatedly to hire candidates for bus routes, paraprofessional and special-education posts, classroom teachers and extracurricular staff. Committee member (Speaker 3) said, "I move to hire Gordon Fisher in both drivers starting the 2627 school year," a motion that was seconded and approved. Similar motions approved Jerry Sizemore and Daryl Keane as bus drivers and Michael Cox as a bus driver conditioned on meeting state and district transportation eligibility requirements. The board also approved hires including Connie Hudson as GHS cashier/cook, Johnny Beauhannon as a part-time assistant football coach effective 08/03/2026, Joshua Whiting as a GUE self-contained paraprofessional, and teachers and aides across sites including Amy Bland (Glen Duffy Elementary kindergarten teacher, salary $66,085) and Donna Boyd (special education teacher, salary listed in motion).
The board accepted resignations from Kelly Dollarhide (GHS special education teacher, effective 07/19/2026), Rachel Johnson (Linda Fee Elementary building aide, effective 07/20/2026), and Ladonna Ragland (Title I reading/dyslexia teacher, effective 07/28/2026). Each personnel motion was moved by the same board member and recorded as approved after the board voice vote of 'Aye.'
Why this matters: finalizing hires and accepting resignations before the school year starts ensures district operations and special education services are staffed. Several hires were explicitly conditioned on meeting licensing or district transportation eligibility requirements, signaling compliance steps remain before employment becomes effective.
The board did not record roll-call vote tallies in the transcript; motions were approved by voice vote. The board scheduled a district day and noted that two certified positions remain open and may require a special meeting to finalize before the first day of school.
