With a growing vocational training program, the Eureka Springs School Board voted Monday night to make an offer on a property adjacent to the present location of the C4 vocational training facility on the east side of Berryville.
Supt. Bryan Pruitt explained that the program is currently housed in the old National Guard armory. The property next door was once home to Carroll County Chrysler, and it is available for an estimated $700,000. The building contains 14,500 square feet, and it has been appraised at $915,000. Pruitt said C4 board members have voted in favor of the acquisition, and each of the county’s three school districts would share the cost of purchasing and retrofitting the building.
The new facility would provide room for programs in air-handling, auto body, or some medical fields. The current student population of 96 could grow by 50 or more in the next two years. Pruitt also noted that the school only pays $400 per year per student for the program. All board members approved the purchase, which will be divided among the county’s three schools.
In other business:
Shelby Chappell, art teacher for grades K-8, reported on a “super-exciting” opportunity for the school. A grant from Alice Walton for $30,000 will fund the creation of a community art project. Chappell said a steering committee will receive professional development training in connection with the project. In addition to the art education, the project will also focus on sharing better strategies for teachers.
The project will focus on middle-school students, who will work collaboratively with the community to create something substantial. Chappell said the program will have benefits even after the completion of the initial two-year grant.
- Elementary Principal Clare Haozous said efforts are under way to screen students for math and literacy. “This will help identify students who are not on target for grade-level instruction,” she said. The screenings should be completed by the end of September. Elementary students have performed in the past at the Ozark Folk Festival, but this year’s Festival came early, and the students did not have time to prepare. Instead, the Hedgehoppers will perform Sept. 19 at the high school auditorium. They will also perform at Pioneer Days in Berryville on Sept. 20.
- Pruitt said the school did not have a high-impact tutoring grant renewed. The district received $167,000 last year.
- High school Principal Jacob Hayward said 43 seniors traveled to Northark College in Harrison to learn more about the college application process. They met with representatives of more than 20 colleges. He said 14 students currently attend C4 morning sessions, with eight of those students taking welding training. An additional four students attend nursing classes in the afternoon.
- Students have mostly complied with the school’s policy on cell phones, and there have been few confiscations.
- During budget discussions, Pruitt said school buses have been difficult to locate since Covid. The district bought a bus last year, but it will not arrive until November. The budget discussion also included the costs of curricula for the middle and elementary schools. The elementary cafeteria will need extensive remodeling.
- Energy costs throughout the district remain high, and the board discussed acquiring a capacitor bank to help reduce peak loads, especially at the high school.