Schools across Arkansas are now receiving extra money from the state to increase campus security. The Eureka Springs School Board anticipated the funding, and the bids already solicited by the school district will allow the board to get a jump on other schools that will all be seeking bids soon from a limited number of contractors.
“Those companies are going to be bombarded,” Supt. Bryan Pruitt said. The contract approved Monday night will provide electronic door controls throughout the campus, and the work should be completed before the next school year starts in August.
Pruitt said he had hoped to receive more than the $114,000 allocated by the state, but acknowledged that some other schools received less. The district had received a bid of $250,000, and operating funds will make up the difference.
The district has many buildings spread across the campus, and students often have to move between buildings. The new system will allow doors to remain locked, unless a student activates the card reader. Some other doors will have cameras, with someone monitoring the location to hit a buzzer.
Pruitt explained that the contract does not provide new doors, but the doors currently in place will receive new wiring and hardware. The system will alert principals and the school resource officer immediately if a door is left ajar. The controls will also allow a complete lock-down with the push of a button. “School security and safety for our students is a big thing for us,” Pruitt said.
The board also heard a presentation about the EAST Lab program. Madeline Ann Walden and Christian Thao, both students in fifth grade, led the board through an explanation of some of the types of projects pursued in the classes. Those projects include 3D printing, computer programming, a geography game, and logo design and animation. The presentation also touched upon the quiz bowl team, as well as students advancing in chess or with a Rubik’s Cube.
All three schools have an EAST Lab class, and each of the three schools will send students to a convention in Hot Springs in mid-March. The board was enthusiastic in their praise for the way the young students handled their presentation.
In other business:
- The board approved a proposed budget for the 2024-25 school year, prepared with the assistance of the district’s financial advisor.
- Jayme Wildeman will be up for election to Position One At Large. Pruitt noted that the district had recently created voting zones for board members, but a law introduced in the current legislative session may call for two-year terms, and a maximum of eight years’ service on a school board. The proposed law would also require school board candidates to file with party affiliation.
- The board approved routine policy updates recommended by the Arkansas School Boards Association. Pruitt said the updates will ensure that handbooks and policies within the district meet with current legal standards.
- The board approved its annual renewal of the school choice policy for the 2023-24 school year. Those wishing to exercise their choice must file by May 1.