The Governor’s Office is in charge of making the decision to close schools. The Mena School District has been told we are presently still at a low risk and will remain open. Any further closings will come through the Governor’s Office. We are following all precautionary steps. Thank you.
March is Music In Our Schools Month!
Polk County Voters went to the polls today & Mena Public School patrons had the opportunity to cast their vote on two school board races. In complete by unofficial results it appears the incumbents will retain their positions.
Position 1
Brandyn Gortemiller 1082
Todd Aynes 1919
Position 2
Robby Hines 1604
Calvin Cummings 1401
Follow the link to School Choice Forms! Please complete both forms - page 1 and page 2.
https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/…/School_Choice_Form_202…
Assistant Superintendent Paulette Sherrer presented the Mena School Board with a proposed school calendar for the next two years that had the approval of 92% of the staff. The board Unanimously approved that calendar for 20/21 and 21/22.
The Mena School Board conducted their February meeting Tuesday night at the administration building.
Superintendent Benny Weston began the meeting by thanking the board for allowing him to attend the AASA National Conference in San Diego CA recently. Weston represented the state as the Arkansas Superintendent of the Year & described it as a once in a lifetime experience.
Assistant Superintendent Paulette Sherrer them presented the board with a proposed school calendar for the next two years that had the approval of 92% of the staff. The board Unanimously approved that calendar for 20/21 and 21/22.
Maintenance Supervisor, Danny Minton, addressed the board on facilities. Repairs continue on various systems that were damaged by a lightning strike at the baseball field. Including the removal of the damaged light pole. Delivery of Other material for the baseball facility has been postponed due to wet weather. Also the recent heavy rains have exposed a few leaks at Louise Durham Elementary & they are being dealt with.
At this point in the meeting there was discussion about limiting the number of foreign exchange students. No action was taken & it was decided that it would be left to the administrations discretion.
The board accepted the resignation of Molly Lindsey & Freda Moore. They also unanimously approved extending all administrative contracts before adjourning.
Mena Superintendent Benny Weston is representing Arkansas in San Diego at the National AASA Conference.
The Mena School Board held their January meeting on Tuesday Night at the Administration Building .
The board went into executive session immediately to discuss the renewal of Benny Weston's contract as Superintendent. When the executive session ended the board voted unanimously to add an additional year to Weston's contract.
Danny Minton addressed the board on the HVAC Scheduled Maintenance Agreement. The board renewed the agreement for Mena High School, including the addition of the safe room systems, at a cost of $14,850.00. The board also approved the addition of an agreement for Louise Durham Elementary at a cost of $4,292.00.
Minton also gave an update on the district facilities which included information on damage caused by a recent lightning strike. The strike took place on a light pole at the baseball field & not only caused damage there but also to phones, cameras, HVAC & more. A complete damage assessment is underway & may continue for some time before all damage is discovered.
Attention then turned to the Mid Year Review in which Weston was pleased to report that the district had exhausted 47% of the budget for the year.
Weston then updated each member of the board on the requirements of Act 589 the School Board Member Training Report in which all board members had met or exceeded the required number of hours.
The Board moved on to the financial report which was approved.
The Annual School Board Liability Insurance & General Liability Coverage premium was briefly discussed before the being approved at a cost of $8783.00.
Finally there were a pair of personnel issues. The board accepted the resignation of Hope Cannon who is a para pro at MMS & also they also approved the move of bus driver Gwen Andrews from a "C" to a "B" route.
School Board Appreciation Month!
Mena’s Benny Weston was recently recognized as Superintendent of the year and gave his acceptance speech and charge to the audience at the recent AAEA 2020 Superintendent Symposium. Closing the event was Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson who spoke to the state superintendents.
School Board Appreciation Month!
January is School Board Appreciation Month!
We are proud to acknowledge the efforts of the men and women who shape the direction of the Mena Public Schools.
The Mena School Board conducted their December meeting at the Administration Building Tuesday Night.
Superintendent Benny Weston's report consisted of information on the recent Thanksgiving & Christmas meals served at each cafeteria. Almost 1200 meals were served to parents this year.
The board next accepted a bid on workmans compensation insurance insurance from the Arkansas School Board Association. The annual premium is $24,442.00.
Approval was also given to the 2020 Master Plan, Student transfers, the annual stipend list & the financial report.
One personnel item was addressed at the conclusion of the meeting. The board accepted the resignation of Piet Fieldman.
If your student wants to be a Bearcat you should know that the enrollment window for the second semester is now open. Forms can be picked up from the district you are currently attending. When you have completed those forms bring them to the Mena Public School Administration Building located at 501 Hickory in Mena. Forms should be filled out & turned in before noon on Tuesday, December 17th. If approved by the school board the student will begin classes on Monday, January 6th 2020. For more information call 479-394-1710.
GO BEARCATS!
NOVEMBER SCHOOL BOARD MEETING!
The Mena School Board met for the regular November meeting on Tuesday evening.
The board began by approving the minutes from the September & October meeting.
They quickly moved to passing a disclosure statement for board member Kyle Cannon who is also an employee of the Union Bank of Mena.
A proposal was made to change the district employees vision plan. Mena Insurance currently holds the contract through Superior Vision. The new plan offered by Mena Insurance would be through Blue Cross & Blue Shield at a lower cost to employees & an increase in benefits. The change was passed by the board & will go into effect February 1, 2020.
Next was the approval of the financial reports for September & October.
Resignations were accepted by the board including Carol Sproles, Michaela VanPelt, David Goodner, & Howard Elliot.
The board approved an addendum to the contract of Cheryl Goodner, additional hours to Keri Duer, and a transfer of duties for Alicia Moody.
Superintendent Benny Weston presented a plan to restructure current Mena School District custodial employees & outsource the needed evening janitorial shifts. The board approved accepting a bid from SG360 for only the evening janotorial shifts at Louise Durham Elementary & Holly Harshman Elementary.
The Mena School Board held their October meeting Tuesday evening at the district administration building. The lack of a quorum prevented the board from voting on items on the agenda & those were postponed until the November meeting.
Mr. Benny Weston began the meeting with the superintendent's report. He mentioned that several district leaders, including himself, recently had a meeting with the state regarding minimum wage & new teacher pay requirements. The district now has specific guidelines to follow & Weston felt positive the district is in good shape regarding those changes.
Weston also stated that the district has met with two phone companies & has a third scheduled to discuss a new phone system on each campus.
Investigation also continues into the viability of a solar energy system & two solar companies have weighed in so far.
The bulk of the meeting was taken up by the ESSA Report which was recently released by the Arkansas Department of Education. The Principal from each campus gave a report on their score & where they thought improvements could be made.
Mr. Danny Minton gave an update on projects. The district recently completed an environmental safety & also the 3 year asbestos inspection. The district passed both & met state regulations. The floors at Jim Rackley & the Union Bank Center are scheduled to be resurfaced before the end of October. Construction on a visitors side press box at Bearcat Stadium should begin in two weeks. Menton gave an update on repair to a damaged section of the floor in the high school safe room & a quote of $7995.00 has been received on the addition of more handrails at the Union Bank Center.
Finally the board was told of the resignation of Carol Sproles from the MMS Staff.
Parents: Your input is important to us!
Please take the time to complete the survey at the link provided.
High Reliability School Survey https://bit.ly/2pqsfyn
The High Reliability Survey results will help our district formulate goals.
The survey window opened Tuesday, October 8th and will close Friday, October 25th.
Please give us your input.
Your students will also be giving the opportunity to give us their input through a student survey.
Arkansas Rural Education Association is spotlighting the Mena School District! With an enrollment of 1737 students, Mena is in the DeQueen-Mena Coop area in Polk County and employs 229 people. Mena is proud to announce that Mr. Benny Weston, Superintendent of Mena School District, was recently presented with the 2020 Arkansas Superintendent of the Year Award. The district offers educational options to meet the needs of the individual learner. Their students may choose a traditional education or an alternative learning pathway offered to students through their K-12 Alternative Education classrooms, Mena High School HUB option, or K-12 Polk County Virtual Academy (PCVA). They will support the personal growth of each student by providing integrated opportunities for students to develop effective personal, social, and technology skills. Many opportunities are offered for students to extend learning beyond academics through participation in school organizations/clubs, fine arts, and athletics. The mission is to Engage Community, Inspire Students, and Prepare Graduates. Find more at www.menaschools.org or visit their Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/MenaPublicSchools/.
The quarterly meeting of the Mena Public Schools Health and Wellness Committee will take place on Tuesday, September 24th, 3:30 pm. The meeting will be held in the Mena Middle School Library
The Mena School Board conducted their annual Report to the Public meeting on Tuesday night. The evening began with a Facilities Meeting which included a one hour update on facilities, improvements & the five year plan. In total the district buildings include 430,000 square feet with a replacement cost of 71 million dollars. Improvements over the past year were reviewed as well as those on the horizon & additions to the five year plan.
That was followed by the annual Report the the Public Meeting. Mr. Benny Weston began on the district financial status. The end of year balance was $4,185,544.06 which is set aside for emergencies & potential shortfalls. Weston went on to state that the district currently employs 229 people & that 67% of the districts students qualify for free or reduced meals.
Paulette Sherrer spoke briefly on curriculum & testing. She shared a graph with those in attendance which show the students in the district are meeting or exceeding the national average.
Louise Durham Principal Jimma Holder says that enrollment in kindergarten has increased to 170 students & that the number of students testing proficient & exceeding have increased.
Principal Tamara Smart from Holly Harshman Elementary noted a gain in ACT Aspire scores in each grade.
Mena Middle School Principal Cliff Sherrer reported a total of 400 students over the three grades. He is excited about the upcoming student council elections as MMS has not had a student council for a number of years. Sherrer also added that many improvements have been added to the science curriculum.
526 students are currently enrolled at Mena High School & Principal David Maxwell told the board that is an increase of 32 students. In addition he reported that students performed well above the state average on the Aspire testing & that he is planning to improve those scores even more. Maxwell also ran down a long list of concurrent courses which have been added at Mena High School.
It was at this point in the meeting that a number of VIP's interrupted the meeting to award Superintendent Benny Weston with an award as the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators. (see photos & details on our social media & website)
Mrs. Bridget Buckley, MHS Assistant Principal & PCVA Director, reported an enrollment of twenty nine in the Polk County Virtual Academy & a positive response to a change in curriculum.
Finally Mrs. Paulette Sherrer announced an increase in federal funding & an increase of fifteen students to the schools gifted & talented program.
After a short break the September School Board meeting was conducted. It was a very brief meeting that included an executive session. Afterwards the board approved a one time bonus of $1,000.00 for Mr. Weston in recognition of his well-deserved accomplishment of Arkansas 2020 Superintendent of the Year. The School Board meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at the Administration Building.
