By Janice McIntyre
City Editor
EL DORADO — Steven Harshaw, who has served as the head Lady Cats basketball coach for the past seven years, has resigned from his position at El Dorado High School. His resignation was accepted following an executive session of the El Dorado School Board Monday night.
Harshaw is leaving to serve as an assistant boys basketball coach at Southwood High School in Shreveport, La.
Destinee Rogers was hired as the new head Lady Cats basketball coach. Rogers was a member of the state 2A championship team at Strong High School for her freshman and sophomore years and then transferred to Camden Fairview, where she was a point guard for the 5A state champions her junior and senior years. She played basketball at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, where she earned a master’s degree. She has had three years of teaching experience.
During the June meeting of the board Monday, members of the board approved a $1 million transfer from the Operating Fund to the Building Fund and approved a sample budget with no change in the millage rate for the 2016-17 and estimated 2017-18 school years, as presented by Shelley Pruitt, treasurer. The millage rate in the El Dorado School District is 33.5 mills.
Members of the board also approved the 2016-17 athletic budget — the same as last year — $138,149, as proposed by Phillip Lansdell, athletic director. He said during the 2015-16 school year, the district served over 812 student athletes and there were 612 athletic events scheduled — including state play-off games in a number of sports.
He said all El Dorado School District teams were in the state playoffs during the last school year — and the girls basketball team — the Lady Cats — were the state champions.
The athletic director said there were no ejections during sporting events this past school year and Lansdell said he has had numerous compliments from administrators of other districts regarding positive sportmanship qualities of El Dorado school athletes, coaches and fans.
Lansdell said gate receipts from sporting events held in the district during the last school year were down from the previous year — by $3,000 to $4,000 — but volleyball was up $800 and track was up $350.
Members of the board approved the proposals from Lansdell to accept the low insurance bid of $11,115 from Health Special Risk, Inc. of Commerce, Texas, for athletic and activities coverage and the bid for school time coverage of $25 and 24-hour coverage of $94, also from Health Special Risk, Inc.
Board members accepted the only bid received for insurance for buildings and contents of $114,026.40 from the Arkansas School Board Association and the bid of $34,719.89 for fleet coverage, also from the Arkansas School Boards Association. Last year, the bid for buildings and contents was $110,919.45 and for fleet coverage, the bid last school year was $34,657.13.
A petition for transfer was granted for a student from the Strong-Huttig School District to El Dorado and changes or additions to the Board and District Policies Handbook and Student Handbook for 2016-17 school year.