SMACKOVER — Smackover-Norphlet School District Superintendent Dave Wilcox announced that the Norphlet field house will be renovated during a meeting Monday night.
“Over the Christmas break, we had a water line break in the field house at Norphlet … The flooring is being ripped out and lockers are being moved around. Insurance is covering this,” Wilcox said.
The only cost the district may incur is upgrading the floor from vinyl composite flooring (VCT) and carpet to epoxy flooring. During his facilities report, Wilcox said he’s waiting for a quote from Metro Disaster Specialists, a Little Rock-based company that previously remodeled the Norphlet campus.
“We’ll be getting new flooring and new interior paint. We painted the exterior of that building last year,” the superintendent said. “Really, the only decision to make is picking out a color and doing epoxy on the floor or going back to a VCT.”
During a meeting last month, the board approved Wilcox’s recommendation to purchase new softball bleachers. The $30,000 project would include two sets of custom-cut bleachers, dirt work, assembly and concrete, according to a previous News-Times report.
The softball project is “scheduled to begin this week,” Wilcox said.
District curriculum director Jennifer Lee said high school students enrolled in a total of 273 concurrent credit courses through on-campus means, South Arkansas Community College and Virtual Arkansas. By the next school year, she said she hopes to track where students can obtain a certificate of proficiency in mechatronics from SouthArk.
After a lengthy evaluation, Smackover-Norphlet School Board members approved a one-year extension of Wilcox’s employment contract. The board also voted to renew of the district’s school board and educators legal liability policy, approve several employment contracts and resignations; and change its meeting day to the second Tuesday of every month starting in March.
Board members also denied a student transfer request to El Dorado after a closed hearing.
The Smackover-Norphlet School Board’s next meeting is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26 in the central office boardroom.
Brittany Williams may be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook @BWilliamsEDNT for updates on Union County school news.