The Smackover-Norphlet School Board held a regular meeting Monday evening and discussed the district’s yearly budget and a multi-part HVAC project.
Business manager Lori Willis offered the board an overview of the yearly budget.
“It’s a really unique year, and it has worked out really well. Mainly because of not being in school for three months last year, we didn’t have as many expenditures and had more carryover, especially in federal funds. We’re actually starting the year better than we normally do,” Willis said.
Willis went on to explain that revenue is higher, although expenditures are also higher due to raised salaries and teacher retirement, as well as COVID-19 supplies.
“We are looking at ending the year $354,233.63 better than what we started, based on this budget. Of course there are variables… but I tried to take into account that possibility when making this budget. It’s the best budget we’ve had in quite a long time, but it’s probably a one-time-thing,” Willis said.
Superintendent Jason Black next delved into upcoming building fund projects and how they appear on the budget. He focused in part on upcoming HVAC projects and how they factor into the building fund and overall budget.
“We tend to lose teachers if we can’t get the A/C on down here in south Arkansas, so the A/C work we’re doing is going to chip into a lot of the budget. [Willis] and I have talked a lot about that situation. We have a good, healthy building fund right now… But we have some needs coming up on the horizon,” Black said.
The school board went on to pass the 2020-21 budget.
Black next led the Board directly into discussion of some of those HVAC projects.
“I’ve given a spreadsheet that outlines the projected costs and partnership contributions for each project for a total district amount of $456,338. This includes the tech building at Norphlet, the auditorium at Norphlet, the north and south wings and the Norphlet Pre-K. The Pre-K is a standalone project that will not be funded through partnership,” Black said.
Black recommended the board approve the HVAC projects at those locations. The school board unanimously voted to approve them.
Finally, the Board discussed assisting the City of Smackover with a lighting project at the Smackover High School baseball field. The field is located at the school but owned by the city, and the city recently moved to begin the bidding process for replacing the lights, poles and lighting structures at the field.
Smackover Mayor Bobby Neal was present at the meeting to discuss the project.
Improvements would include upgrades to LED lighting and replacement of wooden poles with metal ones.
“I know Mayor Neal has already visited with the city council and [they] are willing to make a generous contribution to a facility we use a lot more than the city does. We’re excited about the opportunity to hopefully partner with him,” Black said, before informing the Board that the city is looking to move forward to bids.
Neal said that an electrician had offered the city and district an estimate of $175-200,000 for the project, and that bids would begin October 2.
“We were hoping the district could make a contribution. The money is already in the building fund budget; we already pulled it out for the possibility of that happening,” Black said.
Black advised the Board to revisit the topic after the bid process resulting in more concrete cost estimates.
The next SNSD meeting is currently scheduled for Monday, October 19.