A school district is a major employer in any county and Bradley County is no exception.
At one time, the county had 60 separate districts. Now it is down to two in Hermitage and Warren, and those superintendents described their schools at the monthly meeting of Bradley County Economic Development Corp. board on Monday.
Top photo: Dr. Tracy Tucker, left, and Bryan Cornish, far right, superintendents of the Hermitage and Warren school districts, respectively, spoke at the Bradley County Economic Development Corp. board meeting Monday. Also shown are BCEDC board members Devin McDiarmid and John Gavin. Photo by Tim Kessler.
Dr. Tracy Tucker, Hermitage superintendent, and Bryan Cornish, Warren superintendent, spoke to the board.
Tucker said she was in her ninth year as superintendent. Her husband is the Hamburg High School principal. She was born and raised in the Portland area.
Hermitage School District has a $6 million annual budget with 82 employees and 442 pre-K to 12th-grade students. She said the district lost a lot of students when the district entered the second year of COVID-19 restrictions.
She said three students are working on a new bilingual certification. A summer Out Of School Youths program served 320 migrant workers, teaching them basic math and learning the English language. Career and technical programs have also partnered with SEACBEC.
Tucker said her No. 1 goal was in teacher recruitment and retention.
SEACBEC Director Devin McDiarmid, who is a BCEDC board member, noted most South Arkansas districts were seeing huge decreases in enrollment.
Tucker also said the schools have hired their third FFA sponsor since Joe Don Greenwood retired after leading several teams to state and national championships. “A lot of people have stepped up to the plate and helped with that,” she said.
Cornish said Warren School District has 238 employees and 1,424 students. He said the district had a $760,000 payroll in October.
He said the new elementary school is about a month behind schedule in construction. It will be ready for classes to begin in the 2023-24 school year. The new Lumberjack Arena should be ready for basketball games in January, with 1,895-2,500 seats available, depending on how seating is set up.
Work to repair damage from the Warren High School fire is being done in three stages. The cafeteria should be ready by the end of this year. Classrooms will be ready for the 2023-24 school year and the entire facility should be ready by that time.
Mental health and safety recommendations from the governor’s office have been considered and extra safety precautions have already been put into the new school’s plans.
In a question about the Warren Cultural Center, Cornish said, “Our board has made it known they are not willing to put any money into the Cultural Center at this time.”
McDiarmid said that besides the school district’s offerings, SEACBEC provides college credits and industry certifications. A total 969 certifications were completed last year. Additional computer science classes are planned.
In other action:
- Accountant Bob Milton said BCEDC has total assets of $886,000. It had $500 in lease income from Sorrells Co. in October. BCEDC had a loss so far this year of $5,226.62.
- In regard to the Warren Industrial Park property formerly designated for a regional jail, Chairman Dr. Bob Smalling said T&T Construction had completed repairs to the property and the company was paid.
- Extension Service Staff Chairman John Gavin, a BCEDC board member, said Bradley County Fair exhibits and exhibitors reached pre-COVID levels this year. A total of 400 elementary students toured the fairgrounds. The premium sale netted about $25,000. Youths who won awards at the County Fair went on to compete in the Arkansas Youth Expo, Southeast Arkansas District Fair and Arkansas State Fair.
- Smalling said a request for $20,000 in funding from the city of Warren was submitted to committees.
- Board member John Lipton, who serves on the Southeast Arkansas Regional Intermodal Facilities Authority board, said that board will have some vacancies coming up, including in the Drew County judge, Monticello mayor and Warren mayor positions. He said the organization was in good shape financially and is still working on a major prospect.
- Bradley County Chamber of Commerce board member Tim Kessler reported that the Chamber will sponsor Tent or Treat on Saturday. The annual meeting for the Chamber will be held at the Warren and Saline River Railway Depot sometime in November. The Chamber is participating in Christmas activities on Dec. 10.
Tear down the eye sore cultural center. Cheaper to demo it than upgrade it. I think I read that the renovation would cost 700,000? If that’s the case then the first line of business is to fire the person responsible for fiscal spending and city improvements because that’s absurd.
Totally disagree to tear down the iconic structure that adds much value to our area.
There are numerous grants that would help with restoration. But you need superintendent and school board support. The community would support the leaders if they would step up. But, sadly, they are not supportive or care about improving the cultural integrity of Warren.