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See Page 6 Volume 117 Number 22 - USPS 225-680
Community Events Calendar
Hazen/DeValls Bluff, Prairie County, Arkansas
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
HHS holds graduation ceremony May 21st
Monday June 5 Hazen Chamber of Commerce Meeting 6:30pm - 7:30pm Biscoe City Council Meeting 7:00pm - 8:00pm Biscoe City Hall Tuesday June 6 Games, Crafts, and Bounce House fun Day across the Street From Hazen Library 11:00am - 1:00pm Thursday June 8 Hazen Masonic Lodge Meeting Lodge Hall 7:30 pm
HHS Honor Graduates (L to Right) Mprgan Carroll, Leah Miller, Aimee Lease, Payton Faught, Abby Rounsavall, and Faith Young presented the Looking Back Memories during the ceremony.
DeValls Bluff City Council Meeting 6:00pm - 7:00pm DeValls Bluff City Hall Monday June 12 Hazen Chapter #5 OES Meeting Hazen Lodge Hall 6:15pm Tuesday June 13 Quorum Court Meeting Annex Building DesArc 6:00pm - 7:00pm Thursday June 15 Hazen City Council Meeting City Hall 6:00pm - 7:00pm GFWC Meeting 6:00pm - 7:00pm Murry’s Restaurant Hazen Saturday June 20 Prairie County Master Gardeners Meeting 6:00pm BancorpSouth Hazen Saturday June 27 Prairie County Retired Teachers Trip to Eureka Springs 8:30am Community events brought to you by Hazen Chamber of Commerce and the
Please call F&M Bank, 255-3042 to list events.
Salutatorian Brittney Hubbard presented the salutatory speech.
Valedictorian Allie Burroughs presented the valedictory speech.
The Hazen High School Class of 2017 graduated on Sunday, May 21, at 3:00 p.m. in the HHS gymnasium. The class entered to Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” played by the Hazen High School Concert Band when their names were announced by Superintendent Nanette Belford. The honor graduates entered first, followed by the rest of the graduates in alphabetical order. The program began with a welcome by Superintendent Belford, followed by the recognition of school district retirees Monica Lisko, Beth Rogers, and Nanette Belford. Zakary White gave the invocation. Faith Young, Payton Fought, Abby Rounsavall, Morgan Carroll, Leah Miller, and Aimee Lease read the “Looking Back”. (Continued on Page 3)
Superintendent Belford retires after 3 years Nanette Belford, Superintendent of the Hazen School District, resigned effective June 30, 2017 on during a regular meeting of the Hazen School Board on Monday, May 22. Present at the meeting were Board President David Strohl and members Vickie Skarda, Davey Williams, Freddie Rogers, Richie Ingle, and Sandra Penn. Belford, who has been in education for 29 years, was thanked by the board for her years of service as a teacher, principal, and the district’s superintendent for the past three years. The board members also accepted the resignations of Trilby Shelman, a high school paraprofessional and Delores Tosh, a cafeteria worker. In other personnel matters, the board voted to extend the contract of Debbie Stovesand, the Special Education secretary, by fifteen days (210 total contract days) for this school year. Belford stated that there have been some issues with the special education paperwork because of the number of files. Stovesand will go through the special education files during the summer. The salary schedule for next year’s certified staff was approved. Teacher
salaries will rise by $400 the 3-5 building from ing surveillance system on the base as mandated Sherwin Williams for at the high school camby the Arkansas state $6165.66 to bring the pus for $17,898.34 from legislature to bring A l l e g i a n t the Hazen District Security, Inc. The certified salaries up district will use to the minimum Title VI REAP $31,400 for teachers funds for the purwith bachelor’s chase. Only two degrees and no bids were years of experience. received, and only The base salary for one of those two teachers with masis compatible with ter’s degrees will the Geovision rise to $36,050. The software system Hazen District will that the district still remain at the presently uses. minimum for state The sixteen campublic school eras will cover teacher salaries. the new gym, the All of the school band room, and district classified the outside of the staff members were high school. rehired for the Belford request2017-18 school year. ed that she be Susan Booth was given permission hired as an elemento sell two more tary teacher. Her busses, #3, a 1997 hiring had been Bluebird 66 paspostponed pending senger bus, and Praxis test results. Schoolboard President David Strohl pres- school bus #7, a Three students ents retiring Superintendent Nanette 1995 IHC 65 paswere hired to help Belford with a plaque of recognition dur- senger bus. Both with the custodial ing the 2017 Graduation Ceremony. of the busses are work during the surplus inventory summer – Quintin buildings up to fire code. in need of repairs and Bonds, Ross Harper, and According to Belford, the have been taken out of Luke Prine. The board art room will not be service. Belford will also approved the accept- painted, but will instead advertise the sale in the ance of four elementary have the walls gutted Democrat-Gazette. students through School and replaced with sheet The Special Education Choice. rock. Statement of Intent and In other business the The board also the Title VIB budget for board approved the approved the superinten- 2017-18 school year was superintendent’s recom- dent’s recommendation to approved, as was the promendation to purchase purchase a video posed budget for the fire retardant paint for recorder, cameras, and 2018-2019 school year. the federal building, the other necessary equip- The special education elementary corridor, and ment to expand the exist- budget, according to
Belford, goes entirely to salaries, and budgets are always approved a year ahead of time. The board also approved the district audit report and corrective action plan. The district was only cited for internal control which Belford said most small schools get because more people would have to be hired to alleviate the problem. Paper service for the 2017-18 school year will be purchased from Contract Paper Group based on price and. The bid will go through Wilbur Mills Coop for better pricing. The district will purchase approximately 300 cases of paper for around $5000. The superintendent reported that the district was approved for the repair of roofs for the Neel building and the old gym, but the state ran out of funding before the money to the district was released. She also reported that the cafeteria dishwasher is broken and parts are no longer available for it. Belford suggested that paper products could be used (trays, glasses, and silverware) instead of buying a new dishwasher, which she estimated would cost $15,000. She said that this would eliminate a salary in the cafeteria.