PW School Board approves retirements, hears update on internet service

The Palestine-Wheatley School Board this week heard updates on student achievements and updates to the district’s internet network. Board members also accepted the resignation of Robert Sibley as high school art teacher and approved the retirements of Debbie Loewer and Tammy Roberts from the superintendent's office. Board members also approved the hiring of Cassidy Nash as a new high school volleyball coach and high school teacher, Dow Lee as a bus driver, Heather Lemons as child nutrition director, Dena Busby as a cafeteria worker, Tobey Nichols as a high school counselor and Lily Camper as the high school band director. The meeting was the first held since the board election in May, requiring the board to elect officers for the next year. The group decided to keep the board positions the same with Micah Jo Hilsdon, Hannah Baskins and William Colvin continuing to serve as president, vice president and secretary, respectively. The board also approved a motion to establish four-year terms for board members. That vote was necessary after the Legislature this year passed Act 503 moving school elections to every other year instead of every year. The law allows boards to set the terms at four or six years. Board member Adam Kennedy was absent. Palestine-Wheatley High School Principal Dustin Dearman told the board that four students are currently attending Girls State and one is attending Boys State. "Girls State is being held at Harding University,” said Dearman. “Eva Davis, Taylor Douglas, Mia Leake and Jakaylen Sparkman are attending. Eva Davis was elected as her city’s clerk and treasurer. It is a political simulation, so to speak. They learn the political system and run for local, state and national offices. We will learn this week who was elected to state offices or the Senate and the House. "On the boys side, Anthony Pendleton is representing the district at Boys State at UCA in Conway," continued Dearman. "You can follow them on Facebook at Arkansas Girls State and Arkansas Boys State. Photos and updates are posted regularly." PW Elementary School Principal Tiffany Caldwell told board members that during ATLAS testing at the end of the school year, prizes were given each day to boost student attendance. "We had ATLAS testing two weeks before school let out and we did a kind of hype week this time where we gave prizes for each day," said Caldwell. "Students could earn tickets for each day they were present, on time, for good behavior in the classroom and working really hard on their test. We drew so many names for big prizes each day." Caldwell said a dance party was held and bicycles were given away. She added the campus plans to do the same thing during the next school year. "We had a big dance party in the gym on the last day," said Caldwell. "We also gave away two bicycles that were donated by Triple G Excavating. Our turnout for students being present and fewer makeups was really successful. Our kids worked really so very hard. It was a very good help to motivate our kids to do these things." According to PW Superintendent Ryan Halbert, school officials have been working to find a fix for the internet issues that have plagued the district. "We have been working, when I say we, I mean mostly Brandon (Williams), but I have been working alongside Brandon all year trying to figure out the issues that we have with our internet," said Halbert. "I think last July we looked at going with an alternative internet provider for backup. When we got connected to the state they asked for some other ideas." Halbert explained that after the district was visited by some state Senators and Representatives, he learned the state is willing to fund the change to a new internet network. "We bounced some things around and we have now gotten approval from the state to switch over to a different line, and according to our conversation the other day, they are going to cover that switch," said Halbert. "I have Brandon here to kind of give a recap of the technical side and he can answer any questions you may have." According to Williams, school districts were supposed to be connected in a loop to keep each school connected to the internet even when another school’s network goes down. "Basically what they found the flaw to be was the network from the Co-op was supposed to be a circle," said Williams. "All of the schools are supposed to be stationed along it. If another school’s internet goes down, your school should still have service coming from the other directions so nobody else on that network would also go down." Williams told board members that the new connection will be the line connecting to Forrest City and West Memphis rather than Brinkley and Clarendon. "When that network was laid out, they laid it out in legs instead," said Williams. "We are at the very end of a leg that has Clarendon and Brinkley. If any of these schools have trouble and go down, everyone behind them goes down. That takes us down. Currently, they are saying that they can move us onto the leg that follows the interstate. We would just be with West Memphis and Forrest City, sharing that line. They said that in the last three years, they have only had two outages on that line. "It would be a stability issue for sure," continued Williams. "Speed issues should be about the same. It won't really affect that, but it will add a great deal of stability." Williams stated the state has been having issues diagnosing problems with the current network line and that the district has been at "their mercy." "It is taking a long time, but now we can get the state department, the Co-op and the internet service to all identify that we do have a problem," said Williams. "They cannot determine what the problem is and that is coming from state network engineers. That is the top of it. They are having problems diagnosing it. We are just at their mercy until they can figure it out.

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