Cost to Riverview School District to hire family advocate from White County 100 Families to be $8,000-$12,000

“Their salary rate is $38,000 to $42,000,” Stratton said concerning a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families grant from the state. “We would really like to get somebody and keep them and not being a position that turns over a lot, which they do see in their positions and everything, so we would like to set the salary schedule at a base of $50,000 and then use our classified step increase of 15 cents an hour,” Stratton said. “I think it’s a position that’s really needed in our district and can really help.”

He said he has talked to Assistant Superintendent Susan Blockburger about this family advocate position taking over the Bright Futures program as well as being a homeless liaison.

When the board approved the Bright Futures community-based program in 2023, Stratton’s wife, Julie, was appointed as the volunteer coordinator.

Bright Futures believes in every child’s basic needs being met in order for them to learn effectively, Stratton said then. It believes, he said, “diversity should be celebrated; education is critical to success; and ... that every child deserves a shot at success,” and that every community has the resources to meet the needs of every child and that these resources must be brought together.

He said last Thursday he kind of looks at this hiring opportunity like when the district hired a career coach from the Arkansas State University system. “That’s been a very beneficial position for our district where we only pay half the salary and through a grant they pay the other half. I think this position would be very similar to us, for us, and we are going to pay even less for this.”

Board President Jeremy Ramsey asked where the other $42,000 was coming from for the position, and Stratton confirmed that up to that amount is from the grant. He said the family advocate will be the district’s employee, though, and would probably answer to Blockburger.

In another action, the board approved the purchase of BenQ Boards for English, math and science classrooms at the junior high and high school for $47,920 from Piraino Consulting in Conway.”

“So $41,000 would come from Title I (these funds need to be used up by the end of the year) and then the other $6,920 would come from ESA [Enhanced Student Achievement] funds, which also need to be used up,” Blockburger said.

Ramsey asked Blockburger what a BenQ Board is. She replied, “It’s the replacement of what used to be originally call the Smart Board. It looks like a giant TV but it’s a computer, so students can go up and write on it, work problems, move things. It’s a very interactive unit.

“It is the projector. You don’t need to have an LED projector anymore to show something on the screen. Your computer Bluetooths to it.”

She said all of the district’s Smart Boards are outdated and cannot be updated. “They’re being used as screens for the most part. Most of them actually don’t work as they’re supposed to because they are that old.”

She said the district would be purchasing 20 BenQ Boards. Stratton said the plan is to do these this year and hopefully have the money next year to do the other classrooms. He said the cost includes installation of the boards.