The Texarkana, Ark., School District's Board of Directors approved the purchase of two new buses to add to the transportation fleet during their regular meeting Tuesday.
They chose to purchase the buses for $90,070 each from Summit Bus Co. One of the buses will include a crash mitigation system using wingman technology at no additional cost. The district also received a $105,613 bid from Central States Bus Sales and a $107,800 bid from Midwest Bus Sales. The buses will be paid for through student enrollment funds.
Directors also approved the purchase of new playground equipment for Trice Elementary. They accepted a bid from May Recreation Equipment and Design for $23,888.97. The district also received bids from Cunningham Recreation for $428,353.75 and from Davis Playgrounds for $16,991.56. Although the Davis bid was the lowest of the three quotes, the school's faculty, staff and parents agreed the proposal did not appear to be conducive to kindergarten student safety and did not provide the level of suitability for the campus' needs as compared to the other proposals. Funding will come from the Trice Extracurricular Activity Account.
The board also approved a state-required report that lists all district employees who received at least a five percent increase in salary during the 2017-18 fiscal year. The report lists 216 employees who are new hires, have had salary increases due to educational and step increases or who have received promotions.
Directors also approved the annual outline for the gifted and talented program. It addresses 10 standards as outlined by the Arkansas Department of Education Office for Gifted and Talented.
The board also approved Board President Larry Manley to serve as the district's representative at the Annual Arkansas School Boards Association Conference to be held Dec. 5 in Little Rock.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 13.