Berryville board OKs purchase of school supplies

The tradition of free school supplies for students in the Berryville School District continues for another year.

The school board approved all federal budgets at its July regular meeting — which includes the district purchasing basic school supplies for all students.

“Hopefully that will help relieve some of the financial burdens on our families,” Berryville Superintendent Owen Powell said. “With that federal funding we buy all of our students basically all the school supplies. The only thing that parents would have to buy or need would be like a backpack or something like that if they choose to have one of those.

“We’ve been doing this for a long time. I mean, ever since I’ve been superintendent, which that’s been 10 years, so at least that long.”

In other action during the July board meeting, an expense of more than $10,000 was approved for different repairs of buses over the summer, Powell said.

The board also approved lunch price changes. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade will see a 5-cent increase to $2.80 per lunch and students in grades 6 through 12 will see a 10-cent increase to $3.10 per lunch.

Student handbooks for the 2025-2026 school year were OK’d by the board, including the new “Bell to Bell no Cell” state law banning all electronic devices during the school day.

“That is a new law, but we were already doing that, so it really didn’t change anything for us as far as the handbook goes,” Powell said.

No other changes were made to the handbook, Powell said.

The board approved curriculum renewals and a speech language therapy purchase contract, insurance renewals and Arkansas School Board Association policy updates.

A new approval for the board was the addition of new Hudl Accounts for the district’s athletic department.

According to its website, Hudl is a platform used by schools to manage and analyze athletic programs, including video analysis.

“Our coaches in each sport have Hudl, and that’s basically how coaches share videos with each other,” Powell said. “We tapped into a new part of that program where we will be able to livestream any of our games that we want to livestream.”

The program will also help with ticket sales during events, the superintendent said.

“We’ll be able to start using debit cards and credit cards to get into games, really any activities we have, but mainly athletic activities,” Powell said. “Hardly anybody carries cash anymore … so this should really help.”

Powell said summer construction projects were going well in anticipation of teachers returning to campus on Monday, Aug. 4, a week before the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 11.

“I don’t know where summer has gone, but it’s gone,” Powell said. “… You close your eyes and it just flashes by.”

Personnel approvals by the board included the hiring of Marjie Dean as a middle school teacher; Joshua Cox as an ALE elementary teacher; Jessica Salazar, Julia Quiquivix, Tameka Jackson, Kaitlyn Shumaker, Jean Olberding, Ladenna Evans and Rebecca Usrey Cain as special education paraprofessionals; Comallita Blackston and Ana Gonzalez as cafeteria workers; George Boatright as a bus driver; Mike Sharp as a volunteer substitute bus driver; Garri Sue Samac and Jannea Howze as substitute bus drivers; and Jonathan Maxey as a summer work crew member.

Also approved was the resignation of nurse Ravyn Whitson, and stipends for Ciera Woodruff, assistant cheer coach, and Timothy Ingram, head coach for seventh grade football.