The Eureka Springs School recently installed security cameras for its campuses that have weapon detection capabilities.

Superintendent Bryan Pruitt shared the news with the school board at its monthly meeting held Monday, Jan. 12.

“So, at each of our main entrances, we have the camera installed and if a kid gets out, like with a guitar case or something, it will alert there could be a gun in there. Anything that could look like a weapon, it will alert us.”

The cost for the cameras was approximately $30,000, the superintendent said.

Other items recently purchased to maintain district safety include more control access panels, stop the bleed kits, and door latches in every classroom that when locked can only be unlocked by the police or fire department, Pruitt said.

Door cylinders that prevent an exterior door from ever being left open were bought as well, Pruitt said.

AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM ENDS

Pruitt confirmed the district’s after-school program for grades K-6 has been canceled.

The program has only recently been attended by 14 families, he said.

“It started back during COVID when we had all those COVID funds, and we originally started the after-school program,” Pruitt said. “We housed it here and we ran it through the Community Center.

“That was easy-peasy, you know? We had money there to burn, it didn’t cost the district anything. So, then up until last year, we still ran it through the Community Center, and it was costing us about $25,000 to do it. Well, so then we had to start charging parents to kind of recoup some of that expense, because the after-school program is only like 2.9 percent of our population. So, we were projected to lose [money].

“We just couldn’t keep sustaining that.”

NEW COPIERS

The district will save approximately $15,000 by opting to purchase 12 copy machines instead of leasing them as has been done in the past.

“We got a new copier contract and what we did this time, it wasn’t a lease, we decided to purchase because we could save about $15,000 through the five years of the lease of the copiers.

The contract calls for the company to handle all the maintenance. If the district had leased, it would have been responsible to send them back anywhere in the country for refurbishment, Pruitt said.

The printers cost the district approximately $57,000, the superintendent confirmed.

In an update on the facilities master plan, a new FEMA building is next in line if funds are available, Pruitt said.

A new maintenance barn is also on the plan list, as is converting the old cafeteria into needed office space.

“We’re going to put offices in there and have some places to have teacher offices, and then also some little workrooms for remediation and small group discussions things like that,” Pruitt said.

Projects recently completed included a stairway by the track.