Woodlawn Passes on Option for Land

WOODLAWN - The Woodlawn School Board passed on an opportunity to buy more than 10 acres of land next to the campus, and also approved a resolution allowing Superintendent Dr. Kevin Hancock to move up to $267,000 from the building fund to the general fund to shore up the closing balance for the 202324 school year. Those were among several is-sues addressed by the school board during its regular monthly meeting Monday night.Earlier this year, the board gave Hancock permission to pursue the purchase of land next to the campus to help address the district's ongoing wastewater system issue as well as provide space for future expansion.Hancock said a landowner with 10.75 acres located next to the maintenance and bus barn area was willing to sell the property for $100,000.Board member Larry Reynolds expressed concerns about what he described as a drainage creek that runs through the property. He estimated it would take up about an acre of the land. In addition, he said there were other low spots on the property as well.Aaron Tooke, another board member, estimated that the timber on the property would probably bring in about $10,000 to $15,000.Eventually, the board came to the conclusion that the price, the location of the land on a county road and the situation with the creek would not be suitable for their objectives and therefore passed on the offer.Reynolds told his fellow board members that he preferred the district to look for land either north or south of the campus. The other board members agreed. Building Fund TransferWhile the district is still waiting on some additional funds to arrive that would apply to the 2023-24 school year, Hancock informed the board that he may have to transfer up to $267,000 from the building fund to the general fund to keep the final closing balance above what it closed at the previous year.The Arkansas Department of Education monitors the year-toyear...