Woodlawn Hires Principal; Gives Raise

WOODLAWN - The Woodlawn School Board accepted the resignation of Elementary Principal Barbara Varnell and approved the hiring of Heather Cox to be her replacement during its regular monthly meeting Monday night. Meanwhile, after some discussion, the board also voted to give all classified staff (office workers, maintenance staff, etc.) a 5 percent pay raise in the wake of the pay raises that certified staff (teachers) will receive through the new LEARNS plan that begins with the start of the 2023-24 school year. Varnell has served as principal for Woodlawn Elementary for the past two years, arriving he same year as Superintendent Dr. Kevin Hancock. She was not present for Monday night's board meeting nor was she in attendance for the April board meeting. The school board voted during its March meeting to renew Varnell's contract. Her resignation is effective at the end of her current contract, which is June 30. Cox will officially begin as elementary principal on July 1. When asked about the resignation, Hancock said he wished Varnell the best in her future endeavors. Cox is currently FLEX administrator for Arkansas Virtual Academy, which is a full-time online public school for kindergarten through 12th grades. According to the Arkansas Virtual Academy website, the flex program that Cox oversees is a vetting program/school that looks for indicators that a student may possess through different scenarios that shows need for flexible scheduling. Hancock said Cox has been involved in a variety of roles in public education. He said she and her husband, Tyler Coach, a football coach at Monticello, live at Monticello. Classified Pay Raise After discussing Hancocks's proposal for a 3 percent pay raise for all classified staff, the board eventually decided to increase that amount to 5 percent. The motion to implement the pay raises was unanimously approved. Under the...