CHERRY VALLEY — The Cross County School District presented its Annual Report to the Public during its October meeting on Monday.
Cross County Superintendent Dr. Nathan Morris said information was provided about test scores. He said elementary students improved on proficiency by almost 10 points in all three tested categories. The high school showed an increase in literacy but slight decreases in the other two tested areas.
Morris said that because the school did not have significant growth, the letter grade dropped from a B to a C with the elementary remaining a B. He said the district would be focusing more on growth.
Morris noted that 100 percent of members of the graduating Class of 2026 who started on task in ninth grade graduated on time. He said the state average is around 89 percent.
Also in his report, Morris noted the district’s enrollment grew from 677 students on Oct. 1, 2025, to 705 students on Oct. 1 this year. He also discussed this week’s junior volleyball scrimmage and the land swap at the Cherry Valley Sports Complex with the city of Cherry Valley.
Board members also received an update on the construction at the elementary school and the high school. Morris said crews are pushing to be ready for the repairs to the high school gym floor the week of Nov. 16. If that happens, the gym should be ready for practice around Thanksgiving. If not, that would be pushed into early December.
High school players have been utilizing other schools to practice, including MacArthur Junior High School in Jonesboro, because the elementary court is not regulation. The district will be playing basketball on the road during the month of December with more home games during the months of January and February.
“It’s hard to complain about what happened to us on July 7 when we know what happened in this county a couple years ago,” Morris said.
In other news, the Cross County School Board:
- Approved a high-impact tutoring grant of about $29,000. The district will be using Kid’s First for high school math tutoring starting in January.
- Approved hourly tutoring pay for employees. The district will be offering after-school tutoring several days a week at both Cross County Elementary and High School. Transportation will not be provided for students who stay at school for tutoring.
- Approved Shane Bell as the district’s delegate for the 2026 Arkansas School Boards Association Conference and Ashley Armstrong as the legislative liaison.
- Recognized Josie McClanahan, Braxton Lloyd, Dixie Willis, and Landen Godush as the Sonic Students of the Month, and Dana Hill, Shayna Tucker, Andrew Burns, and Brittney Fisher as the Jordan’s Staff Members of the Month.
- Approved the consent agenda (Minutes of the Sept. 21 meeting, monthly financials, annual equity compliance report, September check register).
- Agreed to hire Tyler Collins as a 1:1 aide at the elementary school. Lisa Williams was also recognized as the district’s new director of dining services. Williams, who previously worked in Wynne, is an employee of Chartwells.
