By Terrica Hendrix
News-Leader staff
The Dierks School Board has accepted the resignation of Jonathan Bates as head football coach and hired current head baseball and assistant football coach Jarrod Fannin to fill the position.
Bates resigned on Tuesday, May 15, Superintendent Dr. Holly Cothren confirmed.
“The board hired an in-house employee (Fannin). He was the only applicant,” said Cothern, who added Fannin will remain head baseball coach.
Bates was hired last year during a special meeting held in May 2017 to be the head football coach and head track coach. Bates replaced Vince Perrin, who resigned
after one season with the Outlaws as head coach and athletic director. Bates did not serve as athletic director. High School Principal Jody Cowart was assigned the AD duties soon after Perrin’s resignation.
Bates went 1-9 on the season.
Fannin, who is a 1999 graduate of Dierks High School, was hired as head baseball coach and assistant football coach May 2017 after a four-year hiatus from the Dierks School District. At Dierks, Fannin replaced Stephen Sprick, who replaced Fannin for those four years.
Fannin has also coached at Lafayette County (2004-2008), Ashdown (2008-2010) and De Queen (2013-2017).
Also last week, the board accepted the resignation or Coach Bates’ wife, Candice, as 4th-6th grade special education teacher.
In other news, the board accepted the following resignations:
Deidra Dove as bus driver;
Wendy Parsons as special education teacher;
Lauren Allen as physical education and high school math teacher.
The board voted to hire the following teachers for the 2018-1019 school year:
Michelle Jones as a 6th grade teacher;
Rebecca Stewart or elementary special education;
Katie Winer for elementary special education;
Chelsea Sayer as a high school biology teacher;
Lindsey Stokes as a full time registered nurse.
Alvarene Welch for second grade instruction.
Jeff Tipton as full route bus driver;
Shannon Bailey as full route bus driver.
The board also hired the following employees for summer school at Jo Ann Walters Elementary:
Jeremy Drymon as a bus driver;
Karla Bray as a substitute bus driver;
Katrina Picket for preschool instruction and car driver;
Deborah Reel for kindergarten instruction;
April Kappus for first grade instruction;
The board voted unanimously to hire of the following teachers for ACT school at Dierks High School:
Lena Vancamp for English instruction;
Carol Nuttall for math instruction;
Terri Shelton for reading instruction.
The board also voted unanimously to approve the payment of $3,343.50 to Howard County for voting equipment.
Discussion of other items included:
– The Elementary Star Students of the Month are Lucas Lowrey and Kayla Marquez. May 23. On Thursday, May 24, there will be good-bye celebrations at 2:00 p.m. for departing faculty. Friday, May 25 is the last day of school. Semester tests will be held on May 23 and May 24. Semester Test and Make-Up day will be Friday, May 25. Students of the Month are Eli Sharp and Lexi Oaks. Baseball and softball were class 1A Regional 4 Runner-Up. Thirty students went to the FBLA Mid-Level Spring Conference at Henderson State University. 1st Creed – Jenna Bray, 1st Spelling – Kaden Helms, 2nd Business Graphics – Natalle Adcock, Macy Eckert, Allison Strasner, 4thIntro to Computer Science & Coding – Emily Gordon, 5th Career Exploration; Darci Jones.
* The board and accepted the following students by the Arkansas Public School Choice Act: Alexandra Efird from Cossatot River School District, Jaded Glover, Dakota Glover, Dustin Conatser, Hunter Conatser, Harrison Simmons, and Coulter Simmons from DeQueen School District.
