This report from DDNS reporter Brayden Morse.

JONESBORO—The Jonesboro Public School Board president, Chris Harrell, received a 12-year service plaque at Tuesday’s meeting. He will be stepping down next year.

Superintendent Dr. Kim Wilbanks shared her thoughts on Harrell’s time on the board and expressed her gratitude for him.

“I could say a lot of sappy things, but I’ll skip those. Mr. Harrell has been a loyal board member. He has led through many different opportunities that he had, and it’s been my pleasure to work beside Mr. Harrell. We greatly appreciate your service to the Jonesboro Public Schools,” Wilbanks said.

Brock Ferguson of Zone 5 will replace Harrell as president in the upcoming school year. Harrell explained the importance of the school board and how it brings the community together.

“The church is the hope of the world and I think second place goes to the school. I think the work that the school does is vitally important and life-changing. It’s been a real honor and privilege to work with these folks (school board). I’m excited for Brock, he’s going to do a great job. We do our best and don’t always get it right, because we’re human. These folks labor over decisions for the sake of the district,” Harrell said.

Later in the agenda, the district’s enrollment numbers and financial construction numbers on newly built buildings were released.

The district enrolled 6,451 students in 2024-25, which was 31 less than last year. The 13 school campuses include 816 employees, with 530 of them being licensed and 206 being classified.

“You can see that we’re slightly down from the previous year. We’re seeing pretty good growth, and since COVID, our numbers are similar to those seen in other districts. We still have not totally rebounded from those years when students were virtual and choosing other education options. We’re currently very full in the 7th through 12th grade with large classes in each of those grades,” Wilbanks said.

Later in the meeting, three students were denied legal transfers due to large enrollment throughout their desired grades. Also, none of the student’s parents showed up for representation at the meeting.

Disbursing officer Tim Stewart said the board should deny all three students, with the rest of the school board agreeing.