Story by DDNS Reporter Mia Young

JONESBORO, Ark. – Jonesboro Public Schools launched a new counselor website and approved additional compensation for teachers who teach more than 150 students per day and more during its monthly school board meeting on March 10.

Mandy Zipful, district school improvement specialist, presented the new counselor website, highlighting the new and improved course catalog for Jonesboro High School. The JPS School Counselors’ website provides a hub for connecting students with counselors, finding mental health resources, booking appointments, accessing grades and graduation requirements, and viewing a detailed course catalog. While the site is live, the district is working to connect the site to each school’s tab.

“This is a great tool for the students and parents,” Zipful said. “We’re super proud of this work.”

Zipful highlighted the new “Academics at Jonesboro High” course catalog, noting that the old version was just a Word document, while the new one lists every course offered and includes a detailed description. The new catalog also makes it easier to find graduation requirements, concurrent credit courses at both Arkansas State University and Black River Technical College, Success-Ready Pathways, and more.

“What would it look like to be more supported socially and emotionally?” Superintendent Misty Doyle asked students. Students said to be able to better get in touch with their counselor. 

The website helps students easily book appointments with their counselor in 30-minute increments. Students can schedule an appointment by going to the JPS School Counselors website, clicking “Academics at JHS,” clicking the “Counselor Appointment” tab, selecting the counselor they wish to meet with and choosing a time that works best for them. Doyle even gave an example of how a student had an appointment scheduled for 9 a.m. and was surprised to actually be called out of class on time.

During the superintendent’s report, Doyle asked Von McDaniel, director of student health services to give an update on mental health.

“As of today, we’ve had 167 student contacts for this school year. Some of them we spend a lot of time with, and some of those we don’t,” McDaniel said.

Counselors meet with and contact students for a variety of behavioral and mental health concerns. Students can meet with counselors as many or as few times as needed. While some students have the resources needed to head in the right direction, others don’t and the district recognizes that.

The board passed the motion to approve additional compensation for teachers teaching more than 150 students per day for the first semester in the 2025-26 school year. The JPS finance office recommended six teachers, including two from JHS, two from Douglas MacArthur Junior High School and two from Annie Camp Junior High School, for the supplemental teacher contract pay.

“A teacher is not required to teach more than the maximum number of students permitted per day under the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts, but a teacher may agree to teach more than the maximum number of students permitted per day,” according to Arkansas Code § 6-17-812 (2024).

The district will pay the teachers an additional amount in addition to their regular salary, proportionate to the additional number of students they taught.

The board also passed the motion to approve the purchase of a new $153,054 77-passenger school bus.

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