When the Watonga School Board met in regular session on Monday, there was good news and there was not-so-good news.
The not-so-good news was the resignation of Watonga Elementary School principal Ashley Riley. There was no doubt in Superintendent Kyle Hilterbran’s mind about the impact Riley had made at the school.
“Ashley has done a fantastic job at our school. She came in and righted the ship, increasing test scores and staff morale,” he said. In fact, the improvements at the school have led to an application to have it designated as a PLC, or professional learning community. The middle school earned the designation recently, one of only eight schools in the state. Having two campuses earn the designation would be a feather in the cap of the district.
Also tendering resignations were Kayla Flanders, an agriculture teacher and Chase Mc-Curley, a softball coach.
Forty-six certified staff were rehired for the 2025-26 school year.
The superintendent also presented financial statements for the district.
The revenue to the district thus far in the year has been $7.6 million, with $11 million estimated revenue for the year, which ends June 30.
The gross production tax, a fee paid by oil and gas exploration companies that harvest natural resources came in at $247,931for the most recent monthly total. The district had used $150,000 monthly as an estimate when it was making its budget. The month prior was also well over the estimate at $245,356.
The estimate for the year was about $1.8 million. The actual income thus far is $2,084,388 with two months remaining to be reported.
“We are right where we need to be,” Hilterbran said. “You (the board) have made good decisions financially and we are sitting in a pretty good place.”
Some of that money is being expended as well.
The work on the end zone facility is expected to be finished in the next month and the weight room should receive its equipment on May 18. As soon as the state fire marshal can visit after that, the certificate of occupancy can be issued.
Other work being planned includes turning the old field house into a wrestling room, adding additional lights on the southside access road and hanging murals in the hallways of the gym addition.
The district had thought to demolish the old concession stand, but Hilterbran pointed out that it is a solidly constructed block building with electricity already installed. His suggestion was that a new roof be put on and the building get a paint job. Then, if the building looked good, it could be used for storage of football practice tackling dummies and track hurdles.