The Watonga School Board, meeting in regular session Monday, heard multiple updates about the school sites and projects as well as planning for the upcoming school year that begins Aug. 10.
For example, the elementary is working on teacher training with Solution Tree, and all but two educators have begun the program. The master schedule is being completed and there are 21 students taking summer classes.
The construction on the elementary cafeteria is moving fast, with brickwork going up this week. As soon as the new cafeteria is complete, the old space will be transformed into a STEM lab. The equipment has already arrived and is waiting in the wings for installation.
The elementary is working with the City of Watonga on a school supply donation and back to school bash. The city has been approached by multiple donors who wish to provide the supplies and as of now, the students will do their own ‘shopping’ and select their own supplies from the donated bounty. There is no date for the bash as of yet, but it should be announced in the coming weeks.
The middle school students are busy with athletic camps and many of the attendees are traveling in the district’s new-tothem people mover. This is a bus configuration with less than 14 passengers, similar to a church or care facility bus. With fewer than 14 passengers, there is no CDL requirement for the driver.
Board president Aaron Clewell asked middle school principal and selfavowed ‘transportation guy’ Ty Hussy whether the district could benefit from the addition of a second such vehicle. The current people mover was purchased used and there is a waiting period for a new one.
The consensus between Hussy and Superintendent Kyle Hilterbran was yes, it would be of benefit and the district will consider it when the discussion on replacement vehicles rolls around next month. Postponing the decision any further would mean the new bus wouldn’t be ready for the beginning of the semester in August.
The board accepted resignations from Byron Cole, Skylar Watson and Joan Hoile. Hoile, however, has agreed to return to the classroom on a limited basis, providing halfday math intervention for third through fifth grade students.
The members also received notice that the sale of bonds for the ongoing construction will take place at 6:30 p.m. July 10. This is when the bids for the bonds will be opened, although the bids are due at 11 a.m. that same day. The bid is usually awarded to the entity that offers the best interest rate on the instruments, not unlike selecting the best interest rate on a car loan. Some $2.09 million in bonds are being sold.
In other financial updates, the gross production tax figures for the year had just come in. Gross production is a fee levied on natural resources when they are harvested within a school district or county.
The total gained by Watonga schools from GPT in the 2022-23 fiscal year was $4,525,486.33. The lowest monthly income was $227,180.59 in May 2023 and the highest was $494,065.81 in September 2022.
This is the highest annual income to Watonga schools from GPT since 2018-19, which was slightly higher at $4,553,021.31.