Hinton Board Makes Plans for School Year

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The Hinton School Board met March 30 in regular session. The board meeting was held in the high school media center of an otherwise shut down building.

Following the passage of the consent agenda, including minutes of the regular February meeting and a March special meeting, the board also approved encumberances, essentially setting aside money to pay bills either already in hand or anticipated.

The board then went on to discuss change the school calendar reflecting the closure issued by the Oklahoma State Board of Public Instruction and ensuring that the staff is paid appropriately until school resumes.

When the board met in February, it agreed to change the lighting district wide to LED lights and finance the project with Government Capitol Corporation. That institution offered attractive rates and the payment could be met with the savings from the electrical usage. However, the board questioned whether it should instead use Legacy Bank locally, which offered 3.25 % if the school changed to that bank at the end of the fiscal year and even better rate of 2.25 % if it changed to Legacy as soon as possible. In the end, the board decided to exercise the latter option.

In spite of the abrupt ending to the 2019-20 school year, the district was ready to make plans for a bright new 2020-21 year beginning in August.

To that end, the board agreed to adjust Sarah Harp’s contract to show her step up from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree, retroactive to December 2019. It also accepted the resignation of Melinda Brookshire and Sarah Wilson, teachers at the high school and middle school respectively.

The board discussed employment of Jacob Peck, John Wofford and Jylian Pinnell as first year temporary teachers for 2020-21 and reemployment of its certified teachers for the new year, including elementary teachers Nathan Allen, Lauren Crick, Anita Lambert, Kandi Vowell, Kelli Arrington, Candy Entz, Jordan Mahan, Deanna Barger, Sarah Harp, Kari Tucker, Kitra Blair, Jennifer Hohmann and Emberly VanHuss. The returning certified staff at the high school level includes Jim Gather, Laci House, Justin Sam, Justin Goodknight, Sarah House, Kinsey Smith, Garrett Hannah, Zachary House, Brittney Webster, MacKenzie Haverfield and Christa Park.

First year temporary contracts renewed as second year temporary contracts include Kayla Bowers, Alexa Ellis, Misty Hickman, Courtney Peck, Tiffany Christian, Jordan Fuller, Amber Kittle, Grant Potter, Hannah Gathers, Misty Meysing and Johnny Haxton. Marissa Flood and Morgan Hill each were continued as first year temporary teachers, while school administrators Jarrod Hohmann, Kayla Watkins and Karla Sharry each renewed their contracts in February for the 2020-21 school year.