The Watonga Public Schools Board of Education voted Monday to accept the hiring of several elementary school teachers for next school year.
The brief meeting, held in the Middle School Meeting Room, came as the 2020-2021 school year winds to a close and the district prepares for high school graduation on Saturday.
After a closed-door executive session, board members returned to approve the hiring of Paula Helm, Sierra Harney and Brandi Mendell as elementary school teachers for 2021-2022.
Current elementary teachers Jamie Holsapple and Renee Ross have resigned their positions, the board’s agenda said, along with media specialist Lacie Gorman, middle school teacher/coach Shawn Gorman, and JT Maynard.
Current Superintendent Mark Batt, who is departing for Berryhill Public Schools and will be succeeded this summer by Kyle Hilterbran, reported healthy district finances during his remarks.
“We’ve got financial things starting to move in the right direction here,” Batt said, running through the district’s accounts and collections. “All in all, finances are in pretty fine shape. And I think with gross production bouncing back as quickly as it did, and as high as it did, it looks like things are going to continue to trend like that.”