The Watonga Public Schools Board of Education met briefly on Wednesday, May 26, to hire a new elementary school principal and approve stipend payments for employees.
Ashley Stewart will be the new principal of Watonga Elementary School. She replaces Lori Graham in the position.
Stewart is the third new administrator the school has hired this spring, joining Superintendent Kyle Hilterbran and high school principal Todd Overstreet.
Stewart, a Watonga native and Watonga Public Schools graduate, told the Republican she is thrilled to begin her administrative career back here in her hometown.
“It’s coming home, for me,” Stewart said. “I know the community, I know the people, and I feel like these kids have been where I’ve been. I’m just very excited about the whole opportunity to be a part of it again.”
Stewart is coming to Watonga from her most recent teaching position in Mustang, where she was a secondary English and career internships teacher. But Stewart said she’s “always” wanted to be “a leader in education” someday.
“I just kind of fell in love with teaching,” she said, “raised my children and taught for 16 years before I started seeking (administrative) positions.”
Stewart said she’s looking forward to working with Hilterbran. “It’s very important for me to work with someone who does have the same vision as myself,” she said, “to see if they would help me grow as a professional.” But after researching Hilterbran, Stewart felt comfortable joining him in Watonga.
“I thought, OK, this is a guy I could work for, or work with,” Stewart said. “I know that we share a vision to bring that to Watonga Public Schools. One of the first things he asked me was, ‘Are you going to live in Watonga?’ And that was just a no-brainer for me. I would be here, and we’d be a part of it. I think that’s the vision we share: Learning is first, and we want to focus in on that.”
Stewart and her husband have four children who have now graduated, but some of Stewart’s grandchildren will be attending Watonga Public Schools, she said.
During the noon meeting, the school board also approved a $500 stipend for district employees. Hilterbran said the end-of-year stipend is negotiated into employee contracts, along with stipends at Christmas and the beginning of the school year.
Joyce Lucas has resigned her seat on the school board, Hilterbran said, and the board declared her position vacant for the time being. Lucas’ successor will be appointed soon to finish her term, Hilterbran said.
The board also hired two teachers – fifth-grade teacher Gena Green and part-time secondary Agriculture instructor Devin Flanders – on a temporary contract for the 2021-2022 school year. It accepted the resignations of middle school math teacher McKenzy Health and Title I teacher Monica Lake, and also hired summer maintenance workers.