Board Approves Principal Contracts, Calendar for Next Year When the Watonga School Board met Feb. 13, one of the topics on the agenda was the building principals. The district was lucky this year in that each of the three principals was choosing to remain on the job for 2023-24. The board approved contracts for Ashley Riley as the principal at Watonga Elementary School, Ty Hussey as the principal at the middle school and Todd Overstreet as the principal at Watonga High School.
The board also accepted the resignation of Audra Houston-Pratt, a staff member at the elementary school.
The new gym and other facilities are under construction, as evidenced by the mountain of dirt to the east of the parking lot. The board agreed to encumber – basically set aside to be paid - $300,000 for architectural services to Renaissance Architecture, $100,000 to Joe D. Hall, the general contractor for the gym, and $5,700 for ground penetrating radar near the endzone facility construction area. Those funds came from the school’s general fund.
A purchase order was approved from the building fund for $100,000 to Joe D. Hall and an additional purchase order for $86,614 was approved from the child nutrition fund to Hall for the serving line equipment for the elementary cafeteria construction.
The January monthly income to the school district from various funds broke out with gross production taxes kicking in $391,599, up some $15,700 from the same month of 2022. Year to date gross production, a tax placed on natural resources harvested in the county, was at $3,004,231.
The state school land revenue stream showed a January income of $13,700, down $1,002 from January a year prior and a year to date income of $60,616. Rural electric revenue for January was at $19,031 with a year to date figure of $154,821. Motor vehicle taxes provided $168,613 in January, while the county 4mill collections were $83,664. These figures do not include collections on the recently passed bond issue.
A purchase order was approved from the building fund for $100,000 to Joe D. Hall and an additional purchase order for $86,614 was approved from the child nutrition fund to Hall for the serving line equipment for the elementary cafeteria construction.
The January monthly income to the school district from various funds broke out with gross production taxes kicking in $391,599, up some $15,700 from the same month of 2022. Year to date gross production, a tax placed on natural resources harvested in the county, was at $3,004,231.
The state school land revenue stream showed a January income of $13,700, down $1,002 from January a year prior and a year to date income of $60,616. Rural electric revenue for January was at $19,031 with a year to date figure of $154,821. Motor vehicle taxes provided $168,613 in January, while the county 4mill collections were $83,664. These figures do not include collections on the recently passed bond issue.
The school calendar for 2023-24 was approved as well. It shows Aug. 10 as the first day of school for the year, with no on Sept. 4 and 22. Other days out of school include Oct. 6, fall break Oct. 13-16, Thanksgiving break Nov. 20-24, and Christmas break Dec. 18Jan.2.
Into the new year, there is no school on Jan. 5 for the King holiday, Feb. 19 for President’s day, no school on March 15 and spring break March 18-22. Easter break is March 29 and there is no school on April 12 or 26. There is no school on May 3 and 10, and the school year ends May 16, 2024.