The Geary School Board had an optimistic report when it met in regular session March 3. The elementary school principal, Joy Osborne told the board members that at the beginning of the school year when students took a test to set baseline skills in reading, 64% of elementary students were reading below grade level.
When the mid-year assessment was taken the results showed 28% were reading below grade level, a jump of 36%. “This shows we are meeting the needs of the struggling students while we continue to push those students who aren’t struggling,” she said. Osborne also noted the schools were working on building community relationships and partnerships. Those include Little League baseball and wrestling, Easter Egg hunts, and getting the kids into the city library. Other events included the fire department touchthe- truck and Veteran’s Day pen pals.
Other outlets have been used as well. “Social media has been a part of us being visible,” Osborne said. “We are using it to build that relationship with the community and let them know they are always welcome.”
The board itself was struggling with membership, as it accepted the resignation of board members Waylan Upchego and Cecil Harrall. Upchego is seeking a seat on the Geary City Council and Harrall was recently embroiled in an ugly incident between a family member and another city employee.
Seat 5, that previously held by Harrall was the more difficult of the two as Upchego’s seat is up for grabs in the April 4 election. The board determined it would accept applications for Seat 5 until March 24 and from those applicants select a board member. Because more than half the tenure of the seat has expired, state statute allows the appointment of a new member.
There was some less serious housekeeping matters to handle also. The school district had been operating with a single, low limit credit card. That made it difficult if multiple teams or staff members had to be in different places at the same time.
The determination was made to accept three new cards, each with its own limit, allowing cards to be used for rooms and travel expenses. While the cards are different, the procedure for using a card issued to the to the school district remains the same, according to Superintendent Sean Buchanan.
The district has also been searching for a way to invest its monies to command a higher yield. The local banks were offering low interest rates on deposits from public organizations like the school district. However, BancFirst had offered more attractive rates on a socalled treasury account. It is not a certificate of deposit, so there are no penalties on withdrawals or transfers.
The board agreed to changing banks, and also to change the wire transfer limit at its current bank, bumping it up to $3 million.