When the Watonga School Board met on May 1 in special session, the agenda was short and to the point.
First, the board agreed to reward its returning certified teachers and support staff with a $1,000 retention stipend. That amount will be included in the checks that are issued on June 20.
The board then convened an executive session and returned to announce that Dustin Beasly was recommended as an assistant football and track coach. Beasly was most recently employed as a coach at Antlers.
Superintendent Kyle Hilterbran confirmed the impending departure of Matt Walters, the head football coach who many residents had expected to turn the struggling program around. Hilterbran was not discouraged about the short tenure of Walters, and said the search for a replacement was already underway.
Another search had yielded gold in the form of Amber Wilson, who has been hired as the principal for Watonga Elementary School, taking the place of Ashley Riley, who is going to Newcastle.
Wilson has more than 30 years of experience as an educator, serving at Jones and in several other districts, as well as having been the superintendent at Riverside.
“I’m super excited,” Wilson said. She said she loved the way the elementary school was headed and wanted to build on the momentum.
“I want to keep all those good things going,” she said.