Action topics dominate school board meeting

By Pennie Embry, Staff Writer

STIGLER, June 11 — Renewing contracts and memberships, paying business expenses and planning ahead for the next school year were all on the agenda of Monday night’s school board meeting.

After introducing new high school football coach Chris Risenhoover to board members, Superintendent Bill Smith presented a long list of action topics related to the business of running the school district.

On that list was insurance, and the board discussed and approved workers compensation insurance and property/liability/transportation insurance for the district for the 2009-10 school year. According to Self, workers compensation insurance costs would increase from $38,000 for the 2008-09 school year to approximately $48,000. Self said the increase in premiums was a direct result of more than $10,000 in workers compensation claims over the past year. Property/liability/transportation insurance premiums would increase nearly $5,000 from last year to a new total of approximately $57,000. Self said some of this increase was based on new properties purchased around the grade school.

The board also approved renewing the district’s membership for the 2009-10 school year in the Oklahoma State School Board Association, the Organization of Rural Oklahoma Schools Association, the Oklahoma Technology Administrators Association, the Oklahoma Association Serving Impacted Schools and the National Council for Impacted Schools.

The board also voted to allow three out-of-state trips for Stigler students this summer and fall.

Betty Burnes will take a school bus to the national FCCLA Cluster meeting in Louisville, Nov. 19-22; Clark Long will take a charter bus to the national FFA convention in Indianapolis, Oct. 20-24, and Tony Gilmore will take a school bus to a high school football camp in Joplin, June 17-20. All trips and travel costs will be covered by the organizations and will not result in any cost to the school district said Self.

In other business:

• The board discussed and approved continuing to contract with Haskell County Healthcare Systems for physical therapy services and with Janet Hulbert for occupational therapy services for special education students for the 2009-10 school year.
• The board voted to renew a contract with Dogs Against Drugs for drug monitoring services for the 2009-10 school year.
• The board approved the purchase of a 27 hp Grasshopper lawnmower from Stigler Milling. The cost of the mower will be $8,231.25.
• The board voted to surplus a mobile home on E/2 of Lot 6, Block 16, Wells’ Amended Plat, Haskell County, a.k.a. 503 N.E. A St., Stigler.

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