Burlington BOE makes handbook changes

The Burlington Board of Education met at 8 a.m., Wednesday, July 7.

The meeting was called to order with Terry Graham, Robert Hill, April Kisling, T.J. Rockenbach and Aaron Smith present.

Also present were Superintendent Kevin Brown, Principal Gerrett Spears, Minutes’ Clerk Tracy Granados and Girls’ Basketball Coach Shawn Hooker.

Spears gave his principal’s report first:

• He had been busy meeting with teachers and staff and administration had recently completed the class scheduled for the school year. 

• The school day will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 3:10 p.m.

• The school website is in the progress of being updated and should be referred to for current information regarding the upcoming school year. 

• The 2021-2022 School Handbook has been updated and can be located on a bar on the website. 

• The school will be holding an Enrollment Night/Open House from 6-8 p.m.,  Monday, August 9. All students will enroll that evening. 

• Students have been busy this summer.  Basketball camps have finished, with both coaches reporting positive progress, while FFA students recently attended Alumni Camp. 

• A reminder was made that the information about sports physicals, which are once again being offered free by appointment at Kiowa Clinic on July 14, July 21, July 28 or July 30 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is at the school and on the website.

Spears discussed the changes to the handbook. Changes included availability to insurance was expanded to include students in the 3-year-old program. Additionally, there were updates and/or changes to policies regarding visitor passes, textbooks and supplies provided by the school, administration of medication, corporal punishment, students who drive to school, the activity schedule, school assemblies, eligibility verification processes, off campus lunch, cell phones and the hat/hoodie policy.  The details of these changes can be found in the 2021-2022 school handbook on the school website.

The handbook was approved with a change to the hat policy to include hoodies not to be worn up and the addition of vaping to the drug policy.

The consent agenda was approved next as follows:

• Agenda as part of the minutes.

• Minutes of the June 17 meeting.

• Interlocal governmental agreement.

• Budget revisions.

• The following sub accounts, the purposes for what they may be expended and any fundraisers that are proposed at this time in the Activity fund for 2021/2022: Project: 801 Academic Team, 802 Athletics, 803 Band, 804 History Day, 805 Class of 21, 806 class of 20, 807 Clearing Account, 808 Concession, 809 Elementary Teachers, 810 Faculty Flower, 811 FFA, 812 Miscellaneous, 813 Cheerleaders, 814 Petty Cash, 815 Student Council, 816 Yearbook, 817 School Lunch, 818 Accelerated Reader, 819 Laptops, 820 FCA; 821 Robotics; 822 Student Needs; 823 Orient Conference; and 824 Daycare.

• Use of signature facsimile stamps for the board of education officers.

• A resolution authorizing the Treasurer (Steve Blasingame with Angel, Johnston & Blasingame, P.C.)  to invest cash on hand that cannot be used at this time for the purpose for which it was intended and to invest these funds in certificates of deposit or make other investments as authorized by the Oklahoma State Law and to make such investments at the highest rate of interest available and to reinvest from time to time as funds are available. This resolution also authorizes and directs the Treasurer to deposit interest derived from such investments from monies from the General, Building and Bond Funds to be deposited into the Building Fund Account and interest from monies from the Child Nutrition Fund be deposited into the Child Nutrition Fund.

• Activities calendar and fund raisers for 2021-2022.

• The continuance of Section 125 flexible benefits plan with American Fidelity.

• The school days to hours policy allowed by HB 1864.

• Quote with Edgenuity for $6,500 for the school’s online curriculum for the 2021-2022.

• Purchase of teacher lesson plan software from planbook for 2021/2022.

Also approved were the encumbrances, change orders, warrants and June activity fund report.

At 9:45 a.m. the board convened into executive session to discuss the employment of an administrative assistant/activity fund custodian/deputy treasurer and to discuss the ongoing evaluation of the superintendent.

They returned to open session and hired Brook Keast as administrative assistant/activity fund custodian/deputy treasurer.

Superintendent Brown discussed the changes to responsible party for athletic director, concession ordering and FCA. In addition, stipends were added for counselor and girls’ golf coach.

The board approved Brown, Granados, Keast, Spears, Joe Granados, Jennifer Heatherman and Rhonda Pinkston as receiving agents.

Yeast was approved as the activity fund custodian and Tracy was the backup.

Brown and Spears were approved as second signatures with Keast and Tracy for the school activity fund expenditures.

Tracy was approved as board minutes clerk, encumbrance clerk and lunch fund custodian with Keast as backup.

Next, Keast was approved as deputy treasurer.

Brown gave his report:

• Book orders for the 2021-2022 have been completed or are in progress.

• The Administration is continuing to look at additional extra-curricular options for students. 

• A reminder was made that school starts on August 11.

• The OSSBA Conference is August 26-29.  All Board members, Principal Gerrett Spears and himself are registered to attend the conference. 

Under new business, the board approved changing the school calendar to reflect day off for county teacher’s meeting from August 20 to August 27.

The board then signed 12 month contracts.

The meeting adjourned at 10:43 a.m.