National Eclipse Ballooning Project discussed

The Okmulgee Public School board of education passed a bond resolution on Tuesday paving the way for a general election on the matter in the coming months.

The total amount of the bond is $17.75 million to be paid over 12 years and seeks to address a number of structural repairs discussed in the previous meeting. Those improvements include: • A new Okmulgee Primary School multipurpose building with a storm shelter

• New roof at the primary school

• Improvements at Harmon Football Stadium (new bleachers, resurface track, replace turf)

• Improvements at Dunbar (repair parking lot, renovate special needs classroom, replace tennis courts and install lighting)

• Improvements at the high school (roof repair, window replacement, site grading) Teacher Anthony Snow and a few students from the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project told the board about their trip to Albuquerque, N.M., where they participated in the national eclipse ballooning project.

“Montana State University wrote the big grant from NASA and then distributed it out to about 120 teams around the nation. We are the only high school team, so we got paired up with OSU.” Snow said.

Some students expounded on their experience witnessing the beauty of the natural environment, the eclipse, withstanding below-freezing temperatures at nightfall, and waking up intermittently to enter data and launch the balloons.

Mr. Snow also said that they were interviewed by NASA and were highlighted on their page as well as the OSU weather research page. While in Albuquerque, they also visited the house featured in the hit TV show Breaking Bad. They plan to do the project again in April, during the full eclipse.

Then, Lynda Barksdale of the Okmulgee Education Foundation (OEF) talked about the PAWS mentorship program announced earlier this year.

“I’m here trying to recruit people to be mentors,” Barksdale said, stressing the importance of the program’s ability to provide additional academic learning and a good role model for Okmulgee students.

The after-school program currently only requires mentors to give one hour out of one day each week to help the child they are partnered with. A promotional video that she shared with the board emphasized how mentors can also benefit from the program.

Barksdale said they have placed several cards at surrounding banks and businesses in town with information about the program and a QR code for a preliminary survey.

Also at the meeting, all items on the consent agenda were approved, including the monthly encumbrances and expenditures for the General, Building, and Child Nutrition funds.

Board member Leroy Parker asked why there’s a negative amount on the general fund cash basis. Superintendent Rene Dove responded that the general fund for December “always runs into the red”, even in the years prior. She also said that they are awaiting federal funds.

“It’s just the federal requirements that are new and different. And they’re slower because there’s not as many of them there.” Dove said. “We claimed money for July to November that they have held on us which was $307,000.” She also said that they paid $115,000 over in taxes for September.

Board member Vickie Jones asked what that means for upcoming expenditures and Superintendent Dove assured her that all payments have been made.

“All payments have been made, our payroll is coming Friday, and we will make payroll this Friday and there will be about $350,000 left in the bank, not including from the claims that we make for December … By the end of this month, everything should be in and claimed and we’ll be on task and ready to go.”

Later in the meeting, Primary School employee Candi Padfield spoke at length to the board about her experience working with the special needs students in her classroom. Padfield, who started the year at Dunbar, was asked to move to the Primary in September and told the board how both she and the students have grown since.

Joanna Lobaugh then gave a presentation on the results of an FY22 Special Education compliance audit, conducted by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

OHS Band Director Carl Stringer also announced that the band was selected as an Oklahoma representative for the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C. in 2025.