New camera system planned for all campuses

The Okmulgee School Board held a brief regular meeting, starting with the approval of all items on the consent agenda and the minutes from their Dec. 12 and 19 meetings.

The board approved two rental requests for March: a March Madness tournament at Brock Gymnasium from March 21-23 and an Easter church service at Harmon Stadium on March 31. Additionally, upcoming fundraising events for both the Band Boosters and FCCLA received approval.

During Superintendent Renee Dove’s report, she introduced Kyle Flint, Research and Development Manager at Green Energy Solutions. Flint discussed their program for installing natural gas kits on school buses.

“There are some state incentives out there that deal with tax credits that allow the school to use this program at no cost,” Flint said.

Flint noted the program could reduce diesel fuel usage by 30%. Gasoline buses will run entirely on natural gas, switching to gasoline once that tank is depleted. He highlighted the cost-saving and fuel-efficiency benefits of the program.

John Reed, Director of Transportation for Okmulgee Public Schools, mentioned that about 17 buses would be enrolled in the program, which the board then approved.

Superintendent Dove also announced plans to use grant funding to install new camera systems across all campuses. She mentioned that similar funding had been used to upgrade cameras at the primary school, with the high school slated as the next phase.

The board later approved an out-of-state trip for the high school band, selected as an Oklahoma representative for the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., in 2025. The trip was initially announced last month by Director Carl Stringer.

Rhea Wilson was hired as the girl’s wrestling coach.