The Okmulgee School Board of Education held its regular meeting Tuesday, addressing the recent fire at the primary school, planned stadium renovations and the hiring of coaches for the next academic year.
— Weekend Fire
Superintendent Luvona Copeland provided an update on a fire that damaged a portable building near the primary school, filling the main building with smoke and prompting the district to cancel classes Monday and Tuesday. A restoration company was called in to scrub the air, with equipment scheduled for removal by early Wednesday morning.
“We hated to call school off, but we could not have people with lung issues in the building,” Copeland said.
— Kimbley Resigns, Board Opens Vacancy Following the resignation of board member Heather Kimbley, the board established a two-week period to accept applications for the vacant seat.
— Stadium Renovations Move Forward
The board spent a significant portion of the meeting hearing presentations from Jay T. Boyton of BWA Architects and Phil Wells of Key Construction regarding renovations to the high school football stadium, particularly seating capacity and structural changes.
The board considered two options:
• Option A: Award demolition, grass surfacing, and track surfacing.
• Option B: Award demolition, grass surfacing, and track surfacing, while also including allowances for concrete bleachers with aluminum planks and seats.
Seating numbers were also a topic of discussion. The initial design included 2,000 seats, but recent attendance data showed the highest turnout for a football game, including tailgaters, was 1,100. With this in mind, the board considered reducing seating to 1,500 while preserving the ability to expand in the future.
The board unanimously approved Option B, moving forward with the concrete model and authorizing construction to begin immediately to meet the completion deadline.
— Board Approves Additional Liability Coverage To protect against potential legal claims, the board voted to add $4 million in excess liability coverage for the remainder of the school year. The measure was prompted by an increase in lawsuits against school districts, particularly cases that have been moved from state to federal court.
— Sale of Emerson Building Approved
The board voted to accept a $40,000 offer for the sale of the Emerson Building, removing the longheld surplus property from the district’s inventory.
— Coaches Approved
Following a committee-led hiring process, the board approved Dolphin Davis as the new head varsity football coach. Davis, who most recently worked in Kansas, will serve as a temporary support staff member while awaiting certification transfer to Oklahoma.
“My priority is getting these students to the next level – not just in football, but in life. I’m excited for the opportunity and ready for the challenge,” Davis said.
The board also approved Arrel Swanagan as a temporary assistant softball coach for the upcoming season. Copeland noted that the addition was necessary to ensure female representation on the coaching staff, which is required for certain aspects of the program.
— Other Approvals:
• The board conditionally approved a request to use the Dunbar cafeteria for a private event, contingent on the applicant securing liability insurance.
• Several fundraising events were approved, including Dunbar Intermediate’s Valentine’s grams and a coin drive benefiting the Oklahoma Sharks Special Olympics team.
• The board accepted the resignations of school nurse Jennifer Hammon and custodian Patrick Turnbull.
• Contracts with Optimum and Suddenlink were approved.
• Four students were granted early graduation.
• Near the meeting’s end, the board rescheduled a due process hearing for employee Clifton Harris. The hearing is scheduled for March 10 at 4:30 p.m.
