In a recent regular board meeting held on Feb. 12, Roland’s Board of Education discussed various crucial matters, including the reorganization of board officers, approval of the school calendar, and personnel decisions.

One of the significant highlights of the meeting was the election of new officers: Jerry Brooks was elected as President, Kevin Flurry as Vice President, Charles A. Howard as Clerk, Ronnie Hemphill as Deputy Clerk, and Utah Everett as Member. Brooks then took the Oath of Office and Loyalty Oath for his position.

The board also addressed the 2024-25 School Calendar, with unanimous approval for counting hours instead of days for calculation purposes. Additionally, the Mentor Teacher Committee for the upcoming academic year was approved.

Following the regular proceedings, the board entered into an executive session to discuss the renewal of principal contracts and personnel matters. No official votes or actions were taken during the closed-door session.

Upon returning to open session at 7:07 p.m., the board announced the renewal of contracts for various school principals and the Dean of Students. Notably, Dara Tyler, Jeffrey Brant, Blake Rainwater, Kelsey Stubbs, and Daniel Richards had their contracts renewed.

Several resignations were also accepted, including those of Kathy Cain, Tim Stegner, and Kathy (Harvell) Quickel.

The board approved dissolving a CD upon maturity held at First National Bank Fort Smith, and the opening of a money market account at Firstar Bank and addressed various changes, including the addition of names to different accounts and approval of new accounts.

Financial matters were discussed and approved, including General Fund Encumbrances, Building Fund Encumbrances, Co-Op Fund Encumbrances, and more.

In new business, the board introduced and approved two policies: the Maternity Leave Policy DEC-R7 and the updated Parents Bill of Rights.

During the Administrator’s Report and Board Comments, Superintendent Lori Wiggins shared the exciting news that Roland Public Schools had earned an Excellence certification from Certified Healthy Oklahoma. The upcoming basketball playoffs, where Roland Public Schools will host the A3 Regional Tournament and the A2 Area Tournament, were also discussed.

This news story is based on the unofficial minutes from the board meeting and could be in error if the minutes are changed prior to adoption.