Superintendent Ron Wyrick addressed the board about a proposed bond election for a middle school. Wyrick said they discussed election dates, and calling for an Aug. 22 election may be on next month's school board agenda.
Wyrick said they plan to have information available about the cost of the project at the next meeting.
If the bond passes and a new middle school is built, Wyrick said the school wants to have a proposal in place for what will be done with the old school. One option is leveling it and going along with the Old Sallisaw High School Association for a new park.
"We want to assure people we're not going to leave an empty building like we did in the past," Wyrick said.
The school's last attempt two years ago at passing a bond proposal for a new middle school failed when Sallisaw voters struck down a $7,855,000 bond proposal in May 2004 to construct a new middle school on the high school campus.
According to the official certificate of votes from the Sequoyah County Election Board, of the 1,314 Sallisaw residents who cast their votes, 652 were in favor of the proposition and 662 were against it. For school bonds to pass, at least 60 percent of the votes cast must be in favor of the bond.
In other business, the board hired various school personnel, including Cherese Riggs as a special education teacher; Tresha Hughes as a nurse assistant at the middle school; Renee Claborn as a high school English teacher; Perry Wheeler and Heather Weedon as teacher assistants; support personnel for the 2006-7 school year; and 21 teachers and teacher assistants for a summer reading academy.
Wyrick said the board also approved encumbrances, the treasurer's report, activity fund reports, and temporary appropriations for the 2006-7 school year. He said the temporary appropriations allow the school to spend money after July, before the Sequoyah County Excise Board approves the final budget.
The board authorized Wyrick to negotiate a contract, pending board approval, for an exclusive beverage agreement for the school, and approved a fundraiser request by the high school's Business Professionals of America and the yearbook staff to make DVDs and sell them to the senior class. Wyrick said the DVD is of the senior's last school year.
The board approved moving professional day from Aug. 8 to Aug. 7, the professional development plan, comprehensive local education plan, and revision of the gifted plan, and the update of various school board policies. Wyrick said no major changes were among the updated policies.
The board approved a summer reading academy for Eastside and Liberty Elementary School students, as well as an extra-duty contract for high school cheerleaders sponsors Fran and Nelson Bewley.
