Allen School Board recently welcomed a new member, and the board also reorganized, appointing members to new positions.

Kelly Hurt was approved as a board member of seat number four Monday at the board’s regular monthly meeting. Hurt replaces Jason Watkins who did not file for reelection.

Hurt, who was sworn-in at the meeting, founded and runs The Land Doctors real estate and construction business. He resides in the Allen area with his wife, Christina, who is head cookie master at Christina’s Cookies and Treats. They have two children who attend Allen Schools.

Hurt, who has a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in environmental science, said he is looking forward to serving on the school board and helping to improve Allen Schools.

“We have some things we need to work on,” Hurt said, “but I truly believe we’ve got people who are ready to work to make some changes to take us back to where we need to be. And I’m excited to see the new gym come up. I want to see us continue to work on our facilities to make sure we have plenty of room for the kids. That we have the books and technology that we need, so they have access to information they need to be able to learn and grow.”

Hurt, who said he is a lifelong learner, and grew up on a farm near a small town in Mississippi, would like for kids at Allen Schools to get the same great basic education that he did, so they can chart their course, and do anything that they want to do.

“With education, you can have absolute freedom,” Hurt said. “And, that is a wonderful thing to have. The great thing about country kids, especially with so many of them who grow up on farms, is they have the work ethic already. They have that work ethic built in. So if you give them the educational tools they need, then, in this day and age, with so many young people not having a work ethic, our kids can actually come out and be in the lead.”

Changing of the

Guard

Longtime president Robert Hammonds stepped down as president and nominated Board vice-president Jeff Maloy to be president.

“I think I’ve been president for four, fi ve or six years now, something like that,” Hammonds said. “Let somebody else run with it for a little while.”

The board unanimously approved Maloy as president.

Board member Jami Rinehart then nominated board member Frayne Black as vice-president, which the board approved unanimously.

Maloy then nominated Rinehart to be board clerk, which the board also unanimously approved.

New Principals

The board also recently approved the hiring of two principals for the high school and elementary school. Amy Mayhue and Chris Grimm were approved at a special meeting March 28. They will start July 1.

Mayhue was hired as the elementary principal. Allen Schools Superintendent Jeff Hiatt said Mayhue is a graduate of Ada and is currently the student services director (assistant principal) at Hayes Elementary School in Ada, where she has been the past three years. She has 15 years of experience, and has taught at Latta and Jenks, and has also been an instructional coach.

Grimm was hired as the high school principal. Hiatt said Grimm is currently the high school principal at Tupelo, where he has been the past two years. Grimm has over 20 years’ experience as a high school math teacher and principal, Hiatt said.

“These are two good people who I believe will work hard for our kids and improve our schools,” Hiatt said.

Other action items

Action item C concerned a resolution for Schools and Libraries Universal Services (E-Rate) for 2019-2020. The resolution authorizes filing of the Form 471 application(s) for funding year 2019-2020, and the payment of the applicant’s share upon approval of funding and receipt of services.

Haiti said money from the resolution, “Basically pays for our wiring, our internet, hubs, routers, wireless. If we didn’t have E-Rate, we can’t afford it. It reduces our rate, what, 80 percent. It allows schools to have high-speed internet.”

The board approved the item.

The last action item concerned a vote to approve or disapprove an FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) out-of-state trip to the National Leadership Conference June 30 thru July 4, 2019, in Anaheim California.

“We had two who won at the Oklahoma convention and (get) to go to nationals,” Hiatt said. “It’s Jamie Denbow and Alexander Williams.

Hiatt said fundraising for the trip will begin as soon as possible.

The board approved the trip.

Administrative

Reports

Administrative reports were delivered by Hiatt and acting elementary school principal, Mary Pat Sappenfi eld.

Hiatt began with updates to bond issues. He said concerning the gym, the wood flooring is in, the chairs arrived Monday and crews would be installing them.

Hiatt said the work is moving fast. “Its’ still on target, it’s on budget,” he said.

Hiatt said with the junior high, the roof was extended to the front and the air conditioning units were reinstalled, but have not yet been activated.

“That’s really like my nervous thing,” Hiatt said. “I’m waiting until they can turn the electric on and fire them things up to make sure they’re all working. So that’s why we’re hanging on to every penny we have.”

Hiatt said work on the elementary school is also moving along fast.

Hiatt mentioned that Christina Hurt recently brought him a check in the amount of $1,984.67.

“That’s going to go for technology, probably Chromebooks,” Hiatt said. “I just want to say, she raised this money, kind of a grassroots effort. We’re going to get that and pair it up with some federal money and get some Chromebooks into our classrooms that don’t have them.”

Sappenfield began by saying many students were conducting state testing and said some of the end-of-the-year trips have begun.

“Our three-year-olds, the Head Start program, and our pre-k class had the opportunity to attend a children’s play sponsored by Southeastern Oklahoma University’s theater department,” Sappenfield said. “And it’s a children’s production, so appropriate for young children, and they had the opportunity to attend that today (Monday).”

Sappenfield said the kids left a little early, went to a park in that area and had a little picnic lunch before attending the play.

“Some other trips of course will be planned here as we come to the end of our school year,” Sappenfield said. “Some will be OERB sponsored, that might include trips to museums or to the zoo. I think I may have heard a little bit of fishing may be planned also.”

Sappenfield said, through the Striving Leaders grant, some of the elementary staff met Monday and, in coordination with the Allen City Library, are organizing a family engagement opportunity.

“We’ll have activities to help promote reading and families with very young children actually up through middle school age, and our goal is to provide access to literature that will be appropriate for families to use with their children. We will start with an activity in our school to help set that off. We’ll be doing that in May and we’ll advertise through social media.

Consent Agenda

The board approved the consent agenda, which included the fiscal year 2018-2019 purchase orders and encumbrances; the general fund, numbers 261 through 270 ($27,714.37); the building Fund, numbers 31 through 32 ($1,300.00); the child nutrition fund, numbers 49 through 52 ($11,560.00); the building bond fund, number fi ve ($14,175.00); the treasurer’s report; the activity fund report; temporary appropriations for the fiscal year 2019-2020 (the general fund - $4,100,000, building fund - $185,000, and the child nutrition fund - $600,000); and the fundraiser request for FCCLA trip.

24 Career teachers were rehired during the meeting.