Meeker’s Board of Education hired four new teachers and accepted the resignation requests of three others during its meeting this week.
The board also approved a contract for the transportation of natural gas for the 2022-2023 school year and approved an insurance quote for 2022-2023.
Board members heard from a school patron claiming there is bias in the selection of cheerleaders and she called for the removal of the cheerleader coach.
Stacie Miller addressed the board during public comments, calling the judging system for cheerleader tryouts “biased,” saying Cheerleader Coach Shana Sellers filled only 11 of the 15 slots.
Her daughter was not one of those chosen, she told the board.
She also criticized High School Principal Brad Buxton for not doing something about it.
Buxton said later he had no comment. Sellers was not in attendance at the board meeting.
Board President Ashley Sellers had advised Miller there was a 15-minute time limit on her comments and that the board could not respond.
Following about a 40-minute executive session, the board members approved hiring the following teachers for the 2022-2023 school year. They include Isabella Lotz, high school science, Colby Herring, Middle School, Antony Earley, high school and middle school and Jocie Wilson, elementary.
Resignations were accepted from Susan Hamand, high school and middle school teacher, Susan Miller, middle school teacher and Diane Cudd, high school teacher.
He pointed out to board members, “When I came here as superintendent eight years ago we paid a little over $49,000 for insurance,” showing how it’s increased.
Board members also voted to increase appropriations for child nutrition by $36,000. Pruitt explained, “the auditors underfunded for child nutrition. There is plenty of money there. We just need to increase it.”
In other business, the board:
Agreed to a contract with Misty Blankenship as speech pathologist for the 2022-2023 school year.
Approved a Basic Legal Services Program with the Center for Education Law for the 2022-2023 school year.
In their reports, Buxton said total enrollment at the high school is 216, Middle School Principal Rodney Treat reported 151 students enrolled, and Meeker Education Center and Alternative Ed Principal Virginia Pritchard said 42 are in the summer session that runs through June 30.
Elementary Principal Candice Gatz said over 20 have enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten so far and that most students have enrolled by sending enrollment forms from home in April.