Poteau school board swears in Hecht as member
Gary Hecht was sworn into office by Ranada Adams, Board President, at the regular Poteau Board of Education meeting on Monday night. Hecht was elected earlier this month to the vacant seat left by outgoing board member Earl Jobe.
Before the board meeting began, Jobe was presented with a plaque for his five years of service on the school board. He also served the school district for many years as a coach.
The board approved a re-organization of board members. Adams nominated board member Dennis Yochum as Clerk and member Phil McGehee as Vice President. Adams herself was nominated as President. All nominations were approved unanimously.
During the board meeting, awards were given to two support employees of the month to honor them for their hard work. Kim Graham is a Primary office worker, and Marshall Brance is a bus driver.
The board took action on several agenda items. They approved extending the limit for out-of-state years of experience for certified staff from five years to 10 years. This means they will honor up to ten years of experience with higher pay for teachers coming to Poteau from other states.
Scott Kempenich,
Poteau superintendent, said this will help Poteau be more competitive with other school districts and help attract more veteran teachers.
The board approved two construction bids during the meeting. One bid, tabled from last month’s meeting, was for the high school asphalt paving project. The bid was awarded to McKenzie Asphalt out of Muldrow for $156,210.
The other bid was for the Pansy Kidd Middle School roof replacement project. This bid was awarded to Heritage Hills out of Edmond for $133,000.
The board also voted to approve several contracts and agreements, including:
Compliance ResourceContract for drug and alcohol testing for the 2024-2025 school year.
Department of Rehabilitation Services for 2024-2025.
KTC- Math/science course instruction.
KTC- Pre-employment transition services.
Precision Drug Screening
EOMC- Telemedicine Services
The board took action on several other agenda items during the meeting, including:
Approving the temporary appropriations for 2024-2025.
Approving a new SEC activity project for “Treasure Trove.” Approving an activity See SCHOOL on page