Poteau Daily News

Poteau school board swears in Hecht as member

- By Ashley Torres PDN Reporter

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

 ?? PDN photo by Ashley Torres ?? Poteau school board members with Support Employees of the Month Kim Graham, a Primary office worker, and Marshall Brance, a bus driver.
PDN photo by Ashley Torres Poteau school board members with Support Employees of the Month Kim Graham, a Primary office worker, and Marshall Brance, a bus driver.

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