[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6217888,"mediaKeyId","3639159-e94c7c47d3e46ef606a8b82ccf0e4328","parentId",3639159,"title","Bixby board approves routine contracts, bus purchases and innovation grant funding","audioSeconds",754,"startMs",6210000,"endMs",6964000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3639159-e94c7c47d3e46ef606a8b82ccf0e4328&start=6210&end=6964","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3639159-e94c7c47d3e46ef606a8b82ccf0e4328/thumbnail_6210000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6217888/BIXBY/School-Districts/Oklahoma/Bixby-board-approves-routine-contracts-bus-purchases-and-innovation-grant-funding","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6217888-ffb6071bde58aae6fba1d46798b65824/orig.mp4?Expires=1770401495&Signature=kgl7VqjXeoirueikOH2vrf02ZoG8FthCghz7DJUICl606MBtmH8g59sOngWThR9URJ9NnCK7ZzpjKQuPqdB1UA18h~jNaVENutqzbTYErYT5emrIW-dFZFhTcfItmPTcAAVhA0DR2jezOuGuKd~jjCBLbrpoGxn8b2~h8H2FOMMQn5nUQVWF3v5AMFuIsUBcQ-9bgb7W~~dKr7pD8jZvUVLHqsKU3WmgRTgi5yJnFKjPhqTg7n4McY5Y9pp-J3X8K~VeCDeVLdP8onifTl4VUROtmm87iCpa1nuFrnU7vgeQuPSkNPh29uLNoVVuabCdebdQa-J2pTe35UhhtcUMcA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-06-03T13:03:51Z","article","BIXBY, Okla. — The Bixby Board of Education on June 2 approved multiple routine contracts and purchases, including an IXL renewal, workers’ compensation insurance, a sponsorship agreement, student services contracts and the purchase of school buses, and accepted innovation grant funds to help equip the new Applied Creativity Center.

Consent agenda and removals

The board approved the general consent agenda with one item removed (agenda item 4.16). The item 4.16 removal related to a third-party reporting/plugin pending a PowerSchool upgrade; staff said they would bring a corrected contract back to the board.

Key approvals and votes

- Workers’ compensation insurance (agenda item 5.1): motion approved. Recorded board votes in the meeting transcript were aye from Amanda Stevens, Pablo Aguirre, Justin Cheatham, Matt and the chair.

- Sponsorship contract with \"Oklahoma's Bridal Union\" for athletic sponsorships (agenda item 5.2): approved; district staff said the sponsor’s $50,000 annual support will be allocated to sports and discretionary needs for activities.

- IXL learning renewal (agenda item 6.1): board approved renewal at a listed cost of $90,568.75 to be paid from the general fund; the district uses IXL as a benchmark/screener and intervention platform for math in kindergarten through eighth grade.

- Junior Achievement agreement (6.2): approved; staff said program participation is limited by scheduling demands but continues at the secondary level.

- Agreement with Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services for work adjustment training (7.1): approved; staff said the program provides on-site work adjustment training for students with individualized education programs (IEPs).

- Drug-testing services (7.2): approved; board noted prompt service from the vendor for pre-employment and random testing.

- Bus purchases (7.3): approved purchase of two route buses at $136,390 each and one lift bus at $158,991 from Ross Transportation with payment from the transportation bond fund. (The meeting transcript shows the vendor and prices as presented to the board.)

Innovation grant for Applied Creativity Center

The board also accepted funds from the Go For public school innovation tax credit program to seed the district’s new Applied Creativity Center (sometimes called the \"Back to the Future\" facility). District staff said roughly $75,000 will go to equipment (printers, other technology), about $60,000 was set aside for a staffing position to support the facility and additional funding will be used for consumables and startup needs. Staff emphasized Go For funds are outside the district general fund and intended for innovation/startup costs.

Ending

Board members asked clarifying questions about specific items (for example how Project Lead The Way modules differ from existing algebra materials and the mechanics of the district’s substitute staffing contract). Staff promised follow-up detail on removed or clarified items and said the PowerSchool plugin and other technical contracts would return to the board once finalized.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","BOE Meeting: 6/2/25","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved the general consent agenda (with one item removed), renewed several vendor agreements including IXL, accepted a public-school innovation grant for the applied creativity center, and authorized the purchase of buses from Ross Transportation.","taxTitle","BIXBY, School Districts, Oklahoma","taxId",38406,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6217893,"Bixby superintendent says modest state funding boost won’t close teacher pay gap",186,1360000,1546000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3639159-e94c7c47d3e46ef606a8b82ccf0e4328&start=1360&end=1546","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3639159-e94c7c47d3e46ef606a8b82ccf0e4328/thumbnail_1360000.jpg","/articles/6217893/BIXBY/School-Districts/Oklahoma/Bixby-superintendent-says-modest-state-funding-boost-wont-close-teacher-pay-gap","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6217893-b901c6feade21fd13fa1de97f3fed1f1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770401495&Signature=NtcwhC8p6MPLiEnzrC59ktj8PDJY73phetWfsRTmsUhpYWDutPw47tRc9T3gNUDlrBVcZn0GDRzu3sM6Ryh75NrncXzIYvi9ISwdBw-wnzhR6fkDpqJz4~q~QEnAqv6~7WA3akIv3EJAJTxSdxoYcI-34fk~f4-a7~Bd6qVITd-qy24q5z7V1V~Sn1aJ0MX85MS1h9uy3-0hx-OArUbISOqfauWG6lHmQFfmgO-cdIbZCqBU2z~nLrn81JrIbsEYMiADMTdMHGGzhYlMbZZYP9CM3saFGlLxNyBdyOvF2J-P69O~9D0FKbDcQxEUjAuwvt3G5NCWUPRrpqLml-ehjQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","BIXBY, Okla. — Superintendent Miller told the Bixby Board of Education on June 2 that recent state budget adjustments include modest increases for schools but fall short of the investments in neighboring states that district leaders say are needed to retain teachers.

Miller said the state budget signed by the governor includes roughly $31 million that the superintendent described as additional funding tied to extending the teacher salary reimbursement scale beyond 25 years. \"$31,000,000 in additional funding ... is not a significant amount of money,\" he said, noting the statewide total increase cited during his presentation was about $122 million, or roughly 3 percent overall year over year.

Why it matters

District leaders said the change to the state reimbursement period — from 25 years toward 35 years — will add some funds to the state formula but, spread across 511 districts, would amount to a modest sum for any single district. Miller contrasted Oklahoma’s adjustment with Texas, which he said approved a $3 billion increase in K–12 funding, including larger teacher pay and operational funding increases.

What the board heard

Miller walked the board through the budget overview provided to districts: top line program allocations, a flexible health benefit allowance, maternity funding and small increases for early intervention. He said some line-item adjustments (for example, funding tied to Imagine Math/Imagine Reading) reflect programs the state funded but the district did not use. Board members asked clarifying questions about which state-funded digital programs the district currently uses.

District implications

Miller said the district has been paying teacher steps past the 25-year reimbursement cap for several years and that the state change to a longer allowable service period will reduce the district’s reimbursement shortfall, but only incrementally. He urged caution in interpreting one-time or limited line-item increases as a solution to systemic educator pay gaps.

Ending

Miller and other staff said they will continue to track state allocations and report back as the district calculates specific dollar impacts for Bixby. No board action was taken on the statewide budget at the meeting; the presentation was informational.

","Superintendent Miller outlined new state budget items, noting a roughly $31 million statewide increase for public schools in one line item and a $122 million overall increase in K–12 funding but said the district’s share would be small and may not substantially address retention or salary competitiveness.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6217898,"Bixby schools defend standards-based grading rollout amid teacher, parent concerns",1660,1740000,3400000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3639159-e94c7c47d3e46ef606a8b82ccf0e4328&start=1740&end=3400","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3639159-e94c7c47d3e46ef606a8b82ccf0e4328/thumbnail_1740000.jpg","/articles/6217898/BIXBY/School-Districts/Oklahoma/Bixby-schools-defend-standards-based-grading-rollout-amid-teacher-parent-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6217898-4eb7ef04ec5c3f094b98f9f5ee59fd4a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770401495&Signature=cJwRMS1zzIN6MgWL4B0wIq4gL37~cxj2fxZduxYYpeUzGiCplmPGsZUOANhQMqOYuh1wa0Oa1askxpEsaxSASurekp3Cd62ChzrLqRxgYeQBz1GG~zRVJw6am9gzwunjh2LavNnqJC5hDlaMA640q2Cl-6~h~C0b2x2dApmh7OVbwonEsTmVCl5eAzoMrF~h7YGaWNPa~iPfi9~IMhcZdO0Aul4XDuWm27eS8JALZlPRZbQYCaNa2PdiWNHu8tMYddPDfLOBO~bmXClKVlZ1d3EYWGAVX-wTI4lisgmGHPKMpI6R6Rs65VgJ-6B4ze~0krtvB5WNlpU8DqiU35I6nA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","BIXBY, Okla. — District leaders told the Bixby Board of Education on June 2 that the district will continue rolling standards-based grading into sixth grade after a difficult first year of common assessments and teacher pushback.

Cheryl, a district staff member leading the initiative, told the board the change is \"really a mindset shift\" from traditional percentage-based grades to reporting students’ proficiency on individual standards. She said the district created common, standards-aligned assessments and multiple versions to allow reassessment, but that implementing those assessments at scale produced \"train crashes\" that will be corrected in summer revisions.

The presentation outlined a multi-year timeline: the district began expanding standards-based grading in 2021–22, has been using it in pre-K through lower grades and planned the next step into sixth grade in 2025–26. Cheryl said teacher teams from every building helped write assessments and that 77 elementary teachers responded to a year-end survey about the rollout.

Why it matters

District leaders said the change is intended to give more precise, actionable feedback on what a student can do — for example, discrete math or reading standards — instead of a single composite grade. Supporters argued this can reduce situations where two students have the same percentage but very different skill profiles. Critics in the meeting said the shift has increased teacher workload, confused some parents, and created concerns about transitions to middle school and college admission.

What happened at the meeting

Cheryl described four core grading practices the district is adopting: not counting formative practice (homework) toward academic grades; allowing reassessment without averaging penalties; reporting nonacademic behaviors separately from academic grades; and reporting proficiency by standard. \"Formative practice cannot be counted as an academic grade,\" she said.

She conceded the first year of common assessments produced problems: too many assessments, confusing item design in some assessments and heavy reassessment loads that strained teacher time. The district plans to revise or rewrite assessments this summer, reduce overlapping reassessment timing and provide additional training in August. Cheryl said the district will move the standards-based grade data into PowerSchool once a plug-in is activated so parents can view standards-based grades in the same system that shows traditional grades.

Board questions and concerns

Board members pressed on pacing and consequences. One member asked whether the district should pause rollout to fix problems before adding another grade; Cheryl said fifth-grade teacher representatives had reviewed readiness and that common assessments for sixth grade \"are written, and they're ready to go.\" She added that secondary leaders are being prepared to receive students coming from standards-based report cards.

Parents’ questions about interpretation — for example what a 1, 2, 3 or 4 means — drew this explanation from district staff: a 1 indicates minimal or no independent mastery of the standard, a 2 indicates partial mastery or mastery with assistance, a 3 indicates independent mastery of the grade-level standard (the target), and a 4 indicates performance beyond the standard. District staff said they will continue producing parent-facing conversion guidance and examples to reduce confusion.

Instructional support and future steps

Cheryl said the district built reassessment options (multiple versions of assessments) so students get repeated opportunities to demonstrate mastery. The district will run targeted revision sessions this summer (pre-K/ K/first grade, second/third, fourth, and fifth grade meetings are scheduled) and continue coaching with outside trainers who led recent professional development.

The presentation noted that the move has been hardest at intermediate grades (fourth–sixth), where standards are more complex. Tanya Morgan, the district’s director of curriculum, was identified in the meeting as continuing work with secondary teachers to prioritize standards and write common assessments for secondary courses.

Ending

District leaders asked for patience while they revise items and scale support. \"I can't promise it's going to be perfect next year, but it will be better than it was this year for sure,\" Cheryl said. Board members requested a six-month check-in to review the revision outcomes and parental communications.

","District staff described a multi-year move to standards-based grading in pre-K through grade 6, acknowledged problems in the first year of common assessments and outlined fixes including common rubrics, PowerSchool reporting and summer revision work.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Bixby board approves routine contracts, bus purchases and innovation grant funding

Bixby superintendent says modest state funding boost won’t close teacher pay gap

Bixby schools defend standards-based grading rollout amid teacher, parent concerns