Poteau board flags steep federal funding losses, approves routine contracts and personnel actions

POTEAU — Poteau Public Schools trustees on Tuesday approved a series of routine contracts, handbooks and personnel moves and voted not to accept contractor bids for a planned recoating of the upper elementary roof. In remarks that dominated the meeting, the superintendent warned the board the district faces significant federal grant cuts that could total about $654,852.49 annually if certain programs are not funded for fiscal 2026.

The board returned unanimous approvals on items ranging from district service contracts and handbooks to multiple hires and resignations, but the superintendent urged the board to prepare for the loss of Title and other federal program funds. "We are gonna be losing Title II, Title III, Title IV and Title V," the superintendent said, and summarized program-by-program estimates for the board.

Why it matters: The projected federal reductions would affect staffing and program budgets across the district. Board members approved short-term steps the district staff said will rely on carryover funds and internal staffing shifts if the cuts materialize. Trustees also declined to accept roof recoating bids after staff recommended first repairing active leaks and substrate issues to get a better long-term outcome.

Board action and key details

- Federal funding outlook: The superintendent gave a line-item summary of federal program reductions the district expects compared with fiscal 2025 totals: about $96,000 (Title II), $15,000 (Title III), $60,000 (Title IV), $74,000 (Title V), and approximately $300,000 from the 21st Century after-school/summer program. Adding a potential $110,000 adult-education shortfall if that grant is not renewed, the superintendent said the combined gap would be roughly $654,852.49 for fiscal 2026. The superintendent said the district has carryover reserves and a plan to absorb the reductions over time without immediate layoffs, but that staffing and program adjustments will be considered in coming budget cycles.

- Roof bid: The board voted to not approve the bids for the upper elementary roof recoating after staff recommended addressing active leaks and substrate repairs first. District staff said the bids did not guarantee that an overlay would fix all leaks and that a targeted repair approach now would improve outcomes when an overlay is applied later. The board recorded a motion to not approve the bid and carried it.

- Contracts and recurring services: Trustees approved the district's annual service contracts for 2025–26, including the district's JAMF mobile-device management, Verizon hotspot service, the Journey Ed career-technology product, KnowBe4 cybersecurity training (which the superintendent said produced a net decrease compared with the prior year), VSC fire-alarm services, Follett library software and an adult-education CareerTech MOU. The board was told the overall contracts package was modestly lower year over year due to negotiated changes.

- Nutrition and meal prices: The board approved a 3.8% increase in the high-school lunch price, raising the price from $3.88 to $4.02 for the 2025–26 school year. The superintendent noted that Community Eligibility Provision schools in the district will continue to provide free meals for pre-K through eighth grade; high school students are the only cohort paying for lunches under the district's current status.

- Financial reports and encumbrances: Treasurer Valerie reported the district ended the fiscal year with a healthy fund balance. She told the board the activity fund balance is $123,848 and said, "That is actually up about 50,000 from last year." The board reviewed encumbrances for recurring utilities, classroom supplies and planned capital purchases, and staff noted July typically contains many encumbrances for the upcoming year. Specific planned purchases mentioned included roughly 120 laptops and 30 desktops and multiple vehicle purchases (route and mini buses) appearing in June expenditures.

- Personnel and hires: Following an executive session limited to personnel and real property, the board approved several resignations (Ashley Carnell, Bailey Knight, Sarah Maxwell and Janie Davis) and approved multiple new employments, including a pending certification hire for a district bus driver and Shay Hebert for a high-school special-education position. The board also approved adjunct teacher status for Mr. Larimore and voted to continue in-house speech-language pathology contracts rather than outsourcing that function.

- Handbooks, policies and booster clubs: Trustees approved updated handbooks (including a new Poteau Virtual Academy handbook), updated board policies (including the newly approved salary schedule reference in DE-R1 and adjustments to transfer policy FE to reflect third-grade staffing), and sanctioned booster clubs for 2025–26. The board approved a booster club application for the PHS Pom squad.

Recognition and facilities notes

The board opened by recognizing Poteau FFA members Zach Vaughn and Nate Dozier, who were described by advisors as the Oklahoma FFA State Welding Rodeo Series champions. Vaughn told the board, "I just wanna say that I had a really good teammate throughout the year in Nate," and the board applauded the chapter's work hosting regional competitions.

Facilities staff reported that work has started on air-conditioning installation at an elementary gymnasium site; outside ductwork and ground units are in place but interior ductwork (sock ducts) will take longer and may not be completed by the first day of classes.

Votes at a glance (major motions from the meeting)

- Not approve bids for upper elementary roof recoating — Motion carried (board voted to not accept the submitted bids). No overlay contract awarded; staff directed to prioritize leak and substrate repairs first. - Approve minutes from June 9, 2025, financial reports and encumbrances — Approved. - Approve 2025–26 annual contracts (JAMF, Verizon hotspots, Journey Ed, KnowBe4, VSC fire-alarm, Follett, CareerTech MOU, etc.) — Approved. - Approve increase to high-school lunch price to $4.02 for 2025–26 — Approved. - Approve activity fundraisers for 2025–26 — Approved. - Approve handbooks (including Poteau Virtual Academy) — Approved. - Approve continued in-house speech-language pathology contracts — Approved. - Approve 2025–26 salary schedules (expanded years of service through year 35 and ongoing step adjustments) — Approved. - Approve updates to board policies (including DE-R1, FE and FMA-R2 adjustments) — Approved. - Approve PHS Pom booster club and sanction list of booster clubs — Approved. - Approve surplus items (books, climbing wall, curriculum materials) — Approved. - Approve resignations (Ashley Carnell, Bailey Knight, Sarah Maxwell, Janie Davis) — Approved. - Approve new employments and pending hires (including Shay Hebert, Sandy Lee, Zach Broom pending certification, Kevin Vincent, others) — Approved. - Approve adjunct teacher status for Mr. Larimore — Approved.

What’s next

District leadership said staff will continue preparing a communications plan around the state cell-phone law (Senate Bill 139) and will finalize steps to absorb federal funding reductions if they are realized in fiscal 2026. The superintendent said the district will use carryover reserves and internal staffing shifts as part of a multi-year adjustment plan and will return to the board with more concrete proposals during the spring staffing cycle.

For reference: the board met in executive session during the meeting to discuss personnel items and real property; the board reported no action was taken during the executive session itself and returned to open session to take the personnel votes recorded above.