Tahlequah board approves calendar, contract amendments and personnel after executive session
Loading...
Summary
The Tahlequah Public Schools Board approved a school calendar, multiple policy and contract items, a personnel hire and surplus property after an executive session; the board reported no action taken at the closed session.
The Tahlequah Public Schools Board of Education voted to adopt the 2025-26 school calendar and approved a package of consent items, contract amendments and personnel actions at its December meeting.
The items approved included the revision of policy 6025 (student transfers), a listed surplus property, short-term contracts for therapy and policy review services, and a personnel employment action naming Marissa Moore as a part-time hire effective Dec. 2, 2024. Board members also authorized an amended agreement with the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services for a Transition School-to-Work work-study program.
Why this matters: The consent items and contract amendments clear short-term staffing and service needs for special education and policy modernization while the calendar adoption sets the district's student schedule for the coming year.
What the board did: After routine roll-call and brief discussion, the board took these recorded steps:
- Approved a listed surplus (motion and second then unanimous voice vote). The motion was approved after a roll-call in which board members voted aye.
- Approved the consent docket that included out-of-state/overnight trips and multiple contracts; the board specifically approved a short-term contract with Motor Mouth Therapy, LLP to provide speech and occupational therapy services for a limited period and an engagement with OSSBA to assist with a broader policy review for the remainder of the school year.
- Voted to revise policy 6025 (student transfers) as required by routine periodic review.
- Adopted the 2025-26 calendar after board members raised concerns that the parent-facing calendar on the website can be confusing because it includes staff PD markings. Board members asked staff to publish a simplified calendar made for parents that clearly shows student days and no-school dates.
- Entered an executive session citing "25 Oklahoma statute 307b12 and 7" to discuss the superintendent's evaluation (operations and teaching, learning and assessment). The board returned to open session and the board president stated, "No action was taken."
- Approved personnel items, including the employment listing for Marissa Moore (heritage, part time), and approved the three contracts read into the record.
The vote record in the minutes consistently shows the board calling roll with each member stating "aye" for the consent and subsequent votes (Miss Niemann; Doctor Ibersold; Doctor Cobb; Mrs. Crawford; and the board president). The minutes show no recorded no votes or abstentions on the items read into the record.
Looking ahead: Board members asked staff to produce a simplified, parent-facing version of the 2025-26 calendar and suggested a separate special meeting be considered if a future policy packet contains an extensive number of changes.
No budgetary dollar amounts tied to the contracts were specified in the meeting transcript.
