Stigler Board approves routine budgets, policy updates, contracts and personnel changes

The Stigler Board of Education on July 13 approved a slate of routine fiscal items, policy updates and personnel actions as the district closes fiscal year 2026 and prepares for 2027.

Board members unanimously approved minutes, encumbrances and a series of annual housekeeping votes including permitted general fund expenditures, activity fund accounts and authorizing that general fund investment interest be deposited into the building fund for 2026–27. Superintendent Thomas Kettles reported a strong carryover and noted building funds near $2,000,000 compared with $1.7 million a year earlier.

Kettles highlighted student achievements in his superintendent’s report: "three students, Julian Gough, Lily Hatfield, and Raylan Haney were national runner ups in the sustainability challenge," and said the district’s auditors will meet virtually to gather information for the upcoming estimate-of-needs. He also reminded the board that "the school year begins and the students arrive on August 13."

The board approved several policy items that are required annually or updated to reflect legislative changes. Those included site and district parent–family engagement policies for Title I schools; the district’s FERPA plan "as provided through section 438 of Public Law 93-380," a revised asbestos policy following a reinspection that administrators said poses no health problem, and a bundle of policy cleanups covering records investigations, student transfers, child-abuse reporting attestations, student records and bullying-related placement language.

A contentious discussion centered on revisions to the personal-leave policy and whether employees should be charged a substitute fee for certain personal days. After debate, the board voted to remove the substitute-fee requirement for category-2 personal leave and approved the revised DEC-R3 policy.

Contract awards and vendor decisions included: - Speech and related therapy: board approved Prosperity Services to provide one day per week of speech services at $65 per hour and Total Rehab to cover remaining days at approximately $78 per hour. - Occupational and physical therapy: Prosperity Services was approved at $65 per hour for OT/PT services. - Telecommunications: the board approved an AT&T contract to migrate district phone service to voice-over-IP after AT&T announced decommissioning of the local wire center; administrators estimated about $6,000 in one-time phone purchases and roughly $1,600 per month in recurring line fees after transition.

On capital work, the board awarded Mike Bush Construction a $13,640 contract to build a 20-by-45-foot metal pavilion on the concrete slab where a former multi-classroom building stood.

Athletics and travel approvals included permission for coach Stacy Huggins to take the high school girls softball team to Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington Aug. 6–8, 2026, with students transported on a district activity bus and two drivers assigned.

After an executive session called under the open-meeting act to discuss personnel, the board returned to open session and approved the certified personnel salary and fringe benefits package for 2026–27, accepted multiple resignations (including Brooke Allstatt, Gary Hollingshed and Anthony Gilmore) and approved hires and appointments such as Rhoda Johnson as elementary principal, Stacy Huggins as head fast-pitch coach, Rusty Bracken as assistant coach, several paraprofessionals and Jeff Fountain as a route bus driver. No votes occurred during the executive session itself.

Votes were recorded on each action; routine motions were moved and seconded and carried with recorded "Yes" votes by the board members present. The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m.

What’s next: auditors will meet virtually with district staff as the district finalizes its estimate of needs and readies for the August start of the school year.