Near the end of an hourlong meeting Monday, the Kingfisher Board of Education added two new teachers for the 2020-21 school year.

Approved unanimously were Katelyn Dissinger for sixth grade reading at the middle school and Ken Thompson as a high school English teacher.

Members made the moves during the April regular meeting, which was held at the high school cafeteria.

The meeting began at the administration office, but members adjourned temporarily to move it to the larger space, allowing for proper social distancing.

Dissinger is a 2010 KHS graduate - then Katelyn McKinnis - who most recently was teaching at Riverside School in El Reno.

Thompson is a Wyoming native who has been on the staff of Southwestern Oklahoma State University’s College of Arts & Sciences.

The moves were made after the board approved a new school calendar that reflects May 8 as the final day of the current school year.

The year has been cut short by the coronavirus and the district began its distance learning with students on Monday.

Sternberger provided the board the district’s detailed plan for each grade and the progress made on the first day. He said 130 Chrome

He said 130 Chromebooks had been checked out to families who didn’t have their own device at home. Another 15-20 were expected to be checked out. Packets were given to

Packets were given to families who don’t have internet, he said.

Sternberger added that each individual school is providing all the necessary resources to students and families who need them.

“We want to encourage anyone who knows of a student or family in need of anything, to please call us at 375-4194,” he said. “We want to help them. That’s a top priority right now.”

Board member Carly Franks added her appreciation to Kingfisher’s staff.

“I’m very impressed with how quickly our teachers got this put together,” she said of the Distance Learning Plan that had to be provided to the State Department of Education for approval. “They’ve never had to do anything like this before and it’s just impressive what they’ve done.”

Added Sternberger: “All of our teachers are working so hard. They’ve never been through anything like this.”

Also during Monday’s meeting, the board approved:

• Annual contracts with Clearwater Enterprises for supplying natural gas and Moore Therapy Service for occupational therapy services;

• The pre-final early site package construction documents and authorized LWPB Architecture and Joe D. Hall General Contractors to issue them for bidding for the new mid-high school project;

• A change order replacing the asphalt drive with concrete in the new parking lot;

• COVID-19 waivers and assurances passed earlier by the SDE;

• The resignation of Amber Woolery, a paraprofessional at Gilmour Elementary.