Bid specifications for Hennessey Public Schools’ addition to its transportation building were approved by the school board at its meeting last Monday.

The vote included going out for bids.

It will take about two months before a bid opening, said Superintendent Jason Sternberger.

The addition will allow space for bus maintenance and repairs onsite. It will also replace the school’s old bus barn located between the baseball and football stadiums.

The 19,039 square foot addition will be immediately west of the existing 6,880 square foot transportation building on State Highway 51, according to plans by Renaissance Architecture of Oklahoma City.

The transportation building is located on the south side of S.H. 51 north and east of the school’s softball fields.

It was built in 2010, primarily to keep the school’s busing stock inside, instead of parked outside in the weather at the school’s sports complex.

Back then the school also had a need to house more buses and other school-owned vehicles.

An estimated cost for the addition was not discussed at this month’s meeting, but the board was told it could take up to $1 million in another recent meeting.

Sternberger told the board then that the school has $1.4 million in its building fund and will accrue more this school year.

Resignations

Sternberger said he’d accepted these resignations: Randi Simpson, high school math; Shelby Black, high school physical science and high school girls assistant basketball; Keith Fletcher, high school boys assistant basketball; Paul Raupe, assistant football and assistant track; Chris Rapp, assistant football; and Erica Brizuela, cafeteria.

Three New Teachers

The superintendent said he had some late resignations and recommended hiring the following (who all live in the school district):

Bert Gritz is teaching high school science. He has a bachelor’s degree in mortuary science, a master’s in counseling from OCU, and is a 1975 graduate of HHS.

He recently retired from the Hennessey Fire Department after 45 years, 27 of them as fire chief, and a registered EMT Advanced for 20 years.

Gritz has owned and operated Cordry-Gritz Funeral home 1998-present; was president and owner of Bert’s Kwik Shops, 1985-97; co-owner R.L. Gritz Insurance Agency, 1983-97, and an agent with that agency,1977-83.

He served on the Town Board of Trustees 197983 (elected mayor by the board in 1981 as the youngest in Hennessey and the state), served on the board 2003-current with many of those years as mayor.

Carol Keeton is the new high school math teacher.

She has been a substitute teacher for HPS for the past three years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in social work in 2013 from Northwestern Oklahoma State University, and a master’s degree in social work from OU in 2014.

She has worked at the Northwest Center for Behavioral Health in screening, interventions and treatment from 2013-15.

Keeton served in the U.S. Navy, 2004-08 as an aviation machinist mate.

Joyce Holder is teaching fourth grade in the elementary school. She was a substitute teacher and an office aide at Chisholm Public Schools, 2016-22.

She earned her bachelor’s in secondary education (history, English, physical education) in 1990 from OSU and graduated from HHS in 1985.

Holder was owner and president of Hennessey’s Kinder Fit, a motor skills and physical education program for ages 2 through eighth grade, 1993-2014; receptionist, weight loss counselor, area manager for Nutrisystem, Stillwater, 1985-92.

She and her husband own and operate Turkey Creek Golf Course, Longhorn RV Park and have rental homes in Hennessey.

Support Staff Hirings

Hired were Perla Olivas and Emily Fernandez, English Language Learner aides; Katherine Reeves, paraprofessional; Tyler Baxter, bus driver, and added junior and high school assistant football coaching duties to Hugo Rodriquez’s job as a paraprofessional and aide (due to resignations from two football coaches, the superintendent said).

Extra-Duty Assignments

The board approved adding the following extra duty assignments: Chelsea Hoeltzel (athletic trainer, $6,000; summer trainer, $4,000); Barry Crosswhite (Title IX coordinator, $1,000); Lisa Weaver (assistant high school girls basketball, $1,500 and summer basketball, $1,500); Rodriguez (junior high head boys basketball, $1,500; assistant high school boys basketball, $1,500, and summer basketball, $1,500); Brian Richardson (boys golf, $1,250 and girls golf, $1,250), and Raupe (assistant wrestling, $2,000).

Other Action Items

The board routinely approved updating these board policy topics: medical leave, maternity and armed school employees. Sternberger said the only change in the firearm item is a requirement that the employee would be required to “qualify” to carry a gun twice a year, instead of three times a year.

An employee is now required to qualify at the beginning of each semester if the employee “intends to carry.”

They also took care of a housekeeping/accounting issue by voting to take $4,000 from the sinking fund and put it in the bond fund.

The board approved 10 items on the consent agenda which included these items:

• Financial and activity fund summaries of accounts as of July 31. Those two pages showed these balances: General fund balance, $6,475,303; co-op, $10,862; building, $1,486,600; child nutrition, $106,150; bond, $4,456,362; sinking, $16,117. Total all funds: $12,551,397.

• FFA Trip to National Convention Nov. 1-4.

• Donor’s Choose project: Caitlyn Stucki, Reading In Comfort, $199.97 ($49.99 stipend).

• Fundraisers: Student Council (t-shirts Aug. 23 and candy grams holidays); Cheer (spirit items Aug. 23 and service projects, mini cheer camps fall 2023 and spring 2024); Class of 2025 pre-game meal October and Santa Photos (November-December).

Quick Meeting

School board meetings have been known for their 30-minute monthly board meetings for the past year, but this August 14 meeting was only 15 minutes.

It caught board member David Tillman off guard when he was caught on a phone call right outside the building entrance. Tillman didn’t make it inside until the vote to adjourn.

All other members were also present: President Luke Lough, Vice President Patrick Griffin, Clerk Dr. James Matthew Matousek and Amy Charmasson.

In addition to Sternberger, also at the board table was Timberly Jech, office manager and minutes clerk.

All building principals attended: Josh Faulkner, high school; Ricardo Tarango, middle; Barry Crosswhite, elementary, and Stacey Mack, early childhood center. Also in the audience was Tina Gilliland.