Hennessey currently pays $1,200 a year more than the state-mandated teacher salaries as an incentive and for teacher retention, Superintendent Jason Sternberger told school board members Monday night during their June regular meeting.

The school also pays a 7% portion of a teacher’s retirement, he said, during his monthly report.

Sternberger was discussing how House Bill 1087 will affect schools this fall.

Signed into law last month, the bill extends the step raises for teachers up to 35 years of service.

Sternberger said the state’s current minimum teacher pay scale only goes up to 25 years of teaching at $57,232.

There are 24 Hennessey staffers who will have 2635 years of service at the start of the 2025-26 school year, he said.

Sternberger told board members they had options moving forward since the district already pays about the state minimum.

Sternberger estimated the step raises would cost the school about $140,000 to $150,000 more in the coming school year.

Board President Dr. James Matousek suggested Sternberger provide the board a spreadsheet next month on those costs and how it will affect the 202526 budget.

The superintendent said he hadn’t expected the board to take any action that night.

HB 1087 requires a minimum salary increase for teachers and the pay for a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree at $39,601 and certified at $40,759.

Someone with a master’s would earn a minimum of $40,991 and doctorate $42,381.

A10-yearcertifiedteacher pay is set at $47,844.

HB 1087 also requires schools to run from 180 days to 181 days or from 1,080 hours to 1,086 hours of instruction, depending upon which method each uses.

If the hours method is used, school’s must be in session at least 166 days.

Sternberger told the board the district, which has gone by the standard of hours for multiple years, is already in line with this requirement.

At the Meeting

In addition to Matousek, other board members present were Clerk Amy Charmasson, Luke Lough and Lance Painter. Absent at the 15-minute meeting was Vice President Dakota Semrad.

The only staff at the meeting were the superintendent and Timberly Jech, administration office manager and minutes clerk.

Support Staffers Will Get Raises July 1

Salary schedule for site and administration office secretaries were raised.

All other current hourly employees based on years of service were raised, including activity and trip bus drivers; gate workers; clock and bookkeepers at games; substitutes certified and non certified; after school/Saturday school tutors certified and support; professional development during non-contractual hours, must be certified and pre-approved.

The pay raise lists and amounts can be found on the school’s website.

New Pre-K Teacher

Vivianca Marquez was hired as an early childhood classroom teacher for the 2025-26 school year.

She was a first grade teacher at the Enid Public Schools 2024-25 and is certifi ed as a paraprofessional.

She has an associate of science degree from Northern Oklahoma College and a bachelor’s in early childhood education from the University of Arizona Global Campus with a 3.9/4.0 GPA.

Walking Track Monitor OK’d

Emily Evans was hired as a monitor for the walking track at the Eagle Event Center for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year and the 2025-26 year.

Consent Agenda

These 22 items on the board’s consent were approved: • Minutes of May 12 regular board meeting and May 28 special meeting.

• Summary of financial activities and activity fund summary of accounts as of May 31.

• Purchase orders, change orders and corresponding warrants for 2024-2025.

• Activity fund transfer of $1,432.31 from Class of 2025 to Class of 2027.

• Grant writing stipends for 2024-2025 school year.

• Revised categorical budgets for the 2024-2025 school year.

• Fundraisers for the 2025-2026 school year.

• Designate Sternberger as fiscal agent of the board and authorized representative for all state and federal program applications, claims and reports for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

• Appoint Jech encumbrance clerk and minutes clerk for the 2025-2026 school year.

• Appoint Ginger Cox treasurer and activity fund custodian for the 20252026 fiscal year and authorize Cox, Jech, Randi Franklin, Sternberger and building principals as co-signatories on activity fund checks.

• Appoint Franklin assistant treasurer, assistant activity fund custodian, and deputy minutes clerk for the 2025-2026 school year.

• Designate InterBank and Community State Bank as depositories for district funds for the 20252026 fiscal year.

• Activity fund sub-accounts: sources of revenue and approved use of funds for the 2025-2026 school year.

• Participation in federal and state child nutrition programs for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and designate Sternberger authorized representative for those programs.

• Resolution to join Oklahoma Schools Insurance Group for property/ casualty and liability insurance coverage for the district for the policy year beginning July 1.

• Workers’ compensation proposal for Oklahoma School Assurance Group for the 2025-2026 school year.

• Agreement with the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA) to participate in the CCOSA District Level Services Program for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

• Renewal acknowledgement with Wheatland Therapy Services for occupational therapy services for the 2025-2026 school year.

• Contract with Precision Testing Laboratories, Inc., for asbestos operations and maintenance for the 2025-2026 school year.

• Platforms approved for digital communication use during the 2025-2026 school year include ParentSquare, Google Suite, IXL, Study Island, Lightspeed, McGraw- Hill nd Hudl.

• Surplus Dell 3110 Chromebooks.