Hello Racer Families,
Ihope everyone is having a wonderful summer!
As we prepare for the start of a new school year, I wanted to share several important updates from across our district.
First, I am pleased to welcome several outstanding individuals to our leadership team. They are: Jackie Stewart, Elementary assistant principal; Mike Miller, facilities manager; Krista Cochran, THRIVE administrator; and Sheri Sereno, public information officer.
They have already made a positive impact and I know they will continue to do great things for our district and our students.
Going forward, several new state laws will directly impact our school day and school calendar.
Senate Bill 481 requires all students in prekindergarten through 5th grade to receive 40 minutes of recess each day, an increase of 20 minutes from previous requirements. To meet this mandate, the Board of Education approved adjusted dismissal times for the Early Childhood Center (ECC) and Elementary School. This extends the school day by 10 minutes for these campuses.
While we were able to reallocate 10 minutes within the existing instructional schedule, an additional 10 minutes were necessary to meet the new requirement.
Beginning this school year:
• ECC will dismiss at 3:50 p.m.
• Elementary School will dismiss at 4 p.m.
At this time, this adjustment is only for the current school year. If the Oklahoma State Department of Education does not allow recess time to count toward required instructional time, we will need to make additional adjustments to the school calendar next year.
HB 3151
House Bill 3151 will require our district to add seven additional instructional days beginning with the 2027–2028 school year. Before making those calendar decisions, I will be sending a survey to parents and staff to gather input on where those seven days should be added.
It is also important for our community to understand the financial impact of this mandate. Adding seven instructional days is projected to cost the district more than $1 million, including employee salaries, utilities, transportation, and child nutrition services.
HB 1276
House Bill 1276 makes Oklahoma’s bell-to-bell cell phone ban permanent.
SB 758
Additionally, Senate Bill 758, which was passed last year, eliminates the use of virtual learning days. Any school days canceled due to inclement weather must now be made up later in the school year.
We are continuing to work toward streamlining communication with our families with the goal of simplifying communication and reducing the number of platforms families need to monitor. This year we will primarily use:
• ParentSquare (ECC, Elementary, and Athletics)
• Minga (Secondary Schools)
• Google Email
• Infinite Campus School Messenger
• EKadence (THRIVE) The district has also updated its student technology practices. Beginning this school year, we will maintain a one-to-one Chromebook program only at the high school. All other campuses will utilize classroom sets of Chromebooks for instructional use during the school day.
Devices will not be sent home and students will not be permitted to bring personal devices from home for classroom use. Additional information regarding these changes will be shared in the coming days.
Aug. 25 Election
On the August 25 ballot, the district has a $15 million bond proposal. If approved, the bond would fund:
• A storm shelter for the 4th/5th Grade Center and Elementary School
• Additional classrooms for the Aviation Building
• New soccer locker rooms
• Track renovation and improvements • Expansion of the Transportation Department These projects would be completed while keeping the district’s sinking fund tax rate constant.
Over the next few weeks, you should be receiving information from your child’s school administrator regarding back-to-school events and important dates. You can also find information on our social media pages.
I am so excited about the new school year and look forward to welcoming back students on August 6.
It is a great day to be a Racer! Dr. Cathy Walker
Superintendent of Schools
