Special School Board meeting Wednesday

The Ponca City Board of Education will hold a special meeting at noon Wednesday at the Administration Center, 613 East Grand Ave.

The board will receive an audit report from Wilson, Dotson and Associates.

Board members also will consider and vote on a Dublin-England and Boston educational field trip proposal.

In the narrative for this item, the English Department at Ponca City High School is asking the board to approve the proposal.

This 10-day trip will commence on March 21, 2018, and will offer students the opportunity to expand their understanding of relevant literature by placing it within geographical and historical context.

It will also benefit and expand their understanding and participation in the global community and afford them the opportunity to conduct research while incorporating various technological elements.

Board approval will allow the sponsors to facilitate multiple fundraising opportunities for the travel participants based on the level of need/desire for fundraising as expressed by participants and/or their parents.

No district funds will be spent, with the possible exception of substitute pay for the teacher sponsors.

The board also will receive bids for the $5,055,000 General Obligation Combined Purpose Bonds for the school district and award bonds to the lowest bidder.

It then will consider and take action on a resolution providing for the issuance

of General Obligation Combined Purpose Bonds in the sum of $5,055,000 by

the district, authorized at an election called and held for such purpose; prescribing form of bonds; providing for registration thereof; providing for levy of an annual tax for the payment of principal and interest on the same; and fixing other details of the issue.

The board then will consider and take action on a resolution designating the General Obligation Bonds of 2016 as “Qualified Tax-Exempt Obligations” pursuant to Section 265(b)(3)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

Next on the agenda is an item to approve district financial reports, and to vote on accepting the audit report.

Several contracts will be considered and voted on, including a contract with Gallup Consulting for teacher insight and principal insight; accounting software; and process management software.

The board also will consider bids for school remodeling projects at Lincoln Elementary, totaling $560,747; the Anderson building HVAC at Ponca City High School; the renovation of the Administration office seminar room at $315,085. The board then will consider Change Order No. 1 for the seminar room to remove unnecessary parts of the project, reducing the cost by $50,507.

The next item under considerationg is changing the district’s in-district elementary school transfer policy. At the February board meeting, Teri Vogele presented a proposed change to the board’s policy to include the following: Site grade levels reaching 93 percent capacity will not be allowed to accept transfers during the district fall transfer meeting.