WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:09.439 Good morning, good morning, good morning, Welcome, welcome, welcome here. 2 00:00:09.560 --> 00:00:12.679 It's time now for our community connection right here on K one, the 3 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:16.839 one you try, and we're going to talk with Bartlos Hill Public Schools Superintendent 4 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:21.160 Chuck McCauley. And you brought friends I did. Good morning Tom. I 5 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:25.440 got Blair Ellis here, our executive director of the Public School Foundation. Good 6 00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:28.239 morning one and all. It's kind of a chilli went out there, but 7 00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:30.760 hey, we'll take it. You bet, yeah, you bet. Thank 8 00:00:30.839 --> 00:00:33.399 you for having us. I know it's an incredibly busy time and I know 9 00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:35.600 you guys got a lot going on here at the station. Well you got 10 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:38.799 a lot going on at the school. You know we do here, Yeah, 11 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:41.280 we do, we do. So just a couple of things. I'll 12 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:44.159 give you an update. We had our school board meeting on Monday. We 13 00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:47.479 had it a week earlier because of the holiday schedule. I had a short 14 00:00:47.479 --> 00:00:50.439 meeting, but we did have a We spotlighted a few things, which is 15 00:00:50.439 --> 00:00:52.439 always fun time. You know, you've been to a lot of our school 16 00:00:52.439 --> 00:00:55.799 board meetings and a couple of new things. Actually they're all new things that 17 00:00:55.799 --> 00:00:59.960 we spotlighted. First off, we had cade winters, one of our senior. 18 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:03.359 He received an award from the Oklahoma Council for Indian Education. He was 19 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:07.680 named their Student of the Year. So Eric Harp and the two sponsors from 20 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:14.079 the high school teachers nominated, nominated Caid, and Caid received that award. 21 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:15.959 You think he's in Oklhoma City last weekend, so we had him this first 22 00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:19.599 time we've had a student received that recognition. He's a great young man. 23 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:23.200 He's on my advisory council. He's the third Winters that's going to graduate from 24 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:27.000 Bartlesville. We wish, we wish Robin Tamoud had some more kids, but 25 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:30.920 we're really proud of Caid and and he's going to go on and do some 26 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:36.159 great things. And then uh then we secondly, we had Lauren Lee who 27 00:01:36.200 --> 00:01:38.239 Lauren's been up there before. Lauren's a national mayor of Semifinalists for US, 28 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:42.640 but she was recently this fall was named a Coca Cola Semifinalist, which is 29 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:47.359 the first time we've had anybody received that recognition in years. And she's a 30 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:51.640 great kid. She's president of her student body and plans to get into medicine. 31 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:55.319 And she's also on my advisory council. And one thing I'll share they 32 00:01:55.359 --> 00:01:59.519 shared at the meeting the other day that Lauren and Kate both have been instrumental 33 00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:02.439 in we are at Bartlesvielle High School. They're going to host a state student 34 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:07.920 Council convention next fall and which is a really big deal. We'll have literally 35 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:10.800 thousands of kids leaders, young leaders from across the state of Oklahoma will come 36 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:15.439 and spend the weekend in Bartlesville and we'll be hosting and at the high school 37 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:17.120 for our hotels will be full and we'll have a lot going on. But 38 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:22.719 those kiddos, they we've we've taken leadership roles are kids, which is not 39 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:25.280 a surprise to anyone, but at the state level. And so those two 40 00:02:25.319 --> 00:02:30.240 are big, big piece of that. And then lastly, our Bruins on 41 00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:32.840 the Run kiddos we had they did something new this year, Blair. Obviously 42 00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:38.719 the foundation has been involved in but Tasha Posch, who's a teacher over at 43 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:43.439 Wilson Elementary UH, she is our teacher sponsor that kind of helps run the 44 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:46.800 program, UH, and she had an idea to do something new this year 45 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:50.400 for all of our kids that were that ran that wool Rock AKU they did. 46 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:53.319 I beat the superintendent shirt. So if they beat me, uh they 47 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:58.280 were they were eligible to receive a shirt. And uh, you know that 48 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:02.280 program, we had over hundred and fifth graders participate and I can't remember actually 49 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:07.479 how many fifth graders that out that that outran me. I always think about 50 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:10.759 my friend from Cain, Tucker Symes, who was a fifth grader, and 51 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:15.080 he ran right behind He had never ran that far before, and during that 52 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:16.840 race, he ran behind me and we had a conversation the whole time, 53 00:03:17.199 --> 00:03:21.719 and then about the last quarter mile and he just buzzed right past me and 54 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:24.159 left me in the dust. And so really proud of Tucker and he and 55 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:27.719 it was really amazing because he said, I, mister mcleod've never ran this 56 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:29.879 far before. He telling me all about it. I was like, Tucker, 57 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:31.680 let's just be quiet and run a little bit. But anyway, we 58 00:03:31.719 --> 00:03:35.759 had several I think of the fifth graders, I think we had twelve or 59 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:38.599 fifteen. I was gonna say they were probably about eight fifth graders, and 60 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:42.199 then there was one third grader, one fourth grader, sorry, and a 61 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:44.919 few high school and middle school students. Yeah, it was fun. So 62 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:46.840 they all came and they had a short form and so we're able to do 63 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:53.000 that and well, and Oliver, Oliver is a second grader, right, 64 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:54.360 he's a third grader. Oliver the third grader. Okay, yes, yeah, 65 00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:57.360 so I had a third grader. Of course he was in front of 66 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:00.280 me the whole time too, so yes, I was fine too. We 67 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:01.879 had we had them show up and so that was a lot of fun to 68 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:05.439 be able to recognize them as well. And in terms of things that are 69 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:10.879 actually approved during the board meeting, we had a light agend. We approved 70 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:15.000 our board meeting calendar dates for the upcoming year. We always do that at 71 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:17.519 the end of the year, which lower main on the third Monday at five 72 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:23.399 point thirty, and then we approved our academic calendar we had. We revised 73 00:04:23.399 --> 00:04:26.600 our school calendar for next year, made some slight revisions to that. The 74 00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:30.079 big takeaway is we're going to start school a week later than we did this 75 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:35.160 year. We'll still get out there right up leading up to Memorial Day breaks 76 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:39.720 for this basically this, I think we changed the date of our fall break, 77 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:43.439 but they're posted online so people. I know, I appreciate families when 78 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:47.920 they're when they're making travel plans and vacation plans to work around our school calendar. 79 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:50.439 We really need those kids to be in school. And then we also 80 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:56.639 approved our the twenty five twenty six academic calendar, which really mirrors mirrors of 81 00:04:56.639 --> 00:05:00.600 twenty four to twenty five calendar. So those are the items from our board 82 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:02.480 meeting Monday at a pretty short meeting, but got but we're able to get 83 00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:06.040 a lot done. We do plan and have a special school board meeting on 84 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:12.040 Tuesday the nineteenth at nine am. We are, as you know, we've 85 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:14.959 got a lot of construction going on and kind of the next phase over at 86 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:20.120 Wayside Elementary. The renovation piece of that. We just opened bids yesterday and 87 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:25.480 so we plan to ask our board to approve the guaranteed maximum price for the 88 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:30.079 renovation at Wayside. So that's just to keep that project on schedule so that 89 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:34.680 we can open school with those additional spaces at Wayside in August, which is 90 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:39.360 really pretty amazing considering, you know, our community just past that bond isshow 91 00:05:39.399 --> 00:05:42.439 in February, and then here we are working through that. Yeah, and 92 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:46.720 also mentioned too in our construction update that we are at facility which is really 93 00:05:46.759 --> 00:05:49.360 coming along beautifully. It's right on schedule. You know, we were just 94 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:55.600 talking about we did our kind of our kickoff a program for that at the 95 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:58.759 end of the last school year in May, and we're on schedule for that 96 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:01.800 project to be complete right at spring break, so in March of twenty twenty 97 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:05.079 four, so you know that fourth nine weeks of school, our kids will 98 00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:09.759 be able to you know, be in that facility and be able to use 99 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:12.879 that. I also mentioned on the board meeting, reminded them that the Lion 100 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:17.199 Foundation they are helping us with a they approved a half a million dollar grant 101 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:21.720 to help fund the greenhouses for that. You know, because when we passed 102 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:28.959 the approved the election for that act facility, obviously construction costs have gone up 103 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:31.120 and the facility costs more than what we plan for in twenty twenty one, 104 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:35.360 and so the Lion Foundation stepped up. They've already received half of that donation. 105 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:38.680 We've got that to come in last week, and we'll get the other 106 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:42.319 half next year. So anyway, a lot of exciting things going on. 107 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:44.560 I know, at the end of the calendar year, I always think back 108 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:47.439 of all the accomplishments that we've had and you know, just thinking about for 109 00:06:47.480 --> 00:06:50.680 our community to be proud of. In addition to all the academic things and 110 00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:54.639 opportunities that we talk about with our kids. But you know, just as 111 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:57.279 you're making a drive around town, looking at Christmas lights and looking at our 112 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:00.160 school facilities, you can really see the things rooms that we made, whether 113 00:07:00.199 --> 00:07:04.199 it's at Richard Kine or Wilson Elementary. I've talked about Wilson, and you 114 00:07:04.279 --> 00:07:06.680 know the agg facility, and of course all the things we've done at the 115 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:11.000 High School. So I wish much more things to come, more things on 116 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:14.439 the horizon. So really really proud of our thankful for our community support and 117 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:18.319 able to invest in our kids. Blair, you know you had that book 118 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:24.360 thing a few weeks ago. I'm just dying to find out how well did 119 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:27.639 that go to Cooper and mill Oh, the art auction, it went great. 120 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:31.319 We sold the remaining pieces of art for the illustrations from our book. 121 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:35.560 I knew they would go fast. They did. And then we introduced this 122 00:07:35.720 --> 00:07:39.439 was kind of a surprise hit as note cards. So now we have a 123 00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:41.879 set of nine note cards. You can bite at Moxie or buy it on 124 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:46.079 our foundation website. But it's a set of note cards turning in some of 125 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:48.800 those illustrations into note cards, and they're just they're just beautiful and they're a 126 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:51.319 great Christmas gift, and of course we still have the book for sale. 127 00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:56.839 Also at Moxie, I was able to Jennifer and I were able to win 128 00:07:56.920 --> 00:08:00.959 the silent auction or actually the live auction piece, because they auctioned off some 129 00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:05.879 art and so there was a some art that Stephen Graham, who's an art 130 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:11.759 teacher at Canamentry, very talented. He had done some art from the Pathfinder 131 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:16.360 as actually off of a picture that Grainger Metter had taken, and so Jennifer 132 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:18.600 Ier tickled to death. That was a goal going in. Hopefully we go 133 00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:22.079 forward to get that and so we've recently moved into our home that we built, 134 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:24.040 and so that's the I think that's the one piece of art we have 135 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:28.439 on the wall picture and so it's really neat. It's really neat to be 136 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:31.199 able to see, you know, I see that picture of the Pathfinder every 137 00:08:31.240 --> 00:08:33.840 day because I've spent miles and miles with the singing that very thing that's familiar 138 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:37.759 scenery at you. That was really neat. My office is looking much more 139 00:08:37.799 --> 00:08:43.120 bare now that I don't have beautiful pieces of art art in but that's okay. 140 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:45.879 They've all gone to good homes. Well else we got cooking on the 141 00:08:45.879 --> 00:08:48.919 foundation site. Well, just you know, the end of the year is 142 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:50.679 coming up in just a few short weeks. I don't know where November and 143 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:54.519 December have gone, but of course I know. But of course, so 144 00:08:54.519 --> 00:08:58.440 we're focused on year in giving. So if donors want to make a contribution 145 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:01.320 to the School Foundation, this is really we do our big annual giving push. 146 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:05.759 So we're in the middle of that. Obviously, if you want to 147 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:09.360 get if you still itemize your taxes and want to get a cheeritable deduction, 148 00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:11.480 you can do that by making a get to the foundation. But of course, 149 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:15.080 and I've come in a couple of different times to talk about this, 150 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:20.240 but because of that change in tax legislation last fall, donors who have any 151 00:09:20.279 --> 00:09:28.039 sort of Oklahoma state income tax liability can get a tax credit so they can 152 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:31.679 make donations to the School Foundation and actually get up to seventy five percent of 153 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:35.799 that donation back in the form of a tax credit. So it sounds it 154 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:39.000 sounds too good to be true, but it truly does work. We just 155 00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:45.240 launched it last year and we had about fifty donors take advantage of it. 156 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:50.559 On their taxes for twenty twenty two. My husband and I were one that 157 00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:54.600 did that, and I can tell you it was really easy to see that 158 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:58.159 that donation come back off in the form of a tax credit. What we 159 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:03.720 did is we deter and what our state income tax liability would roughly be, 160 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:07.720 and then we made a donation to the school foundation that would offset that liability 161 00:10:07.720 --> 00:10:13.200 and it worked. And this is again a statewide legislation. The funds are 162 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:18.159 set aside and earmarked for this purpose at the state level, and if Bartlesville's 163 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:22.799 not taking advantage of it, other school districts, private schools, they are 164 00:10:22.840 --> 00:10:24.840 taking advantage of it. So what we're trying to really push this year is 165 00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:30.159 just making sure that we're maximizing the benefit of this program for Bartlesville. So 166 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:33.600 often, a lot of our donors last year, if they were used to 167 00:10:33.639 --> 00:10:39.080 making a two hundred and fifty dollars donation to the school foundation, they would 168 00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:43.320 increase that to one thousand dollars donation, but it would still only cost them 169 00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:46.360 two hundred and fifty dollars because they were getting seven hundred and fifty dollars of 170 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:50.519 that donation back on their taxes. That's making your money work for everybody. 171 00:10:50.799 --> 00:10:54.279 It really is. It's a great way to just I mean, what you're 172 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:58.679 doing is you're redirecting tax dollars directly to Bartlesville Public Schools, and all those 173 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:03.159 dollars that come in under that credit, they are all earmarked for our teacher 174 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:07.080 grant program. Nice, yeah, Tom, And so I hope people will 175 00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:11.000 consider that if they're thinking about their end of the year giving and so these 176 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:15.200 dollars obviously go right into the classroom when you think about those classroom grant grants. 177 00:11:15.240 --> 00:11:18.960 But related, I also just wanted to mention just briefly on the safety 178 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:24.679 or school resource officer front, that's going really well in terms of having a 179 00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:28.559 school resource officer at every school, and we are going to be adding our 180 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:33.919 second officer at the high school. You that's something that the department felt like, 181 00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:35.960 just what the sheer size of the size and numbers, felt like it 182 00:11:37.000 --> 00:11:39.480 was best for us to have two resource officers at the high school. And 183 00:11:39.559 --> 00:11:43.399 so that's going to be start being staffed in January. And so that's something 184 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:48.120 else that the Foundation has helped us with offset the cost last year. You 185 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:52.120 know, if you'll remember, yeah, they've tru to Education Foundation last year 186 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:56.600 donated one hundred thousand dollars to help us offset that cost. We'll soon be 187 00:11:56.600 --> 00:12:01.279 announcing some other donations that are coming into all to further help offset that for 188 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:07.120 the future. So that's gone so well. I can't tell you how what 189 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:11.120 a comfort it is to our families, you know, our staff, our 190 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:15.360 kiddos, just to see them there on a daily basis and all the support 191 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:18.240 that they're able to give. I recently told the story. I know last 192 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:24.279 spring, State Superintendent Walters was in town and we were over Richard Kine Elementary 193 00:12:24.039 --> 00:12:28.120 and he came and read to one of our classes, one of our first 194 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:30.960 grade classes, I believe it was Aaron Perry's, and when it was over, 195 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:33.480 he asked the kids. He asked a handful of them what they wanted 196 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:35.559 to be when they grew up, and of the five that answered, I 197 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:39.360 think two of them said they wanted to be teachers, and the other two 198 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:41.720 or three so they wanted to be police officers. So I just think that 199 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:46.639 having them around and having that relationship is nothing going that helps not only them 200 00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:50.519 currently but also going to help our community in the future. That building that 201 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:52.799 relationship. Being at Keen a few times, you know, the kids in 202 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:56.559 the SRO. I mean they're tight, Yeah, they really are. They 203 00:12:56.559 --> 00:13:00.879 have fun together. He obviously have a role of la unfortunate, but they're 204 00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:03.480 doing so much more than that. I mean that right going to the schools. 205 00:13:03.480 --> 00:13:05.120 They're doing something with the kids, you know, proactive. So it's 206 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:07.440 great. Yeah, it's it's really good and really just. And this is 207 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:11.159 another reason why this is such a great place to live, to have those 208 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:15.720 type of supports, you know, thinking about our our foundation and so even 209 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:18.519 those out there, because I occasionally get those questions about what, you know, 210 00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:20.720 what can I do to help? Uh? And I was asked that 211 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:22.120 question recently and I didn't answer as well as I should. But I can 212 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:26.799 tell you one specifically, Uh, you know, if you can by making 213 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:31.720 donations to our foundation, if there's a thing specifically that you want to uh 214 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:35.000 your heart speaks to in terms of aut the schools, a specific program, 215 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:39.080 whether it's safety, whether it's STEM or just the classroom grants or just overall 216 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:41.960 just unrestricted funds. Those those things go directly into helping our kids. So 217 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:46.799 I want to encourage people to consider making that donation as we end up this 218 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:52.159 calendar year. Alright, anything else we need to cover. I think that's 219 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:56.039 it. That's a lot, that's quite quite a bit of information. I 220 00:13:56.080 --> 00:14:00.120 just wish your budyrry Christmas and a happy New Year. Oh you as well. 221 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:01.799 I was really afraid I missed something, but thank you very much for 222 00:14:01.879 --> 00:14:05.600 being here to flash dismissed. As they say, we've got more govern up 223 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:07.559 right here on K one.