During the regular meeting of the Durant Board of Education, the board approved a resolution calling for an election for board member No. 5. That seat is currently held by Joyce Northcutt and the election will be in February 2025.
Drop-out reports were presented during the meeting and it was revealed that the numbers in Durant “are pretty good compared to other places.” The middle school did not have any dropouts last school year. The yearly audit by Bledsoe, Hewitt & Gullekson was presented and there were no issues.
A memorandum of understanding between Murray State College and Durant Public Schools was approved by the board. This is a program that will allow students to earn an associate nursing degree. A memorandum of understanding was also approved with Baylor University to host a speech pathologist student teacher.
An updated on the high school agriculture building under construction was presented by Mid-Plains Construction. A fire sprinkler system has been installed and interior finishing is ongoing. The building is expected to be finished by the first of the year, depending upon the weather.
Employment of the following personnel was approved: Sydney Wood and Laney Ketchum, part-time special education teachers for Durant Schools to assist with paperwork; Brent Ellis, math instructor at DHS; Sharlena Hamby, JAG Career Specialist at DHS; Meadow Tiffie, special education teacher assistant at DIS; Michael Manning, maintenance employee, and Ray Shuemake, Tony Lehrling, Gary Voris and Norma Belvin, transportation employees.