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Stillwater Board of Ed adopts
new grade configuration
By Van Mitchell
Journal Staff Writer
The Stillwater Board of
Education approved on a
4-1 vote Monday night
during a special meet-
ing at the Performing
Arts Center at Stillwater
High School to adopt a
new grade configuration
starting in the 2015-2016
school year.
Camille DeYoung who
represents Ward 1 was the
lone dissenting vote.
The changes will
result in result in ninth-
through 12th-grade
students attending
Stillwater High School,
seventh-and eighth-
grade students attending
Stillwater Junior High,
fifth-and sixth-grade stu-
dents attending Stillwa-
ter Middle School, and
pre-kindergarten through
fourth-grade students
attending one of the
district's six elementary
schools.
The special meeting
was held to consider the
realignment of grades
and personnel moves as
part of a plan to absorb
a budget shortfall of $1.9
million which includes
$400,000 in state aid and
the depletion of a carry-
over balance.
SPS Superintendent Ann
Caine thanked the board
for tackling this issue.
"I know it was a tough
vote tonight for them and
there are still a lot of
unanswered questions,"
Caine said. "Our whole
purpose was to allow us
to have a year to do due
diligence and do a thor-
ough job planning. I think
we have a great opportu-
nity here to be visionary
and cutting edge in what
we want our new school
configurations to look
like."
During the public input
section of the meeting
several parents and stu-
dents voiced concerns
and questions about the
grade moves.
It was those concerns
that prompted DeYoung
to ask the board to post-
pone their vote.
"Can we postpone the
vote until we get some
of the key questions
haunting people to get
answered?" DeYoung
said.
Reconfiguring the
grades was one recom-
See BOARD, Page 82
SUA raises borrowing cap
By Van Mitchell is a document that describes of the previous year's revenue
Journal Staff Writer
The Stillwater Utilities
Authority at its meeting
Monday night approved
changes to the SUA's trust
indenture that will allow it to
borrow more money if certain
safeguards are met.
Stillwater Mayor John
Bartley said the amendments
increase the cap on borrow-
ing in a single year from 10
percent of the previous year's
revenues to 40 percent.
The SUA' mast indenture
the terms and conditions for
the authority's operation and
how it can issue bonds for
debt purposes.
Bartley said the increase in
borrowing ability was needed
in part to cover the cost of
water system improvement
projects that make up the city's
Water 2040 plan.
"We did amend the mast
agreement," Bartley said. "It
does two things. It increases
the potential amount that could
be borrowed from 10 percent
to 40 percent of the previous
year's revenues. Then we put
in multiple precautions and
protections for the rote payers.
While we have the potential to
borrow more there arc more
protections and requirements
to be able to do so."
Bartley said one safeguard
includes a voting change for
taking on debt.
"We amended the trust to
require a 4/5ths vote to borrow
any amount and not just a
See SUA, Page S3
Ex-con jailed on $100,000 bond
By Patti Weaver
Journal Correspondent
An ex-convict has been
jailed on $100,000 bail on
charges of choking and
pointing a loaded gun at
a female roommate, firing
the stolen gun inside and
outside of his trailer in Still-
water, and being a felon in
possession of a gun.
Timothy Lee Weaver, 49,
could be incarcerated for 46
years if convicted of a five-
count charge on which he
was ordered to appear in
court on April 7 when he
can seek a preliminary
hearing.
The woman's two chil-
dren, a 7-year-old boy and a
9-year-old girl, were inside
the trailer on S. Walnut
Street in Stillwater during
the incident to which offi-
cers were dispatched shortly
after midnight on March 14,
an affidavit said.
When five police offi-
cers arrived, the boy was
very upset and difficult to
understand; however, the
girl remained calm and
"she was able to tell me
what she saw," Stillwater
Police Officer Eric McKin-
ney wrote in an affidavit.
She said that she and her
brother were in their bed-
rooms sleeping when they
were awakened to what
sounded like things being
broken in the living room,
the affidavit said.
She said that when
she and her brother came
into the living room, she
saw Weaver on top of her
mother in a recliner with
one fist pressing into her
See WEAVER, Page $2
Distinguished Young Woman
Madison Weiser of Stillwater was selected the Distinguished Young Woman of Payne
County for 2015 at the Stillwater Community Center on Saturday, March 8. Also receiving
awards were (I to r) Montachay Wallace of Stillwater, Participation; Emily Fry of Stillwater,
1st Runner Up and Be Your Best Self; Madison Weiser, Talent, Interview, Scholastics, and
Self-Expression; Abbigail Smith of Perkins, 2nd Runner Up; Jessica Rhea of Stillwater,
Spirit); and Hannah-Beth Link of Cushing, Participation. Photo provided
THE JOURNAL
.]IIIJlLI[I!IJlII[I! !! !11 lll00
The Stillwater Board of Education heard Monday night during a special meeting at the
Performing Arts Center several proposals aimed at cutting $1.9 million from its budget.
Journal photo by Van Mitchell
Budget cuts could eliminate
School Resource Officers
By Van Mitchell
Journal Staff Writer
The Stillwater Board of
Education heard Monday
night during a special meet-
ing at the Performing Arts
Center several proposals
aimed at cutting $1.9 million
from its budget including not
renewing a contract with the
City of Stillwater to provide
three school resource offi-
cers for school security.
SPS Superintendent Ann
Caine said not renewing the
contract will save the school
district $75,000.
"We currently have three
SROs and our plan is to non-
renew our contract with the
City for all of them," Caine
said. "Four years ago the
City asked us if we could
pay pai't of the costs because
up until then we had not
paid anything for the SROs.
Most 6A school districts
pay a portion of their SRO
costs."
Caine said SPS and City
Manager Dan Galloway had
an agreement on how much
the school district would pay
for the SROs.
"Dan Galloway and I
agreed that three years ago
we would pay 10 percent,
last year 25 percent and
this year 50 percent, with
the intent to reevaluate
after this year," Caine said.
"Because we could "see"
that the budget was going
to be tight this year, we
renegotiated with the city
last winter to continue to pay
25 percent ($75,000 instead
of $150,000) for this school
year. We have always had
a collaborative relationship
with the city and will con-
tinue to do so.
Board members received
a mid-term report in Janu-
ary by Phillip Storm, SPS
chief financial officer that
indicated the school district
would receive $400,000 less
in state aid. Along with the
depletion of the carryover
balance, the district is faced
with cutting $1.9 million
from next year's budget in
order to remain fiscally solid
on Dec. 31.
Karrie Bales, a parent and
SRO for Stillwater High
School, spoke out against
eliminating the SRO pro-
gram.
"The Stillwater Public
See SRO, Page S4
New children's reading program
encourages cultural diversity
By Van Mitchell
Journal Staff Writer
The Stillwater Public
Library is introducing a
new children's reading
and discussion series titled
"Muslim Voices" which
provides an opportunity
for children and program
facilitators to explore uni-
versal themes through high-
quality books with Muslim
protagonists.
The new program for
children ages 8-12 will take
place Tuesdays from 4:30-
5:30 p.m. on April 8, 15, 29
and May 6. Registration is
required. It is sponsored
by the National Endow-
ment for the Humanities,
New York Council for the
Humanities and Oklahoma
Humanities Council.
"We have a very diverse
community here in Stillwa-
ter," said Elizabeth Murray,
children's librarian. "The
goal of the program is to
create meaningful conver-
sations about the shared
humanity of non-Muslim
and Muslim people. The
series makes children
actively think about
common themes that cross
cultural, religious, and
ethnic divides."
Murray said the Stillwater
Public Library was chosen
for the program in part due
to Stillwater's diversity
and community support
children's programming.
"The original idea is from
the New York Humanities
Council .which has done
several other similar type
programs," Murray said.
"They offered it out to
other states and they chose
Oklahoma and Michigan.
From there the Oklahoma
Humanities Council asked
if we would be interested
in participating as a pilot
program. We have a very
responsive community to
Stillwater Public Library
programming."
Book discussions will be
held at the library and will
be facilitated by Murray
and Najwa Raouda, lec-
turer in Oklahoma State
University's Religious
Studies department.
"I wanted to be involved
with this project because it
is an opportunity to present
to our children a diverse
world that is different from
what they know or see on
TV," Raouda said. "I am
eager to share multiple cul-
tures and points of views
with Stillwater children."
Murray said each child
who registers for the series
will receive a free copy of
the book being discussed.
Participants are expected
to complete the readings
before each meeting and to
attend all four sessions.
"Literature gives us
glimpses into other cultures
and lives," Murray said.
"By reading and discuss-
ing these books, children
are able to gain a broader
global perspective, while
discovering the similarities
we share with people who
may seem very different
from us."
To sign-up, visit the
library's website at http:
//library.stillwater.org, call
the library's Help Desk at
(405) 372-3633 or emaila
skalibrarian@ stillwater.o
rg. The Stillwater Public
Library is located at1107
S. Duck Street.
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