WAURIKA — In the past, a big yellow bus with “Waurika Independent School District” emblazoned on the sides would pull into a parking lot at another school that was hosting an athletic competition or school function, and the passengers would begin to disembark.

Emptying the bus didn’t take long.

Although the bus would hold 60 students or more, there might be only eight members of Waurika’s powerlifting team or maybe six members of the Waurika Middle School academic team climbing out of the vehicle; perhaps there were four students taking classes at Red River Technology Center or seven officers from the Waurika FFA chapter.

What bothered Superintendent Roxie Terry was the imbalance between bus capacity and the actual number of students being transported on the school district’s full-size buses. It was costly, and it seemed somewhat incongruous.

Those days will be ending.

During a regular meeting of the Waurika Board of Education Monday night, board members accepted a bid that will add a mid-sized bus to the District 23 fleet.

Terry told board members that three companies had submitted bids for a school bus that would hold up to 47 passengers. The lowest bid came from Ross Transportation Inc. in Oklahoma City, which offered a Blue Bird Vision bus for $74,841.

Roberts Bus Center of Oklahoma City made a bid of $79,172 for an International CE200 bus, while a bid from Midwest Bus Sales in El Reno totaled $83,543.

While the bidding rules provide the board could accept the lowest or best bid received, Terry said his recommendation to accept the bid from Ross Transportation covered both aspects of the process.

“The rules say we can accept the lowest or best bid, but I think the one that meets every request we have is the one for the Blue Bird, which is also the lowest bid,” Terry said.

Noting that all other buses in Waurika’s fleet are Blue Bird, Terry felt it was also in Ross Transportation’s favor that parts for the fleet would be interchangeable.

As far as paying for the district’s new “ride,” Terry said over half of the funds, approximately $46,000, could come from funds the district received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Red River Technology Center has announced a hike in its transportation fee for sending schools, which means the district will be spending an extra $5,000 for that service. However, Terry said between $23,000 and $25,000 could come from the General Fund to cover the balance of the payment.

During the 90-minute gathering in the WHS/WMS library, the board spent about 20 minutes in executive session that resulted in two personnel hirings.

Upon returning to regular session, the board voted unanimously to employ Judy Latimer as a counselor and secondary teacher, and Angela Rouse as an elementary teacher. Latimer has had experience in the FAME program  and as a teacher and counselor at Empire and Comanche. It’s a return to Waurika for Rouse, who taught several years at Waurika Elementary, before spending last school year at Empire.

Several other actions taken by the board were annual functions that occur during the change of fiscal and school years. The board unanimously approved:

- To pay $3,850 to Wilson, Dotson & Associates P.L.L.C. for auditing service in FY 2011. A hike in filing fees resulted in a $60 increase in that annual contract.

- Temporary appropriations for FY ’11 as prepared by the district’s auditors, which will provide $4,488 in operating fees during the transition in fiscal years.

- A contract renewal of $3,335 with Kellogg & Sovereign Consulting LLC for E-Rate services.

- Appointing Terry as purchasing agent for Waurika ISD, authorized representative for all federal programs including E-Rate and child nutrition, and designated custodian for the General Fund, Build Fund, Child Nutrition Fund, Bond Fund, Activity Fund, all federal programs including E-Rate, all state programs, and all school programs and activities listed for the 2010-11 school year.

- An Activity Fund resolution to make the following transfers: $78.26 from No. 801 Athletics to No. 805 Southern Eight for track medals; and, $2,424 from No. 804 Clearing to the General fund to close an account.

- A contract with Precision Testing Laboratories Inc. to provide services relating to asbestos for a $650 retainer fee.

- A payment of $4,410 to renew a contact with Barlow Education Management Services for federal grant services. There was no increase in that fee.

Terry also discussed the school’s continued adherence to Child Internet Protection Act policies, which was not an action item.

There was also discussion of repairs and improvements for the baseball and softball diamonds used by athletic teams at all levels.

In the past year, with the assistance of volunteers and sponsors, the district has helped fund improvements that include new backstops, electric lights and concession stand improvements. “We’ve had some great cooperation with several people willing to donate time and provide materials for those projects,” Terry noted.

Looking ahead, Terry told board members work was still needed on chain link fences at both ball diamonds, the press box at the baseball diamond needed painting and wiring and bulbs on scoreboards needed to be replaced.

In addition, he said, the outfield fence at the baseball diamond has fallen into disrepair. Several sponsorship panels have been damaged or have become weathered, and Terry suggested there needed to be consistency in the materials used to make those panels.

The board took no action on those potential repairs and improvements, but the topic is expected to be on a future meeting agenda.

In other action, the board approved:

- Encumbrance of 18 purchase orders for the 2009-10 General Fund.

- Increasing purchase order No. 21 to Josten’s from $700 to $788.66 due to a low estimate.

- The Activity Fund detail ledger for May.

- Appointing Rebecca Cunningham as Activity Fund custodian and as treasurer for FY ’10.

- Appointing Zona Houston as encumbrance clerk.

- Appointing WHS/WMS principal as co-signature on the Activity Fund checking account.

- Cunningham’s treasurer’s report for May.

- Minutes from a regular meeting on May 10 and a special meeting on May 20.

Waurika Elementary Principal Cody Simmons was called away during the meeting, but during administrative reports, Spradlin noted that a new mural called “Famous Oklahomans” is being painted on an interior wall at Waurika Elementary. He also said the summer school program at WES was averaging 20 students per day.

Spradlin said there were 10 Waurika High/Middle School students taking summer courses to recover credits or accomplish electives, while another dozen students were enrolled in the summer driver’s education course.

With no major construction or renovation projects this summer, Terry said the district’s custodians have been working on cleaning and repair at WHS/WMS. Once that work is completed, the entire custodial staff will shift its attention to the elementary school.