The Sandite Softball team is presented with Sandite Spirit Awards for their Academic State Champion title.
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The Sand Springs Board of Education presented Sandite Spirit Awards to the Charles Page High School softball and volleyball teams at their Monday night meeting, recognizing the squads for their achievements this year. Both teams won the 6A Academic State Championships this year with 3.9 GPAs.

Additionally, Jacob Smith was given a Spirit award for qualifying for the Cross Country State Championship, and local philanthropist Montie Box was given a Pacesetter Award in honor of a $2,250 donation to help send Northwoods and Garfield elementary students to JA Biztown.

Superintendent Sherry Durkee announced that the Schusterman Foundation will be donating $40,000 towards the SSPS STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) initiative this year. Webco Industries will be donating $30,000 and the Sand Springs Home will be donating $10,000. The district hopes to raise $100,000 to add BioMed III, Computer Science II and other classes to the district’s Project Lead the Way curriculum.

Jeffrey Hewett of Sanders, Bledsoe, and Hewett gave the district a mostly clean audit report with no serious issues.

Superintendent Durkee gave a summary of Charles Page High School’s Spring ACT performance. The school’s average English score dropped, but the Reading and Math scores improved by 0.2 points each.

The district approved Stephen H. McDonald and Associates as the district’s financial consultants for the upcoming bond initiative. They also approved a measure setting the bond election date as March 5, 2019.

If the first bond measure passes, $31.5 million will be used to construct a new freshman academy and STEM center on the campus of the high school, replacing the current Central Ninth Grade Center in downtown Sand Springs. A gymnasium will be added on at Angus Valley Elementary and will be built as a hardened-room tornado shelter. The district will also purchase new technology, textbooks, software, library books, and instructional materials for sites throughout the district. Repairs will also be made to HVAC equipment, electrical equipment, parking lots, painting and roofing, sound systems, windows, security systems, playground equipment, athletic equipment, lockers, sidewalks, and more.

A separate $1.3 million measure will go to the ballot to provide for transportation equipment.

The Board approved the employment of a new third grade teacher for Garfield, a Special Education teacher and a Title 1 Paraprofessional for CNGC, a science teacher for Page Academy, a Title 1 teacher for Pratt Elementary, and a licensed practical nurse for Angus.

Board President Bo Naugle’s term will expire this coming April. The Board approved a filing period of December 3-5 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for Board of Ed Office No. 4. Candidates can file at the Tulsa County Election Board offices at 555 North Denver in Tulsa. If Naugle draws an opponent the election will be held on April 2.

The Sand Springs Board of Education holds public meetings on the first Monday of the month at the CPHS Fine Arts Building at 7:00 p.m.