The Gore School Board convened on Oct. 15 for its regular monthly meeting to address a range of crucial items affecting the district’s future, including an upcoming election for board seat No. 5, and whether or not to reemploy their current school superintendent for the 2025–26 school year.

Board president Lester Keathley led the meeting, which saw unanimous approval for several significant motions, including to accept bids for construction management companies for lower elementary building projects. Additionally, an auction and/or bids was approved for the demolition of the old bus barn.

In a pivotal moment for the district, the board unanimously decided to not re-employ current superintendent Lucky McCrary, for the 202526 school year, following about a 45-minute executive session evaluation.

McCrary spoke on the district budget update, and also gave an update on construction projects, bus parking/ storage, and selling the Carlisle School property, during the superintendent’s report.

Principals Tonya Pugh and Amanda Andrews, during their reports, spoke about the college remediation report, state test results and rankings, and current action plans to address those results.

The board also approved a resolution calling for an election of board seat No. 5, a 5-year term, with the Primary set for Feb. 11, 2025, and the General Election for April 1, 2025. The filing period will open at 8 a.m. on Dec. 2 and end at 5 p.m. on Dec. 4 at the Sequoyah County Election Board.

A motion was then made to remove temporary appro- preations and replace it with estimate of needs as district budget for the 2024-25 school year, as approved by the Sequoyah County Excise Board.

Other notable actions included approving overnight trips for various school teams, including the FFA’s attendance at the National Convention in Indianapolis and a wrestling trip to Arkansas. The board also welcomed Belinda Madding as the district treasurer and Rhonda Harper as the adjunct teacher for the music programs at the school.

Kristen Wolf and Angie McGee were also approved as substitutes for the remainder of the school year, according to meeting minutes.

This news story is based on the unofficial minutes from the board meeting and could be in error if the minutes are changed prior to adoption.