The Freedom School Board met Monday evening for 30 minutes. They made a quorum with three of five members present. Later, Robert Babcock arrived.

One method the Freedom board has used to speed up their meetings is to include on the consent agenda many items approved separately by other school boards. The Freedom agenda listed 27 items on the consent agenda approved with one vote. The board members may ask for a separate vote on any item, and the media is provided with a board packet that includes documents on each item.

Some of the consent items are as follows:

• Regular board minutes of May 14, 2018

• Special board meeting minutes of May 29, 2018

• Action to approve treasurer's report

• Action to approve activity fund report

• Action to approve new encumbrances (listed in Appendix A) for general fund, building fund, and child nutrition fund.

• Sign warrants for general fund

• Sign warrants for building fund

• Sign warrants for child nutrition fund

• Action to approve FY2019 Activity Fund Sub-Accounts (listed on Appendix B)

•Action to continue OSSBA membership for 2018-19

•Action to continue OSSBA policy subscription for 2018-19

• Action to approve contract with OSAG for worker's compensation insurance (increase of $405)

• Action on contract with Precision Testing Laboratories Inc. for required three-year asbestos inspection

• Action to continue Microsoft software campus agreement

• Action to approve FY2019 payroll dates

• Action to accept dual enrollment credits from Northwest Technology Center and concurrent enrollment college courses toward high school graduation requirements.

• Action to approve James Miller, Tamara Link, Bryant Weber, Brenda Daughhetee, Robyn Landis, Bryan Davey and Michelle Shelite as receiving agents for the Freedom Schools

• Action to continue calculating school days by hour method and maintaining a minimum of 1,080 hours per school year.

• Action to approved James Miller, superintendent, on behalf of Freedom Public Schools as: purchasing agent, authorized representative and fund custodian for all local, state and federal programs, including but not limited to E-Rate, Child Nutrition, General, Building, Sinking, Activity and Bond funds.

• Authorize Patricia Dauphin as the encumbrance and minutes clerk, district alternate purchasing agent, custodian of the child nutrition fund and authorized Federal Programs claims representative.

•Authorize Robyn Landis as child nutrition purchasing and receiving agent.

• Authorized Freida Burgess as alternative federal programs authorized representative

•Approve David Manning, Woods County treasurer, as FY2019 school district treasurer

• Continue to lease purchase of activity bus, HVAC and roof for FY2019.

• Action to continue membership with OROS.

Items approved by separate votes were as follows:

• Participation in the Woods County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation plan

• Approve 15 activity absences for 2018-19 (same as last year)

• Accept a bid from SPC for 40 boxes of copy paper at $29.90 per box

• Continue with Chas. W. Carroll, PA for the 2017-18 fiscal year audit and FY201 budget and estimate of needs. The price is up $800 from last year because of state audit changes.

• Approved moving some activity fund account amounts around.

• Approved accepting a donation of a flatbed diesel truck from Sandridge.

• Approved Michelle Shelite as 2018-19 school counselor. This is her second year.

Superintendent James Miller said the school budget was $2,389,811.56 and collections for last school year are still coming in and are now at $56,000 higher. The general fund carryover is estimated to be $830-$850,000. The building fund carryover is likely to be $140,000-160,000. The child nutrition fund will carry over about $5,000.

In summer school, four students are participating in elementary reading and 11 students in microbiology. The Chamber of Commerce is providing swimming lessons for nearly 30 students and an art camp in July.

As far as maintenance, Supt. Miller said lots of tree trimming and painting going on. Also, all old radiators have been removed from the building.

Miller said Rep. Carl Newton sponsored HB 3117, which will provide school districts with better notification when any of their board members are not in compliance with continuing board education points.

One interesting new law Miller mentioned: “School districts must permit students to apply sunscreen lotion to themselves.”