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BOARD ACTIONS

Staff Reports

Cancer Fund Drive & Donation to OMRF – Dr. Matthew Flinton, Chief Secondary Officer, and Joy Murphy, Executive Director of the Putnam City Foundation

Recognition of Site Teachers of the Year – Michelle Hopper – PCACT Teacher of the Year Chair

Mid-Year Allocation Report – Ryan Spilman – Chief Financial Officer

Audit Presentation – S&B CPAs Associates

Update on Strategic Plan – Dr. Jason Memoli – Chief of Staff

The Board approved the following agenda items:

• Recommendation of employment of new personnel and reassignments

• Motion regarding Independent Audit Report by S&B CPAs.

• Motion regarding renewal of employment for Certified/Support

• Motion regarding renewal of employment for Certified/Support Administrators as listed on Attachment C for the 2026-2027 school year.

• Motion regarding revisions of District Policy DE – Support Personnel.

• Motion regarding the Site Homeless Liaison stipends for the 2025-2026 school year.

• Motion regarding contract with OneNet for Advanced Firewall Services for the 2026-2027 school year.

• Motion regarding contract with OneNet for Internet Services for the 2026-2027 school year.

• Motion regarding 2026-2027 District School Calendar.

For a full list of Board meeting items and attachments, please view the full agenda on our website.

COLLETTE SHEPARD-MCINTIRE 

Collette Shepard-McIntire thanked the District’s Communications Department for their posts and messages during the winter storm closures. Thanked tonight's presenters for the Board reports.

CHARITY AVERY

Charity Avery spoke about the winter storm closures and how safety is a top priority. Thanked the District administration for their informed decisions on closures. Congratulated the site teachers of the year, who were recognized tonight, and how she enjoyed seeing teachers who were once students in the District be recognized with this incredible honor.

JUDY MULLEN HOPPER

Judy Mullen Hopper thanked the PC Foundation for Board Appreciation Month. Thanked PCACT for the hard work representing teachers. Spoke to her recent fun involvement at the Martin Luther King Jr. parade with the District and Foundation. 

JAY SHERRILL

Jay Sherrill thanked the District’s Business Office for their efforts working with a new audit company.

STEVE BURGER

Steve Burger thanked the District’s administration team for being proactive on the winter weather closures.  

Meeting Date: Monday, February 2, 2026, 5pm
Location: PC Centennial Center, Gail LoPresto Board Room
1914 Centennial Pkwy, OKC. OK. 73122
In Attendance: Board Members: President Steve Burger, Charity Avery, Judy Mullen-Hopper, and Collette Shepard-McIntire; Superintendent Dr. Fred Rhodes, Board Clerk Stephanie Knox
Next Meeting: Monday, March 2, 2026, 5pm

At each Board Meeting, we incorporate high school student leaders to open the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence. This tradition is guided by our District's mission statement of empowering students to achieve personal success and enrich the community.

Tonight's student leader was:

Samantha Ramos Elizalde, a junior at Putnam City High School. She is a 2 year member of Student Council and is currently serving as Student Council Vice President. She is also a founding member of FirstGen, a club focused on preparing first-generation college students for their futures. Samantha is also involved in freshman mentor, Latino Club, National Honor Society, FCCLA, and DECA. She has represented Putnam City High School in the Superintendent's Advisory Council and at the capitol for National Public School Day and has received the prestigious "Keeper of the Code" award for PC High. In her free time, Samantha volunteers at Rollingwod Elementary and has even helped with Make a Wish! She has maintained a 4.186 GPA while taking multiple AP classes. Her favorite memory of high school is attending Student Council State. Samantha plans on attending the University of Oklahoma and majoring in dentistry. 

Each year, all of our schools hold various events or philanthropy weeks to raise money with our local community for the District's Cancer Fund Drive. OMRF is the District's longest-standing partner, and we are very grateful for their support. As a way to say thank you for our donations each year, we can send students to the OMRF offices for a day of science and learning alongside their brilliant team of researchers. This is a unique experience no other district can offer. Thank you to our community for helping us fundraise to beat cancer, and thank you to OMRF for your partnership. 

Tonight, Dr. Flinton, Chief Secondary Officer, and Joy Murphy, Executive Director of the PC Foundation, presented OMRF with a $65,000 donation.

Being Teacher of the Year is such an honor, and we want to continue celebrating this prestigious award. We were pleased to welcome all 27 of our site Teachers of the Year to tonight's Board Meeting.

As we return from a series of days affected by severe weather due to the recent snowstorm, I want to start by welcoming everyone back. While our main goal is always to stay in school whenever possible, safety must always come first. We were excited to have our students and staff back in our schools on Friday, where learning and connection could continue in meaningful ways, but we appreciate the patience, flexibility, and understanding shown by our families and staff as we managed those tough weather days.

I would also like to provide an update regarding instructional time following those inclement weather days. Putnam City Schools operates under a waiver with the Oklahoma State Department of Education that allows us to count our school year by instructional hours rather than by days. Our requirement is 1,086 instructional hours, and at this time, we remain within that requirement. However, if additional weather-related closures become necessary, we will need to explore alternative options to make up any lost instructional time. We will communicate with staff and families regarding any changes to our calendar or schedule, should it be required.

On to a different topic, I would like to recognize Alex Rivera, our current District Teacher of the Year. Alex was recently honored as a January Teacher of the Month by both the Oklahoma City Council and the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City. This recognition followed a nomination by the Putnam City Foundation and reflects Alex’s outstanding dedication to students, the profession, and our District. We are proud to celebrate this well-deserved honor.

Looking ahead, I want to highlight an upcoming opportunity within our District. February 26, Putnam City Schools will host a Career Fair from 4:30-6:30pm at the Centennial Center. Our career fair slogan for this year is ‘Start Here, Grow Here. What if your next step starts here?’ We are expanding our Career Fair to not just target prospective employees, but also to be an event for current employees to discover new pathways to either broaden or advance in their current or desired position. We are excited for this change in our annual Career Fair as we are eager to help our very own grow and continue to Go Boldly with Putnam City Schools. 

-Dr. Fred Rhodes

February 13 No School, High School & District Offices Open

February 16 Asynchronous Day- Students Virtual/Teachers On-Site

February 26 PC Career Fair- 4:30-6:30pm 1914 Centennial Parkway, Oklahoma City OK 73122

Kindergarteners at Coronado Heights Elementary are officially adoptive parents of… dairy calves? Ms. Luevano Galindo’s class will follow Roxan, a four-month-old Holstein calf, through photos and videos while learning how dairy farmers care for animals, what cows eat, and how food moves from farm to table. Stay tuned for updates next month as we meet the classroom calves of Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Rice!

Fast starts, strong turns, and a full pool of competition as the Pirates, Patriots, and Panthers went lane to lane against regional rivals at the Putnam City Invitational Swim Meet. Congratulations to our District athletes on their victories!

Read-alouds pull students into books and ignite imaginations long before they’re able to read every word. Moments like this one at Will Rogers Elementary happen across Putnam City every day!

PC North students dazzled as they turned a Seuss classic into a glowing, full-house experience with their Blacklight production of The Lorax. An auditorium full of glow sticks, cheers, and students supporting their classmates? Hard to beat.

Warr Acres Fire Department members visited Central Elementary Pre-K to show students their protective gear, demonstrate fire safety basics, and talk through what to do in an emergency. The best part? Getting a firetruck tour afterward!

Elementary sports are where students learn how to move their bodies, work with others, and keep going even when the score isn't in their favor. These Windsor Hills Wildcats show that fun and effort go hand in hand! 

Before you can go over the rainbow, you have to go over the script Capps Middle School students are rehearsing The Wizard of Oz, using theatre to develop the brains, heart, and nerve it takes to perform in front of classmates and family.

Well... it turns out that kids can build up a lot of energy after a few snow days. Ralph Downs Elementary Snowflake Ball was the perfect excuse to dress up, catch up with friends, and work out those wiggles!

PC North basketball took care of business against Broken Arrow with strong ball movement, aggressive drives, and support from the Pantheralls and student section.

Through an EPA grant obtained in partnership with Green Energy Solutions (GES), approximately 100 out of 150 buses in our fleet will be converted to condensed natural gas (CNG). This is at no cost to the District! We are excited to lead the way in making innovative and environmentally friendly changes in our District.

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Putnam City Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, identity, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, or disability. Translations are completed by Google Translate.