May 8, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Special Meeting of Whitebead Board of Education

Discussion:  There were 49 guests in attendance. David Morris, superintendent of Paoli School, and Ed Meyers, Paoli School Board President, attended the meeting.

Discussion:  Alex Young started with the following statement:
This meeting is for discussion and information sharing regarding the proposed annexation of Paoli School District into Whitebead School District. No formal action (no vote) will be taken at this meeting.  All participants must be respectful to speakers, board members, staff and other attendees.  Disruptive behavior (shouting, interruptions, insults) will not be allowed. Any violation will result in your removal from the building.

Jason presented on an overhead screen  Requested Information from Public Hearings and Taxpayer Cost Analysis.  These items were also available as handouts and will be attached to the minutes.

Fourteen community members had comments at the meeting.

1. James Vines-James stated that he believes that in the long term the annexation would be a great opportunity to expand Whitebead and shield it from possibly getting shut down later because it is a K-8.
2. Steven Vines-Steven is in favor of annexation.  He believes increasing our bond capacity would over time help us update our buildings at Whitebead.  Steven also thinks tax revenues going up would be a good thing.  He stated that places that refuse growth eventually cease to exist.
3. Lee Tincher-Lee had questions about the long-term vision if we annexed Paoli, who the transitional team would be, and the academic standings of the schools. Alex said we could not answer the long-term vision question. That would be a question for the new board.  He told her that we would have a person at the State Department of Education that would be assigned to us.  He said he could not answer how academic standings would be handled. That would be a question for the new board.
4. Marty Vierra-Marty expressed his thanks for the board allowing individuals to speak.  He believes the decision should be about the children and their families.  He knows we will move forward either way, and he will be glad to be a part of it.  
5. Allie Hamilton-Allie likes the Oklahoma Rural Elementary School aspect of the K-8 schools.  We would lose that if we went to a K-12 school.  Allie believes the competition within ORES is a valuable part of Whitebead School.
6. Bonnie Meisel-Bonnie is concerned about Paoli being a town of poverty.  She talked about how much the Samaritan food pantry was currently helping the town of Paoli.  She wonders what percentage of the Paoli School population is special education.  Bonnie is upset because she is not allowed to vote on the issue.
7. Erica Shippey-Erica stated that kids have continued to come back to Whitebead and not Paoli, and she wonders why?  She will continue to teach at Whitebead and love all the kids that come here no matter what the decision is.
8. Matt Hamilton-Matt believes that school choice is what makes Whitebead special.  He feels like the board needs to do what is best for the students and families that live in the Whitebead district. 
9. Josh Smilth-Josh said, as a Whitebead resident, he does not want his kids to be forced to go to Paoli Schools.
10. Everett Plummer-Everett said he made a list of knowns and unknowns.  Known facts are that Whitebead residents' taxes will go up and Paoli residents' taxes will go down.  Some of the unknowns are the make-up of the board, which campus the students will attend, will the kids have a choice of where to go, no guarantee the Whitebead campus will stay open, and whether the Whitebead staff will be able to keep their jobs.  Everett mentioned that he knows landowners that would be willing to donate land if Whitebead ever wanted to expand what they offer.
11. Nicky Nowlin-Nicky is a mom of three children currently attending Paoli Schools.  They don't want to lose their school.  She thinks Whitebead should be honored that Paoli asked them to annex.  She feels like Paoli has a lot to offer and that their kids matter also.  She feels like Paoli is family and wants Whitebead to be a part of the family.  
12. Joni Hamilton-Joni said her main concern would be the students losing their choice of which school to attend after 8th grade, especially the IEP students.  She has concerns about the distance the high school would be from Whitebead.  

Steven Vines spoke again, asking Mr. Midkiff to clarify the open transfer policy.  Mr. Midkiff stated that the current state policy allows kids to transfer to any school they want unless there are issues of capacity or discipline.

    13.  Ricky Manning-Ricky stated that the tax dollars that come will stay the same.  He said the pantry has nothing to do with the annexation issue.  He wanted everyone to know that Bonnie Meisel is a member of the Pauls Valley City Council.
    14.  Lisa Whitman-Lisa stated that she respects the authority of the board member's position.  She feels like Whitebead has a unique sense of family that can't be replicated.  She feels like the board members need to do what is best for Whitebead children.  She also feels like the board has an obligation to notify property owners about the potential change which could possibly increase their  taxes.