OISD board swears in members, elects officers
The Olney Independent School District’s Board of Trustees swore in incumbents Kyle Hinson and Craig Mahler for new three-year terms and elected Summer Branum president to replace departing Trustee and Board President Jake Bailey at a special noontime meeting on May 8.
Mr. Hinson ran in the May 6 election for Place 6 unopposed, while Mr. Mahler drew two challengers in the Place 7 race. Mr. Hinson “smashed the competition” with 100 percent of the votes, Mr. Bailey joked while reading the official election results, and Mr. Mahler received 55.61 percent of the votes in his race against A.J. Johnson and Colson Ballard.
The Board elected Mr. Hinson as board vice-president, and Trustee Jeff Harvey as secretary. The Board also accepted Mr. Bailey’s resignation and adjourned to a closed session to discuss how to fill Mr. Bailey’s seat until the next Board election in May of 2024. The Board decided to appoint an interim trustee to fill the position to spare taxpayers the $4,000-5,000 cost of a special election. The candidate who fills Mr. Bailey’s seat at the 2024 election will initially serve a one-year term, the Board decided.
“You are technically on the board until we name your replacement,” Mrs. Branum told Mr. Bailey. There was no discussion of an appointee to immediately fill Mr. Bailey’s seat when he and his family move to Cisco next month.
“They wanted some time to give careful thought to an appointee,” OISD Superintendent Dr. Greg Roach said. “They actually have 180 days but I believe they will appoint someone at our May or June meeting.”
The board gave Mr. Bailey a charcuterie board inscribed with his name in gratitude for his service on the Board which began in 2016, Dr. Roach said.
“He will be missed,” Dr. Roach said. Board members joked at the meeting that they would not accept Mr. Bailey’s resignation. “We are definitely not allowed to reject it - I checked,” Mrs. Branum said. “We can entertain a motion to accept Jake’s resignation.”
The Board also approved contracts for four incoming elementary school teachers recruited by Dr. Matt Caffey, the former Olney High School principal who returns to Olney next fall from a College Station-area school as Olney’s elementary school principal.
“Mr. Caffey has been a busy person with his dual citizenship as he has worked to fill open teaching positions at the elementary [school],” Dr. Roach said.
Incoming Athletic Director Gunther Rodriguez visited with the Board about open coaching positions. Eric Symank, a 2007 OHS graduate, returns to Olney next year as head boys’ basketball coach, as well as a football and track coach. With the hiring of Mr. Symank, Olney lacks a boys’ assistant coach, two girls’ assistant coaches, and a head volleyball coach, Mr. Rodriguez said.