At their regular monthly meeting on Dec. 9, the Gore Board of Education made several significant decisions impacting the district’s upcoming projects and staffing for the 2024-25 school year.

The meeting began at 6:03 p.m. and included motions to approve multiple proposals, trips, contracts, and new teaching appointments.

The board began the meeting by unanimously approving an out-of-state trip for seniors to Branson, Mo. as part of their senior trip, as well as a separate trip for the Gifted and Talented students to Washington D.C. from March 31 to April 4, 2025.

Board member Gary Cunningham made a motion to approve nulling of a New Business item on Nov. 11 to vote on RFT’s for Geotechnical and civil engineering, due to the known status of proposals before the agenda was posted, with all board members voting in agreement.

In terms of facilities, the board members awarded contracts for the upcoming Lower Elementary Building Bond project, selecting Wallace Design Collective for civil engineering services and Burgess for geotechnical services.

The decision to move forward with these contracts was supported by CWA, the district’s architectural firm, ensuring that the project moves ahead as planned.

Other contract approvals included Breshears Construction, for CM services for the Lower Elementary Building Bond Project, Advance Copier Services for district copy machine services, and Progressive Therapy Solutions, PLLC for OT services and Medicaid billing.

Additionally, the board approved a motion to auction off the old bus barn in February 2025, with complete removal scheduled for March 2025. This decision will allow the district to clear the space for future development.

On the staffing front, the board members made several adjunct teacher appointments for the 2024-25 school year, including Brandon Ellis for high school weightlifting, Max Chapman for Geography and World History, and Julie Kinion for Physics.

Each appointment was unanimously approved by the board.

Superintendent Lucky McCrary, along with site principals, Tonya Pugh and Amanda Andrews, provided updates for the district and with no new business, the meeting concluded at 7:06 p.m.

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.