Also, board shows support for E-Sports
Carlton Landing Academy, a charter school, made a proposal to the Eufaula School Board Monday night that the two schools share a school superintendent.
Crystal Conner, president of the Academy’s school board, said the Academy’s Head of School – the term they use for superintendent, is leaving at the end of this school year and they need a viable alternative.
Though rare, sharing a su-perintendent is not unheard of.
70 Oklahoma Statute 7-203 allows for such an arrangement, which must be approved by both school’s school boards as well as the superintendent, in this case Monty Guthrie.
“It’s not going to be a burden (on the superintendent), just a few hours a week,” said Jerry Vogle, an acquaintance of Conner’s who has expertise in sharing superintendents.
He said the school will have a dean onsite.
“Mr. Guthrie would not be expected to go down every day,” Vogle said.
Carlton Landing, about 10 miles southeast of Eufaula, is in Pittsburg County and at first glance it might seem more appropriate for the proposal to be made to the superintendent at the Canadian School District, which is in Pittsburg County and also about 10 miles from Carlton Landing.
However, Conner, noted, the students are more closely associated with Eufaula, where they participate in several sports there.
The Academy has an enrollment of 54 students and a faculty of 11 – 12 counting the Head of School, Amanda Tucker.
How Eufaula schools would be compensated for the arrangement, and how much was not discussed at Monday’s meeting.
The Eufaula school board did not discuss the proposal and no vote was taken.
Conner said a shared superintendent needs to be found by June.
Other business
The school board agreed to provide a stipend for an E-Sport coach.
This is the first year the school is offering an E-Sport program, which is organized competition involving video games.
Other schools have been involved in ESports for years. Oklahoma State University built a 1,690 square foot arena for the sport in 2019.
Scholarships are available for some students who excel in ESports.
Eufaula students who participate in ESports will do so after school.
