Board Report - June 8

Board Reports

Board of Education Approves Administrative Changes

The Board of Education approved several administrative changes, involving several new principals, assistant principals and a new director of Student Life at the High School.

Kaitlyn Bueno was named the new principal of the Union 7^th Grade Center; she previously served as an assistant principal at the High School. She replaced Crystal Pounds, who was named principal of the Union 8^th Grade Center earlier. Pounds replaces Michelle Cundy, who is retiring.

Ashley Hamilton was named principal of Grove Elementary. She previously served as assistant principal at McAuliffe Elementary as well as Grove Elementary. Hamilton replaces Randi Aubertine, who will serve as the manager of Union’s Extended Day Program (EDP.) Aubertine replaces Lorrie Field, who is retiring.

Meghan Bender was named associate principal at the High School. She previously served as assistant principal at the Union 8^th Grade Center, as well as assistant principal and director of Student Life at the High School. Bender replaces John Chargois, who is retiring.

Stacy Bingman was named assistant principal at the Union 7^th Grade Center. She comes to Union after serving four years as a principal of Vanguard Academy at Broken Arrow Public Schools. Bingman replaces Cynthia O’Donnell, who has moved to the Union 8^th Grade Center. The Board approved promoting O’Donnell from intern assistant principal to assistant principal. The Board also approved similar promotions for Twytinna Gardner as assistant principal at the Union 6^th Grade Center and Jaimee Lewis as assistant principal at Jefferson Elementary.

Finally, Hailee LaBron was named as the director of Student Life for the High School. She comes to Union after serving as assistant principal with Muskogee Public Schools, where she has supported secondary students for the past three years. Previously, she worked as both a reading and instructional specialist. LaBron replaces James Douthat, who has resigned his position.

In an announcement to the High School staff, High School Principal Beau Brannon stated “(Hailee LaBron) has a strong passion for student engagement and has loved leading student life initiatives that positively impact school culture and the overall student experience. Hailee is excited to continue that work at Union High School. Outside of school, she enjoys attending sporting events and spending time with her fiancé and daughter, who will be attending middle school at Union—making this an especially meaningful transition for their family.”

More administrative changes are expected this summer.

Board Approves Request to Increase Cost of Student Meals

Board members approved an increase to full-pay meals for the 2026-2027 school year by $0.50 cents a meal.

Director of Child Nutrition Bradyn Powell (pictured) said paid school meals have not changed since 2015, and since then, the cost of food supplies and labor has increased. Students who qualify for reduced meal prices will not be affected by this increase.

In a report to the Board, Powell estimated the increase could potentially increase revenue by about $185,600 for the district based on the number of paid meals for the 2025-2026 school year, as of May 18.

Effective July 1, 2011, section 205 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 outlines requirements for pricing a la carte, adult meals and contract meals, as well as student meals. 

 

Meals	Current Prices	Student Meal Prices for 2026-2027
Breakfast – All Students	$1.40	$1.90
Lunch- Elementary	$2.20	$2.70
Lunch- 6-9th Grade	$2.50	$3.00
Lunch – High School	$2.70	$3.20

 

Bradyn said, “For Adult meal prices, we anticipate a price increase due to a legal mandate handed down by the USDA and a federal requirement that should be released in July. Any changes to adult meal prices will be brought to the board once the guidelines are received from the USDA.”

Academic State Champion Girls Tennis Team Recognized

Athletic Director Emily Barkley and Coach Paula Baugher were on hand to recognize the Academic State Champion Girls Tennis Team for their outstanding achievement with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Coach Tyler Ashley was vacationing in Alaska but provided comments that were shared with Union’s Board of Education. See video

“Today we celebrate an outstanding achievement in Union tennis history,” said Ashley. “For the first time ever, our tennis program has earned the Academic State Championship, and this is only the fifth time that a Union athletic team has achieved this honor. That alone is extraordinary. But what makes this accomplishment even more remarkable is the sport we represent.

“Tennis is traditionally played by athletes who already carry high academic expectations, making the path to an academic state title incredibly competitive. Winning this award in tennis is not just difficult, it’s rare. Most past winners across the state earn the title with teams that have few, if any, athletes who qualify for the state tournament athletically. Not only did our team win the academic state championship, but all six varsity players qualified for the state tournament, and five of them placed at state – excellence in the classroom and excellence on the court. Our girls didn’t choose between them. They embodied both.”

According to Ashley, Union’s program of 50 high school girls completed nearly 1,400 hours of community service this year. “This shows that these athletes are not only champions in academics and athletics, but champions in character. They care deeply about themselves, their school and their community. This year, the girls didn’t just make history. They set a new standard for what it means to be a student athlete, for what it means to represent Union and for what it means to pursue excellence in every arena in life.”

CFO Trish Williams Honored for Service to the District

Superintendent John Federline surprised Chief Financial Officer Trish Williams with a plaque in recognition of her service to the district. She will be retiring at the end of the month.See video

“We are fortunate to have her at the end of over three decades of service to students and teachers in the state of Oklahoma,” said Federline. “She has been a CFO at TPS, Broken Arrow and finally with Union Public Schools. Her work is always exemplary. We forget sometimes that being a CFO of a large district carries a tremendous amount of responsibility. Dr. Williams has always borne that responsibility with tremendous grace, class and an unwavering commitment to the students and the teachers and administrators of this district.

“The financial awards from your department speak for themselves over the years. But I know more importantly to you and all of us is the incredible team that you’ve cultivated, that they are sitting out here today, and to have that be the fruit of your hard work is an incredible legacy. I know that they and I are going to be sure and carry that on.”  

Board Awards Construction Contract for Union 6^th/7^th Grade Center Renovations

The Board of Education accepted a bid of $8.43 million from Nabholz for renovations at the Union 6^th/7^th Grade Center.

This phase of the project, approved by voters, includes renovations on both floors of the west section of the classroom building, new HVAC systems, new lighting systems, restrooms and flooring. Construction is not expected to begin until January and should be completed by December 31, 2027.

In a related project, the Board approved the purchase and installation of BAS Controls at the Union 6^th/7^th Grade Center from Harrison Energy Partners for $402,320. This project will provide for building HVAC automation controls, and advanced digital temperature spare control and will be linked to the districtwide supervisor.

In other action, Board members:

• Approved an agreement with American Waste Control for solid waste and recycling services at a cost not to exceed $165,000.
• Approved a change order for an additional $100,000 for planned work in the High School media center. Director of Operations Dr. Josh Robinson said, “The scope change to the media center will add four dedicated classrooms that will house displaced classrooms in the subsequent phases of the High School HVAC renovation project. In addition, these classrooms will potentially eliminate the need for temporary classroom trailers. These classrooms will add flexibility to the programming of the High School once construction is complete. 
• Approved the issuance of 2026-2027 annual blanket purchases order encumbrances that exceed $100,000 from the general and building funds. The Board of Education also authorized the encumbrance clerk to adjust all utility and freight expenses, as necessary, and adjust any non-blanket purchase orders by up to 15 percent to cover overages and price variances when paying the claims. Oklahoma law allows the use of blanket purchase orders for recurring purchases of goods and services, if approved by the governing board. 
• Approved the purchase of 600 iPads and cases for school sites and a Mac Mini for an app server for $221,139 using bond funds.
• Award contracts to Flintco, LLC., to relocate the Union 8^th Grade Center’s grease trap for $145,713.
• Renewed the district’s contract with Infinite Campus for the next three years until June 30, 2029. Infinite Campus is the district student information system that houses student enrollment and demographic data and provides functional operation and record keeping for student attendance, schedules, grading, transcripts, behavior and other areas.  The three-year renewal includes operational and technical support service from Infinite Campus, the online enrollment and data management features and customized programming for report cards and transcripts.
• Approved to surplus several items related to the Union Adult Learning Center’s program, which has been discontinued. Some items may be returned to the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology, other districts with adult learning programs or declared surplus and redistributed within the district.
• Approved the expenditure of $900,000 of bond funds for textbooks and software, and another $1.04 million for textbooks, supplemental curriculum and software using general fund rollover funds from 2025-2026.

Video