February 10, 2025 Board Highlights

Superintendent's Report*

Dr. Jason Perez updated the board on the following: 

• Last week was National School Counselors week! Our team of counselors is outstanding. They work hard to help our students thrive inside and outside the classroom. Please join us in thanking them for all of their hard work.

• Spring Creek was designated as a Purple Star School, one of only 12 in Oklahoma. Purple Star Schools are recognized for creating supporting and encouraging environments for military students. The military club at Spring Creek serves the nearly 70 students of military families in the school, and was an integral part in receiving this recognition. 

• Deer Creek High School’s Wonderful Week of Fundraising (WWF) is almost here! Last Friday, our community participated in 20K In a Day, resulting in an impressive total of $22,608.64 raised. Families and students across the district participated in this fundraising event through donations in the car line, event sponsorship and attendance, and more. This year, all money raised will be donated to the Proton Pals Foundation, whose mission is to build meaningful relationships that positively impact the lives of proton therapy patients and their families.

• Congratulations to our Deer Creek Middle School Basketball Program! This past weekend, the 8th grade girls team won the conference championship with an undefeated season. Both of our 7th grade teams won their conference championships as well. Outstanding job to these Antler players and coaches!

• Our DCMS Cheer team is Back to Back NCA National Champions! Not only did they win NCA, but were also awarded best use of stunts and best showmanship.

• We are excited about our upcoming event on February 25, designed to give our community an opportunity to learn more about how to navigate screen time, device use and mental health in young people. This event will feature a documentary premiere of the film SCREENAGERS, followed by a panel with local mental health and education experts. We are partnering with Bethany, Piedmont and Putnam City Schools to encourage attendees around the metro to attend this event. Admission is free and guests are asked to register in advance on the Deer Creek website. 

• It’s officially hiring season! We are hosting a career fair on February 18 at 5 p.m. at the 4th & 5th Grade Center to meet prospective employees. Deer Creek is leading the metro in salaries, competitive benefits, school culture, work environment, community support, and much more. This event will give us a chance to meet with candidates looking for their next opportunity. 

Recognition

Assistant Superintendent Lenis DeRieux shared the following remarks (in summary) regarding our ongoing PPAT Cohort and the work of Bethany Lorenz and Paloma Cortes-Goowdyn: 

"In Deer Creek, we developed a cohort to try and help our non-traditional path staff dissect and tackle the PPAT portfolio exam. We were fortunate enough to tap into two people who have a passion for this area and have taken on three semesters of cohorts to help our staff prepare and pass the PPAT. They already have extremely busy jobs; one is an assistant principal and one is a curriculum coordinator. We would like to honor both Bethany Lorenz and Paloma Cortes-Goodwyn for taking the extra time to help our staff, for the passion they have put into teaching them, assessing their submissions, and for the huge success they have had with their first two cohorts. We have had 30 people in our cohorts so far and all 30 have passed their PPAT thanks to both Paloma and Bethany!"

Department Updates

The board received updates from the Transportation, Technology, and Operations departments. You can view their presentations on the meeting live stream available on our YouTube channel. 

Hiring Updates

The board approved the hiring of all personnel listed on the Personnel Schedule. 

Board Actions*

• Approved all items on the consent agenda 
• Approved GMP Amendments No. 10 & 11 Deer Creek 4th & 5th Grade Band Remodel to the Guarantee Maximum Price Contract with Willowbrook for construction management services
• Approved the addition of a new course, Street Law, to the Deer Creek High School Course Guide 
• Approved changes to board policy IKE (Retention, Promotion & Placement of Students) 
  • The updated board policy will be available online by the end of the week. 
• Approved the quote of $125,120 from CodeHS for a six-year computer coding program adoption for Deer Creek High School, to be paid out of State Textbook Funds
• Approved a quote for $58,968 from Quaver Music for a six-year elementary music adoption for Pre-K through 4th grade, to be paid out of State Textbook Funds
• Approved a quote of $19,032.60 from B.E. Publishing for a six-year adoption of Google Suite textbooks for Computer Application Course I & II at Deer Creek High School, to be paid out of State Textbook Funds 
• Approved a quote of $26,581.89 from Chickasaw Telecom for Network equipment, to be paid out of Bond Funds
• Approved the ongoing contract for Superintendent Jason Perez

Not Comprehensive*

Meeting Date & Time: Monday, February 10, 2025, 6 p.m. 
Location: Deer Creek Administration Building
Board Members in Attendance: Kelli Lay, Stan Green, James Gibbs
Next Meeting: Monday, March 10, 2025