The Norman Public Schools Board of Education approved new graduation requirements, a virtual learning plan and an audit report at its Monday evening meeting.
New graduation requirements, math courses
The news: Holly McKinney, executive director of teaching and learning, reviewed changes to high school graduation requirements in accordance with House Bill 3278, which will go into effect for students in the class of 2030 — current eighth graders.
The new requirements will increase the number of math credits needed for graduation from three to four and create career pathway options for students to take courses tailored to a career interest.
Students who will graduate from 2026-29 can opt into the new requirements, according to the drafted policy, and both options require 23 credits to graduate.
The board also proposed authorizing math course options to meet the requirements, including advanced programming I, advanced programming II and computer science principles.
The new requirements were first presented at last month’s meeting. At that meeting, McKinney said the district was not planning to hire any more math teachers.
After the meeting, McKinney told the OU Daily that NPS currently has enough educators to teach those classes. The district is currently monitoring course enrollment to gauge which courses students are interested in and which may need more staffing in the future, she said.
What they’re saying: Office 3 Board member Annette Price asked if the math courses have prerequisites and if those could also count for math credit requirements.
McKinney said she wasn’t sure about prerequisites, but math courses that meet the new requirements must exceed Algebra I level, so prerequisites may not count.
Office 2 Board member Alex Ruggiers asked if the math courses are the only classes that will be considered for the new requirements. McKinney said they are currently the only classes the district has identified, but it will continue to look for classes that meet the criteria.
The vote: The board unanimously approved both motions.
Virtual instruction plan
The news: McKinney also presented a new virtual instruction plan, which states that schools are allowed two virtual days that can only be used if the governor declares a state of emergency or if approved by the state. The plan would take effect in the 2026-27 school year.
The new plan is in accordance with Senate Bill 758, which was signed into law in May. The bill can be implemented only if the state superintendent approves it, or if the governor declares a state of emergency or proclamation.
What they’re saying: NPS Superintendent Nick Migliorino said other districts across the state have abused virtual days, but NPS doesn’t. The district must comply with state regulations by following the new guidelines, he said.
Migliorino said NPS was informed about the new virtual instruction rules on Oct. 1, and the state said the board had to pass a new plan by Nov. 1 to maintain accreditation.
Migliorino said meeting the tight deadline was a “burden” and district leaders are having conversations with legislators to create “flexibility” in the state rules.
“We all shouldn’t have to go through this because of the abuse of a few,” Migliorino said.
Migliorino said this wouldn’t affect the district’s virtual learning academies, including ExpandED.
Audit report
The news: NPS Chief Financial Officer Tyler Jones presented a 2024-25 audit report of the district’s financial statements conducted by Vanessa Dutton, a certified public accountant at the Eide Bailly consulting firm.
Dutton said the firm gave the district a “clean” audit opinion and didn’t identify any financial misstatements.
Dutton said the audit found one error from last year: an understatement of $459,000 that is now corrected. The audit also made three small adjustments: two to the lease revenue bond fund and one to increase accrued interest and interest expenses, she said.
Dutton said auditing lease revenue bonds has been “unusual,” and the firm is continuing to fix its accounting on them each year.
The corrections do not change the clean audit opinion by the firm, Dutton said.
The audit also identified that the district failed to process student activity funds in the allotted time. Dutton said schools are required to deposit any expense exceeding $100 within a day, which is a “pretty strict” requirement. Dutton said this is a common oversight in schools and that eight of the 40 schools the firm sampled struggle with it.
What they’re saying: Office 1 Board member Dirk O’Hara thanked Jones for his work to prepare the district’s financial statements. Jones’ work saved the district around $30,000 annually, O’Hara said.
The vote: The board unanimously approved the item.
This story was edited by Ana Barboza and Natalie Armour.
