The Pryor Board of Education’s Monday, June 1, 2026, meeting included a discussion on State Question 844 and its potential financial impact on public schools and other local taxing entities.

Superintendent Dr. Lisa Muller outlined changes made to the ballot language and explained how the measure could affect funding for school districts across Oklahoma. State Question 844 is scheduled to appear on the August 25, 2026, primary runoff ballot.  All registered voters in Oklahoma may vote on state questions during this election. 

Currently, the Oklahoma Constitution requires the state to reimburse affected taxing entities, including common schools, county governments, cities and towns, emergency medical services districts, vocational-technical schools, junior colleges, county health departments, and libraries for the full amount of taxes waived through the manufacturers' exemption program. If approved, State Question 844 would allow the Legislature to determine the amount of funds to allocate for reimbursement and how those funds would be distributed to taxing entities.

Because school districts receive a significant portion of the Ad Valorem Reimbursement Fund, changes to the law could affect districts across the state, including Pryor Public Schools. If ad valorem, or property tax, reimbursement is reduced, school districts could receive less funding in three major accounts: the general fund, building fund, and sinking fund. Those funds support daily operations, facility needs, and debt service obligations tied to community-approved bond projects.

The discussion reflected the district’s continued focus on fiscal responsibility, long-term planning, and protecting the resources taxpayers have invested in Pryor students, staff, and schools.

That focus on stewardship carried throughout the meeting, which also included swearing in a new board member, student presentations, and a Special Education Department update.

The Board welcomed Scott Miller as the new Seat 2 board member. Muller swore in the new member to fill the vacant Ward 2 seat before he joined the Board table to hear from students, staff, and stakeholders.

Next, Addison Harlow, a student in Shelley Brown’s Pryor High School leadership class, Addison Harlow shared how a yearlong letter-writing project helped build connections with younger Tigers.

Do you remember the feeling of connecting with someone through a handwritten note or letter? How long has it been since you penned a message to a family member or friend?

For students in Mrs. Brown’s leadership classes, it had only been a few weeks.

Brown explained how high school students were paired with fourth-grade students from Jefferson Elementary for a pen pal project. Harlow, who was a junior during the project, told the Board that students learned a great deal about their younger peers through the letters.

She said the high school students became curious about their pen pals and would watch younger Tigers at school events, trying to match faces with the details they had learned through the letters.

“We went to football games to try and figure out who our pen pals were,” Harlow said.

Throughout the year, the pen pals exchanged letters and small gifts, including ornaments at Christmas and hearts for Valentine’s Day. For their final letters of the year, high school students were asked to write in cursive, a challenging task for some students who missed much of their cursive instruction during the COVID years.

Brown said the plan for next year is to expand the program to include fourth-grade students across the district, helping build meaningful connections between older and younger Tigers.

Leadership students Bryce Raymer, Vansh ChauHan, and Brinlee England presented another meaningful writing project, a book written by the leadership class.

In this meaningful writing exercise, student authors penned stories about community "Bloomers," business owners, philanthropists, and young change makers in our school system. High school leadership students interviewed the bloomers and wrote out their stories for an elementary audience. Leadership students also created the original illustrations for the book Our Community is Blooming.

During the eight-week project, students learned about the publishing process. Each Pryor elementary library will receive a copy of the book.

The Board also heard an update from Special Education Director Leslie Burnett, who has served in the role since 2015. Burnett said the department has grown significantly during her time as director and currently serves students across academics, activities, and extracurricular opportunities.

Pryor students participate in Unified programs as well as Special Olympics, giving students opportunities to compete, connect, and be involved. Burnett also noted that despite the critical teacher shortage affecting schools statewide, teacher retention within Pryor’s Special Education Department has remained strong, providing stability for both students and staff.

Another important part of the program is Pryor’s therapy dog program, which has been in place for eight years under Burnett’s leadership. The district currently has five therapy dogs, with one assigned to each campus. Burnett said the dogs continue to be a hit with students and staff alike.

Burnett credited the success of the department to the entire team, emphasizing the importance of the “we” behind the work.

“Our goal is for our students to be able to do as many independent things as they can, just like all students,” Burnett said.

This fall, a graduate from the program will attend Northeastern State University as a RiverHawk Scholar, becoming the first Pryor participant in the program.

From state funding discussions to student leadership and specialized services, the meeting highlighted the many ways Pryor Public Schools is working to protect resources, support students, and strengthen connections across the district.