Superintendent - Oklahoma City Public Schools

Oklahoma City, OK
United States

The vision of Oklahoma City Public Schools is to provide equitable access to a world-class education so district students will graduate ready to fulfill their purpose in a healthy, vibrant community.

OKCPS strives to ignite a passion for learning in every child, to invite families to engage and to inspire respectful and trusting relationships with its diverse community.

The OKC Board of Education has partnered with the Oklahoma State School Boards Association to help conduct the district’s superintendent search. The application and more information can be found at ossba.org/oklahoma-city.

OKCPS is a multicultural district serving approximately 34,000 students. Students are educated throughout 33 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, 8 high schools, 4 alternative schools and 6 charter schools located within 135.5 square miles in the center of Oklahoma.

The district employs 6,100+ administrators, teachers, and support personnel who serve a student population comprised of 2% Asian/Pacific Islander, 2% Native American, 6% Multiracial, 14% Caucasian, 22% African American and 54% Hispanic individuals.

Additionally, 16,500 of OKCPS students are bilingual and 13,000 are English Language Learners. The district’s students and their families represent many different languages – with the top two being English with 59% and Spanish with 39%.

OKCPS offers special education programs across the district to serve the 16% of the population with disabilities or special needs.

The OKCPS district budget is approximately $460 million.

The metropolitan area – the 8th largest in the nation – features nationally recognized museums, a thriving downtown, multiple unique arts and entertainment districts, a professional NBA team, a nationally accredited park, private and public universities/colleges, countless retail and dining options, and much more.

Other OKCPS Points of Pride include:
 

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

OKCPS is proud to offer full-day, tuition-free Pre-K and Kindergarten seats for every eligible child in the district. Early childhood programs in Oklahoma rank second in the nation for accessibility and quality. The district is unique in offering Pre-K and Kindergarten spots to students without utilizing a lottery system or waiting list.

SCISSORTAIL STUDIOS

OKCPS partnered with the Film Education Institute of Oklahoma (FEIO) to launch Scissortail Studios, a pilot program to introduce film production courses to high school students. Students receive hands-on experience and learn about the career paths available through the rapidly growing film industry. Expansion of this pilot is planned for the 2023-2024 school year. Students have already produced several athletic-themed hype videos and two short films through this program.

TEACHER AND LEADER PIPELINE PROGRAMS

Building a diverse teacher workforce takes intentional effort but creates lasting benefits. Through a partnership with the OKCPS Foundation, current OKCPS paraprofessionals and recent OKCPS graduates with specific qualifications have an opportunity to complete their bachelor’s degree in education. Books, tuition and certification tests are completely covered for program participants. To date, the district has had 18 graduates, all of whom have entered the classroom in OKCPS.

SUCCESSFUL 2022 $955 MILLION BOND PASSAGE

The 2022 bond was focused on the modernization and improvement of existing facilities. The average age of OKCPS schools is 72, and nine schools are over 100 years old. The bond will allow OKCPS to replace extremely outdated facilities and upgrade others to provide students with world-class, 21^st-century learning spaces. This historical bond passage will impact every school campus and every student in OKCPS.