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The Superintendent's Message

Dr. Keith Ballard

Posted Wednesday, May 15, 2013

We live in a great city! Tulsa exemplified that by supporting us yet again in passing the 2013 Smart and Secure Schools Bond. The city's continued support will greatly enable us to fulfill our sacred obligation to improve student achievement in our district. This is a tremendous win for TPS, our dedicated teachers and the students we serve every day. Getting the bond passed is confirmation that our community believes we are on the right track. As long as we continue on the path of doing the right things for students, we cannot go wrong. When we started down this road, I knew it would be difficult to get a bond issue passed this spring. Because of the joint efforts of teachers, administrators and support personnel, however, it has become a reality and we now have a brighter future to look forward to in the classroom. Thank you to everyone who supported this initiative and voted for it. I especially want to thank the efforts of the IT, Bond and Communications departments, the TPS Citizens Bond Development Committee and everyone else who helped with the bond initiative, including:

Perri Applegate, academic coordinator;
Jane Barnes, director of staff development and leadership training;
Tracy Bayles, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning;
Sue Ann Bell, director of maintenance and plant operations;
Scott Bolin, applications support analyst;
Richard Cochran, bond accountant;
Ellen Duecker, director of instructional media and library services;
Rob Gallant, staff attorney;
Jeana Gee, administrative analyst;
Janet Henderson, librarian, McLain High School;
Linda Hendrix, TCTA;
Jericho Hobson, teacher, Anderson Elementary;
Kay Holland, teacher, Clinton Middle School;
Chris Hudgins, bond architect;
Glenda Jameson, administrative secretary
Joe Jennings, director of initiatives management;
Vickie Johnson, director of curriculum & instruction;
Kenneth Joslin, principal, Mayo Demonstration Academy;
Hannah Kang, TLE data analyst;
Tracy Kouns, multimedia specialist;
Bob LaBass, director of bond projects and energy management;
Charlotte Manning, ISS project manager;
Chris Payne, executive director of communications;
LeeAnne Pepper, teacher, Bell Elementary;
LeeAnne Power, teacher, Mayo Demonstration Academy;
Samantha Reid, technology integration specialist;
Shelia Riley, principal, Eugene Field Elementary;
Gary Rudick, TPS campus police chief;
Jessica Samaroo, teacher, Dual Language Immersion Program
Kay Sandschaper, director of special education;
Sharolyn Sorrels, director of educational indicators;
Joe Stoeppelwerth, director of finance/treasurer;
Ben Stout, chief information and operations officer;
Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, director of transportation;
Trish Williams, chief financial officer;
Blaine Young, director of systems architecture; and
The TPS print shop:

Yovanda Browning, supervisor;
Richard Bales;
Curt G. Hilderbrandt;
Russ Michael; and
Jim Stone.

Without the efforts of all these people the Smart and Secure Schools bond may never have even made it to the ballot. I apologize if I failed to mention someone, this truly was a vast undertaking.

As I'm sure most of you are aware, last week was Teachers Appreciation Week! I missed addressing all of you last week, but rest assured I was thinking of all the wonderful teachers we have in Tulsa Public Schools. News of what you have accomplished with your students and on your own always amazes me. I am so thankful for the hard work, dedication and caring I see and hear about every day. Please keep up the good work!

It is the last week of school already? Wow where did the school year go? It seems like just last week I was visiting the new sites for Mayo and Sequoyah on the first day of school. Thank you to everyone in the district, whether you're in the schools, driving a bus or working at the ESC, for another wonderful year! This year has seen four Gates scholars; a Presidential scholar, a Medal of Excellence-winning teacher; several state titles in athletics and other competitions; and our determination and successes in light of adversity. I'm really looking forward to another great year next year.

I also want express my appreciation for everyone's patience and perseverance in light of the problems with testing last month. It was a very difficult and trying period for everyone involved. As I said in a video address, it's heartbreaking to see all the hard work that went into preparing for those tests affected by issues outside our control. The Oklahoma State Department of Education and CTB/McGraw-Hill really let down students. One thing they seem to not realize is this is all about individual students, who suffered interruptions in their testing.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ballard